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sec-design.md

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Okay, let's create a design document for TimescaleDB, focusing on aspects relevant for threat modeling.

BUSINESS POSTURE

TimescaleDB is an open-source time-series database optimized for fast ingest and complex queries. It's built on PostgreSQL and offered as a PostgreSQL extension. The business priorities and goals revolve around:

  • Providing a scalable and performant time-series database solution.
  • Maintaining compatibility with the PostgreSQL ecosystem (tools, drivers, etc.).
  • Offering a seamless user experience for developers familiar with PostgreSQL.
  • Enabling efficient storage and retrieval of time-series data for various use cases (IoT, monitoring, analytics, etc.).
  • Building a strong community and ecosystem around the product.
  • Offering managed cloud services (Timescale Cloud) for ease of deployment and management.

Based on these, the most important business risks are:

  • Data loss or corruption: Loss of time-series data can have significant consequences for users relying on TimescaleDB for critical monitoring or analytics.
  • Performance degradation: Slow query performance or ingest bottlenecks can render the database unusable for its intended purpose.
  • Security breaches: Unauthorized access to or modification of data can lead to data breaches, compliance violations, and reputational damage.
  • Incompatibility issues: Breaking changes or incompatibilities with PostgreSQL can disrupt existing user workflows and hinder adoption.
  • Lack of scalability: Inability to handle increasing data volumes or user load can limit growth and adoption.
  • Operational complexity: Difficulty in deploying, managing, or troubleshooting TimescaleDB can lead to user frustration and churn.

SECURITY POSTURE

TimescaleDB leverages PostgreSQL's security features and adds its own enhancements. Here's a breakdown:

  • security control: Authentication: Inherits PostgreSQL's authentication mechanisms, including password-based authentication (SCRAM-SHA-256, MD5), certificate-based authentication, GSSAPI, SSPI, and PAM. Described in PostgreSQL documentation.
  • security control: Authorization: Uses PostgreSQL's role-based access control (RBAC) system with GRANT/REVOKE privileges on databases, schemas, tables, and functions. Described in PostgreSQL documentation.
  • security control: Data Encryption: Supports PostgreSQL's Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for data at rest when configured on the underlying PostgreSQL instance. Also supports SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit. Described in PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB documentation.
  • security control: Auditing: Leverages PostgreSQL's auditing capabilities (e.g., pgaudit extension) to track database activity. Described in PostgreSQL documentation.
  • security control: Row-Level Security (RLS): Inherits PostgreSQL's RLS capabilities to enforce fine-grained access control at the row level. Described in PostgreSQL documentation.
  • security control: Network Security: Relies on network configuration and firewalls (typically managed at the infrastructure level) to restrict access to the database port (default 5432). Described in deployment environment documentation (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
  • security control: Regular Security Updates: TimescaleDB releases regular updates, including security patches, to address vulnerabilities. Described in TimescaleDB release notes and security advisories.
  • security control: Secure Development Practices: Timescale follows secure coding practices, including code reviews, static analysis, and vulnerability scanning. Described in internal development documentation.
  • accepted risk: Limited built-in input validation specific to TimescaleDB features: TimescaleDB relies primarily on PostgreSQL's input validation. While PostgreSQL handles general SQL injection, TimescaleDB-specific functions might have undiscovered vulnerabilities.
  • accepted risk: Complexity of configuration: Securely configuring PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB requires expertise. Misconfigurations can lead to vulnerabilities.
  • accepted risk: Dependency on PostgreSQL security: TimescaleDB's security is inherently tied to the security of the underlying PostgreSQL instance. Vulnerabilities in PostgreSQL directly impact TimescaleDB.
  • accepted risk: Supply chain risks: Although TimescaleDB itself might be secure, dependencies (libraries, build tools) could introduce vulnerabilities.

Recommended Security Controls (High Priority):

  • Implement more robust input validation specifically for TimescaleDB's custom functions and APIs.
  • Provide a security hardening guide tailored to TimescaleDB, covering recommended configurations and best practices.
  • Conduct regular penetration testing and security audits focused on TimescaleDB-specific features.
  • Implement a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) to track and manage dependencies, mitigating supply chain risks.

Security Requirements:

  • Authentication:
    • Support strong password policies.
    • Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible (leveraging PostgreSQL extensions or external tools).
    • Integrate with existing identity providers (e.g., LDAP, Active Directory) if required.
  • Authorization:
    • Implement granular permissions based on the principle of least privilege.
    • Regularly review and audit user permissions.
    • Utilize Row-Level Security (RLS) to enforce data access restrictions based on user attributes or roles.
  • Input Validation:
    • Validate all user inputs to prevent SQL injection and other injection attacks.
    • Sanitize data before using it in queries or system commands.
    • Implement specific validation checks for TimescaleDB functions and APIs.
  • Cryptography:
    • Use strong encryption algorithms (e.g., AES-256) for data at rest and in transit.
    • Securely manage encryption keys.
    • Regularly review and update cryptographic protocols and libraries.
    • Ensure proper certificate management for TLS connections.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

graph LR
    subgraph "TimescaleDB System"
        TimescaleDB[("TimescaleDB")]
    end
    User[("User/Application")]
    PostgreSQL[("PostgreSQL")]
    MonitoringTools[("Monitoring Tools")]
    BackupSystem[("Backup System")]
    ExternalAuth[("External Auth Provider")]

    User -- "Uses (SQL, APIs)" --> TimescaleDB
    TimescaleDB -- "Extends" --> PostgreSQL
    TimescaleDB -- "Sends metrics" --> MonitoringTools
    TimescaleDB -- "Backups" --> BackupSystem
    PostgreSQL -- "Authenticates against" --> ExternalAuth
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Element Descriptions:

    1. Name: User/Application
    • Type: User
    • Description: Represents a user or application interacting with TimescaleDB.
    • Responsibilities: Sending queries, inserting data, managing the database.
    • Security controls: Authentication, authorization, input validation (at the application level).
    1. Name: TimescaleDB
    • Type: System
    • Description: The TimescaleDB time-series database extension.
    • Responsibilities: Providing time-series specific functionality, managing data storage and retrieval.
    • Security controls: Inherits PostgreSQL security controls, plus any TimescaleDB-specific enhancements.
    1. Name: PostgreSQL
    • Type: System
    • Description: The underlying PostgreSQL database system.
    • Responsibilities: Handling core database operations, managing data storage, enforcing security policies.
    • Security controls: Authentication, authorization, data encryption, auditing, RLS.
    1. Name: Monitoring Tools
    • Type: System
    • Description: External tools used to monitor TimescaleDB performance and health.
    • Responsibilities: Collecting metrics, generating alerts.
    • Security controls: Secure communication channels (e.g., TLS), authentication.
    1. Name: Backup System
    • Type: System
    • Description: System used for backing up TimescaleDB data.
    • Responsibilities: Creating and storing backups, restoring data in case of failure.
    • Security controls: Data encryption, access controls, secure storage.
    1. Name: External Auth Provider
    • Type: System
    • Description: External system for user authentication (e.g., LDAP, Active Directory).
    • Responsibilities: Authenticating users, providing user information.
    • Security controls: Secure communication, strong authentication protocols.

C4 CONTAINER

Since TimescaleDB is a PostgreSQL extension, the container diagram is essentially an extension of the context diagram.

graph LR
    subgraph "TimescaleDB System"
        TimescaleDBExtension[("TimescaleDB Extension")]
        PostgreSQLServer[("PostgreSQL Server")]
        WAL[("Write-Ahead Log")]
        Storage[("Disk Storage")]
    end
    User[("User/Application")]
    MonitoringTools[("Monitoring Tools")]
    BackupSystem[("Backup System")]

    User -- "Uses (SQL, APIs)" --> PostgreSQLServer
    PostgreSQLServer -- "Loads" --> TimescaleDBExtension
    PostgreSQLServer -- "Writes to" --> WAL
    PostgreSQLServer -- "Reads/Writes" --> Storage
    TimescaleDBExtension -- "Interacts with" --> PostgreSQLServer
     TimescaleDBExtension -- "Sends metrics" --> MonitoringTools
    PostgreSQLServer -- "Backups" --> BackupSystem
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Element Descriptions:

    1. Name: User/Application
    • Type: User
    • Description: Represents a user or application interacting with TimescaleDB.
    • Responsibilities: Sending queries, inserting data, managing the database.
    • Security controls: Authentication, authorization, input validation (at the application level).
    1. Name: TimescaleDB Extension
    • Type: Container
    • Description: The TimescaleDB extension code loaded into PostgreSQL.
    • Responsibilities: Providing time-series specific functions, managing hypertables and chunks.
    • Security controls: Inherits PostgreSQL security controls, input validation for custom functions.
    1. Name: PostgreSQL Server
    • Type: Container
    • Description: The core PostgreSQL server process.
    • Responsibilities: Handling connections, processing queries, managing data storage.
    • Security controls: Authentication, authorization, data encryption, auditing, RLS.
    1. Name: Write-Ahead Log (WAL)
    • Type: Container
    • Description: PostgreSQL's WAL for ensuring data durability.
    • Responsibilities: Recording all database changes before they are written to disk.
    • Security controls: Access controls (managed by PostgreSQL).
    1. Name: Disk Storage
    • Type: Container
    • Description: The physical storage where data is stored.
    • Responsibilities: Storing data persistently.
    • Security controls: Data encryption at rest (if enabled), access controls (managed by the operating system and PostgreSQL).
    1. Name: Monitoring Tools
    • Type: System
    • Description: External tools used to monitor TimescaleDB performance and health.
    • Responsibilities: Collecting metrics, generating alerts.
    • Security controls: Secure communication channels (e.g., TLS), authentication.
    1. Name: Backup System
    • Type: System
    • Description: System used for backing up TimescaleDB data.
    • Responsibilities: Creating and storing backups, restoring data in case of failure.
    • Security controls: Data encryption, access controls, secure storage.

DEPLOYMENT

TimescaleDB can be deployed in various ways:

  1. Self-hosted: Installed directly on a user's own infrastructure (physical servers, VMs).
  2. Cloud (Self-Managed): Installed on cloud VMs (e.g., AWS EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine).
  3. Timescale Cloud: Fully managed service provided by Timescale.
  4. Cloud (Marketplace): Pre-configured images available on cloud marketplaces (e.g., AWS Marketplace).

We'll describe the Cloud (Self-Managed) deployment on AWS EC2 as an example:

graph LR
    subgraph "AWS Cloud"
        subgraph "VPC"
            subgraph "Public Subnet"
                LoadBalancer[("Load Balancer")]
            end
            subgraph "Private Subnet"
                EC2Instance[("EC2 Instance")]
                EBSVolume[("EBS Volume")]
            end
        end
        SecurityGroup[("Security Group")]
        IAMRole[("IAM Role")]
    end
     User[("User/Application")]

    User -- "HTTPS" --> LoadBalancer
    LoadBalancer -- "TCP (5432)" --> EC2Instance
    EC2Instance -- "Uses" --> EBSVolume
    EC2Instance -- "Assumes" --> IAMRole
    SecurityGroup -- "Controls access to" --> EC2Instance
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Element Descriptions:

    1. Name: User/Application
    • Type: User
    • Description: Represents a user or application connecting to TimescaleDB.
    • Responsibilities: Sending queries, inserting data.
    • Security controls: Authentication, authorization (at the application and database level).
    1. Name: Load Balancer
    • Type: Node
    • Description: AWS Application Load Balancer (ALB) or Network Load Balancer (NLB).
    • Responsibilities: Distributing traffic across multiple EC2 instances (if used for high availability).
    • Security controls: SSL/TLS termination, access controls (security groups).
    1. Name: EC2 Instance
    • Type: Node
    • Description: An AWS EC2 instance running PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB.
    • Responsibilities: Hosting the database server.
    • Security controls: Security groups, IAM roles, SSH key-based access, OS-level security hardening.
    1. Name: EBS Volume
    • Type: Node
    • Description: An AWS Elastic Block Storage (EBS) volume used for data storage.
    • Responsibilities: Providing persistent storage for the database.
    • Security controls: Encryption at rest (using AWS KMS), snapshots.
    1. Name: Security Group
    • Type: Node
    • Description: An AWS security group acting as a virtual firewall.
    • Responsibilities: Controlling inbound and outbound traffic to the EC2 instance.
    • Security controls: Restricting access to specific ports (e.g., 5432) and IP addresses.
    1. Name: IAM Role
    • Type: Node
    • Description: An AWS IAM role assigned to the EC2 instance.
    • Responsibilities: Providing permissions for the EC2 instance to access other AWS services (e.g., S3 for backups).
    • Security controls: Least privilege principle, managed policies.
    1. Name: VPC
    • Type: Node
    • Description: Virtual Private Cloud.
    • Responsibilities: Provides logically isolated section of the AWS Cloud.
    • Security controls: Network access control lists.
    1. Name: Public Subnet
    • Type: Node
    • Description: Subnet with the route to internet.
    • Responsibilities: Provides access to internet.
    • Security controls: Network access control lists.
    1. Name: Private Subnet
    • Type: Node
    • Description: Subnet without the route to internet.
    • Responsibilities: Provides isolation for resources.
    • Security controls: Network access control lists.

BUILD

TimescaleDB's build process involves multiple steps, from source code to packaged releases. Here's a simplified overview, focusing on security aspects:

graph LR
    Developer[("Developer")] --> GitHub[("GitHub Repository")]
    GitHub -- "Triggers" --> GitHubActions[("GitHub Actions")]
    GitHubActions -- "Builds" --> BuildArtifacts[("Build Artifacts")]
    BuildArtifacts -- "Published to" --> ReleaseServer[("Release Server")]
    StaticAnalysis[("Static Analysis Tools")]
    DependencyCheck[("Dependency Check")]

    GitHubActions -- "Runs" --> StaticAnalysis
    GitHubActions -- "Runs" --> DependencyCheck
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Build Process Description:

  1. Developers commit code to the TimescaleDB GitHub repository.
  2. GitHub Actions (CI/CD) is triggered by commits or pull requests.
  3. The build process includes:
    • Compiling the code (C, SQL).
    • Running unit tests and integration tests.
    • security control: Performing static analysis (e.g., using linters, code analyzers) to identify potential vulnerabilities.
    • security control: Checking dependencies for known vulnerabilities (e.g., using tools like Dependabot).
    • Packaging the code into various formats (e.g., DEB, RPM, tarballs).
  4. Build artifacts are created and stored.
  5. security control: Artifacts are signed to ensure authenticity and integrity.
  6. security control: Artifacts are published to a release server (e.g., GitHub Releases, package repositories).

Security Controls in the Build Process:

  • security control: Code Reviews: All code changes undergo peer review before being merged.
  • security control: Static Analysis: Automated tools scan the code for potential security issues.
  • security control: Dependency Management: Tools track and manage dependencies, identifying and mitigating known vulnerabilities.
  • security control: Build Automation: GitHub Actions ensures a consistent and reproducible build process.
  • security control: Artifact Signing: Digital signatures verify the authenticity and integrity of released packages.
  • security control: Limited Access: Access to build systems and release servers is restricted to authorized personnel.

RISK ASSESSMENT

  • Critical Business Processes:

    • Data Ingestion: Ensuring continuous and reliable ingestion of time-series data.
    • Data Querying: Providing fast and efficient access to data for analysis and reporting.
    • Data Storage: Maintaining data integrity and availability.
    • Database Administration: Managing the database, including backups, security, and performance tuning.

  • Data Sensitivity:

    • The sensitivity of data stored in TimescaleDB depends on the specific use case. It can range from low (e.g., public sensor data) to high (e.g., financial transactions, personal health information).
    • Common data types include:
      • Timestamps: Representing points in time.
      • Metrics: Numerical values associated with timestamps (e.g., temperature, CPU usage, stock prices).
      • Tags/Labels: Metadata associated with metrics (e.g., device ID, location, customer ID).
      • Configuration Data: Information about the database schema, users, and permissions.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

  • Questions:

    • What specific compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) apply to users of TimescaleDB? This will influence the necessary security controls.
    • What are the expected data volumes and query loads? This will impact scalability and performance considerations.
    • What are the specific threat models considered by TimescaleDB developers? This will help understand the rationale behind existing security measures.
    • Are there any plans to implement more advanced security features, such as dynamic data masking or data loss prevention (DLP)?
    • What is the process for handling security vulnerabilities reported by external researchers?
    • What level of support is provided for different deployment models (self-hosted, cloud, managed service)?
    • How is continuous security testing integrated into the development lifecycle?

  • Assumptions:

    • Users are responsible for securing their own infrastructure and applications connecting to TimescaleDB.
    • Users will follow best practices for database security, such as using strong passwords and configuring firewalls.
    • TimescaleDB's reliance on PostgreSQL's security features means that PostgreSQL is properly configured and secured.
    • The build process is secure and protected from unauthorized access.
    • Regular security updates are applied promptly.
    • Users are aware of the shared responsibility model for security, especially in cloud deployments.
    • TimescaleDB's documentation provides sufficient guidance for secure configuration and usage.