threat-modeling.md

Threat Model Analysis for valkey-io/valkey

Threat: Valkey Server Software Vulnerability Exploitation

Description: An attacker identifies and exploits a known or zero-day vulnerability in the Valkey server software. This could involve sending specially crafted network packets, commands, or data to trigger the vulnerability. Exploitation could lead to remote code execution, denial of service, or data breaches. Impact:

• Confidentiality: Sensitive data stored in Valkey could be exposed.
• Integrity: Data within Valkey could be modified or deleted without authorization.
• Availability: Valkey service could be disrupted or completely unavailable (DoS).
• System Compromise: In severe cases, attacker could gain full control of the Valkey server. Valkey Component Affected: Core Valkey server software. Risk Severity: Critical to High Mitigation Strategies:
• Patching: Regularly update Valkey server to the latest stable version with security patches.
• Vulnerability Monitoring: Subscribe to Valkey security advisories and monitor vulnerability databases (e.g., CVE).
• Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing of Valkey deployments.
• Network Segmentation: Isolate Valkey servers within secure network segments.

Threat: Weak or Default Valkey Authentication

Description: An attacker attempts to gain unauthorized access to Valkey by exploiting weak or default passwords. This could involve brute-force attacks, dictionary attacks, or using known default credentials if they were not changed. Impact:

• Confidentiality: Unauthorized access to all data stored in Valkey.
• Integrity: Ability to modify or delete any data within Valkey.
• Availability: Potential to disrupt Valkey service or cause data loss. Valkey Component Affected: Authentication mechanism. Risk Severity: High Mitigation Strategies:
• Strong Passwords: Enforce strong, unique, and randomly generated passwords for all Valkey users.
• Password Management: Implement secure password management practices.
• Disable Default Passwords: Ensure default passwords are changed immediately upon deployment.
• Authentication Enforcement: Always enable and enforce authentication in production environments.

Threat: Valkey Authorization Bypass via ACL Misconfiguration

Description: An attacker exploits misconfigured Valkey Access Control Lists (ACLs) to gain unauthorized access to data or commands they should not be permitted to access. This could involve identifying overly permissive rules or flaws in ACL logic. Impact:

• Confidentiality: Access to sensitive data beyond authorized permissions.
• Integrity: Ability to perform unauthorized actions, potentially modifying or deleting data.
• Availability: Potential to disrupt service by executing administrative commands. Valkey Component Affected: ACL system. Risk Severity: High Mitigation Strategies:
• Principle of Least Privilege: Configure ACLs to grant only the minimum necessary permissions to each user and application.
• Regular ACL Review: Periodically review and audit Valkey ACL configurations to identify and correct misconfigurations.
• Testing ACLs: Thoroughly test ACL configurations to ensure they function as intended and prevent unauthorized access.

Threat: Valkey Denial of Service (DoS) Attack

Description: An attacker floods Valkey with excessive requests, exploits resource-intensive commands, or triggers vulnerabilities to overload or crash the Valkey server, making it unavailable to legitimate users and the application. Impact:

• Availability: Valkey service disruption, leading to application unavailability or performance degradation. Valkey Component Affected: Valkey server. Risk Severity: High Mitigation Strategies:
• Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting on Valkey access to restrict the number of requests from a single source.
• Connection Limits: Configure connection limits to prevent resource exhaustion from excessive connections.
• Resource Monitoring: Monitor Valkey resource usage (CPU, memory, network) and set up alerts for anomalies.
• Command Renaming/Disabling: Rename or disable potentially dangerous commands (e.g., DEBUG, CONFIG) in production.

Threat: Data Exfiltration from Valkey

Description: An attacker, having gained unauthorized access to Valkey, extracts sensitive data stored within Valkey. This could be done using Valkey commands like GET, SCAN, KEYS, or by exploiting vulnerabilities to dump data. Impact:

• Confidentiality: Loss of sensitive data, potential regulatory compliance violations, reputational damage. Valkey Component Affected: Data storage and retrieval mechanisms. Risk Severity: High to Critical Mitigation Strategies:
• Strong Authentication and Authorization: Implement robust authentication and authorization to prevent unauthorized access.
• Encryption at Rest (Application-Level): Encrypt sensitive data at the application level before storing it in Valkey if Valkey's built-in encryption is not sufficient.
• Access Logging and Monitoring: Monitor Valkey access logs for suspicious activity and data access patterns.

Threat: Insecure Valkey Replication

Description: An attacker intercepts or manipulates Valkey replication traffic if it is not properly secured. This could involve man-in-the-middle attacks to eavesdrop on replicated data or inject malicious data into the replication stream. Impact:

• Confidentiality: Exposure of replicated data if traffic is intercepted.
• Integrity: Data corruption or inconsistency if replication stream is manipulated.
• Availability: Potential for replication disruption or DoS if replication is attacked. Valkey Component Affected: Replication mechanism. Risk Severity: High Mitigation Strategies:
• TLS/SSL Encryption for Replication: Encrypt replication traffic using TLS/SSL, especially when replicating over untrusted networks.
• Replication Authentication: Securely configure replication authentication mechanisms.
• Network Segmentation: Isolate replication traffic within secure network segments.

Threat: Lua Script Sandbox Escape (If Lua Scripting is Used)

Description: An attacker crafts a malicious Lua script that exploits vulnerabilities in the Valkey Lua sandbox to escape the sandbox environment and gain access to the underlying operating system or Valkey server process. Impact:

• System Compromise: Potential for remote code execution on the Valkey server.
• Confidentiality: Access to sensitive data on the server.
• Integrity: Ability to modify system configurations or data.
• Availability: Potential for denial of service or system instability. Valkey Component Affected: Lua scripting engine and sandbox. Risk Severity: High to Critical Mitigation Strategies:
• Disable Lua Scripting (If Not Needed): Disable Lua scripting if it is not essential for application functionality.
• Secure Script Development: Follow secure coding practices when developing Lua scripts.
• Script Auditing and Review: Thoroughly audit and review all Lua scripts for security vulnerabilities.

Threat: Vulnerable Valkey Modules (If Modules are Used)

Description: An attacker exploits vulnerabilities within Valkey modules, especially third-party modules, to compromise the Valkey server. Modules may have their own vulnerabilities separate from the core Valkey software. Impact:

• System Compromise: Potential for remote code execution on the Valkey server.
• Confidentiality: Access to sensitive data on the server and within Valkey.
• Integrity: Ability to modify system configurations or data.
• Availability: Potential for denial of service or system instability. Valkey Component Affected: Valkey modules. Risk Severity: Critical Mitigation Strategies:
• Module Security Evaluation: Carefully evaluate the security of any Valkey modules before using them.
• Trusted Module Sources: Only use modules from trusted and reputable sources.
• Module Updates: Keep Valkey modules updated to the latest versions with security patches.

Threat: Operational Security Failures - Lack of Patching and Monitoring

Description: Failure to regularly patch Valkey servers for known vulnerabilities and lack of adequate monitoring and logging of Valkey activity increases the risk of successful attacks and delays incident detection and response. Impact:

• Increased Vulnerability Window: Systems remain vulnerable to known exploits for longer periods.
• Delayed Incident Detection: Security breaches may go unnoticed for extended periods, increasing damage.
• Compromised Security Posture: Overall weakening of the security of the Valkey infrastructure. Valkey Component Affected: Operational environment and management practices. Risk Severity: High Mitigation Strategies:
• Regular Patching and Updates: Establish a robust patching and update process for Valkey servers.
• Comprehensive Monitoring and Logging: Implement comprehensive monitoring and logging of Valkey activity, including security-relevant events.
• Incident Response Plan: Develop and maintain incident response plans specifically addressing potential Valkey security incidents.