BUSINESS POSTURE

The rippled project aims to provide a robust, scalable, and secure server for the XRP Ledger, a decentralized cryptographic ledger. The primary business goal is to maintain and enhance the infrastructure that supports the XRP Ledger, enabling fast, low-cost, and reliable transactions of value.

Business Priorities:

Reliability and Availability: Ensuring the XRP Ledger is consistently operational and accessible for transaction processing.
Security and Integrity: Protecting the ledger from manipulation, unauthorized access, and ensuring the integrity of transaction data.
Scalability and Performance: Maintaining and improving the network's capacity to handle increasing transaction volumes and user growth.
Compliance and Regulation: Adhering to relevant financial regulations and compliance standards in different jurisdictions where the XRP Ledger is used.
Community and Ecosystem Growth: Fostering a healthy ecosystem around the XRP Ledger by providing a stable and feature-rich server implementation.

Business Risks:

Security Breaches and Financial Loss: Vulnerabilities in rippled could lead to exploits, resulting in loss of funds or manipulation of the ledger, causing significant financial damage and reputational harm.
Network Disruptions and Downtime: Failures in rippled or the network infrastructure could lead to network outages, disrupting transaction processing and impacting users.
Regulatory Scrutiny and Non-compliance: Failure to comply with evolving financial regulations could result in legal penalties, fines, and restrictions on the use of the XRP Ledger.
Performance Bottlenecks and Scalability Issues: Inability to handle increasing transaction volumes could lead to network congestion, slow transaction processing, and user dissatisfaction.
Forks and Consensus Failures: Issues in the consensus mechanism or software bugs could lead to network forks or failures in reaching consensus, compromising the integrity of the ledger.

SECURITY POSTURE

Existing Security Controls:

security control: Code Review - The project is open source and benefits from community code review. (Implemented: GitHub repository, pull request process)
security control: Fuzzing - The project likely employs fuzzing techniques to identify potential vulnerabilities in the code. (Likely implemented in development and testing pipelines, details not explicitly provided in the repository)
security control: Static Analysis - Static analysis tools are likely used to identify potential code defects and security vulnerabilities. (Likely implemented in development and testing pipelines, details not explicitly provided in the repository)
security control: Unit and Integration Testing - Extensive unit and integration tests are likely in place to ensure code correctness and prevent regressions. (Implemented: Test suites within the repository)
security control: Access Control - Access to the GitHub repository and build infrastructure is likely controlled via role-based access control. (Implemented: GitHub repository settings, build system access controls)

Accepted Risks:

accepted risk: Complexity of Distributed Systems - Distributed consensus systems are inherently complex, and subtle vulnerabilities might exist despite rigorous testing and review.
accepted risk: Dependency Vulnerabilities - The project relies on external libraries and dependencies, which may contain undiscovered vulnerabilities.
accepted risk: Zero-day Exploits - The possibility of undiscovered zero-day vulnerabilities in the codebase or dependencies remains an inherent risk.

Recommended Security Controls:

security control: Security Audits - Regular independent security audits by reputable firms to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the codebase and architecture.
security control: Penetration Testing - Periodic penetration testing to simulate real-world attacks and assess the effectiveness of security controls.
security control: Bug Bounty Program - Implement a public bug bounty program to incentivize external security researchers to find and report vulnerabilities.
security control: Security Training for Developers - Provide security training to developers to enhance their awareness of secure coding practices and common vulnerabilities.
security control: Dependency Scanning and Management - Implement automated dependency scanning and management tools to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in third-party libraries.
security control: Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) - Consider implementing RASP techniques to detect and prevent attacks at runtime.
security control: Infrastructure Security Hardening - Ensure robust security hardening of the infrastructure where rippled nodes are deployed, including operating system, network, and container security.
security control: Incident Response Plan - Develop and maintain a comprehensive incident response plan to effectively handle security incidents and breaches.

Security Requirements:

Authentication:
- Requirement: Secure node-to-node authentication to prevent unauthorized nodes from joining the network and participating in consensus.
- Requirement: Secure authentication mechanisms for administrative access to rippled nodes.
Authorization:
- Requirement: Fine-grained authorization controls to restrict access to sensitive functionalities and data within rippled.
- Requirement: Role-based access control for administrative tasks.
Input Validation:
- Requirement: Robust input validation for all external inputs, including network messages, API requests, and configuration parameters, to prevent injection attacks and other input-related vulnerabilities.
- Requirement: Strict adherence to protocol specifications and message formats to prevent malformed or malicious messages from disrupting the network.
Cryptography:
- Requirement: Use of strong and well-vetted cryptographic algorithms and libraries for all security-sensitive operations, including signing, encryption, and hashing.
- Requirement: Secure key management practices for cryptographic keys used by rippled nodes.
- Requirement: Protection of private keys used for signing transactions and node identities.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

flowchart LR
    subgraph "XRP Ledger Ecosystem"
        center_node("Rippled Server")
    end

    external_users("XRP Ledger Users") -- "Sends Transactions, Queries Ledger State" --> center_node
    other_nodes("Other Rippled Nodes") -- "P2P Network Communication, Consensus" --> center_node
    monitoring_system("Monitoring System") -- "Collects Metrics, Logs" --> center_node
    admin_interface("Admin Interface") -- "Configuration, Monitoring, Management" --> center_node

    style center_node fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Context Diagram Elements:

Element:
- Name: Rippled Server
- Type: Software System
- Description: The core server software for the XRP Ledger, responsible for participating in the peer-to-peer network, validating transactions, maintaining the ledger, and providing APIs for clients.
- Responsibilities:
  - Participating in the XRP Ledger peer-to-peer network.
  - Validating and processing transactions.
  - Maintaining a local copy of the XRP Ledger.
  - Participating in the consensus process.
  - Providing APIs for clients to interact with the ledger.
  - Exposing administrative interfaces for monitoring and management.
- Security controls:
  - Node-to-node authentication and encryption.
  - Input validation for network messages and API requests.
  - Authorization controls for administrative interfaces.
  - Rate limiting and DDoS protection.
Element:
- Name: XRP Ledger Users
- Type: Person/System
- Description: Individuals or systems that interact with the XRP Ledger to send transactions, query ledger state, and manage accounts.
- Responsibilities:
  - Creating and signing transactions.
  - Submitting transactions to the XRP Ledger network.
  - Querying ledger state and account information.
  - Managing XRP accounts and keys.
- Security controls:
  - Client-side key management and security practices.
  - Secure communication channels when interacting with rippled nodes (e.g., HTTPS).
  - User authentication and authorization at the application level (outside of rippled scope).
Element:
- Name: Other Rippled Nodes
- Type: Software System
- Description: Other instances of the rippled server running on the XRP Ledger network, forming the peer-to-peer network.
- Responsibilities:
  - Participating in the XRP Ledger peer-to-peer network.
  - Exchanging ledger data and transaction information.
  - Participating in the consensus process.
- Security controls:
  - Node-to-node authentication and encryption.
  - Peer reputation and blacklisting mechanisms.
  - Consensus protocol security.
Element:
- Name: Monitoring System
- Type: Software System
- Description: External system used to monitor the health, performance, and security of rippled nodes and the XRP Ledger network.
- Responsibilities:
  - Collecting metrics and logs from rippled nodes.
  - Alerting on anomalies and security events.
  - Providing dashboards and visualizations for monitoring.
- Security controls:
  - Secure communication channels for collecting metrics and logs (e.g., encrypted protocols).
  - Access control to monitoring data and dashboards.
  - Secure storage of monitoring data.
Element:
- Name: Admin Interface
- Type: Software System
- Description: Interface (command-line or web-based) for administrators to configure, monitor, and manage rippled nodes.
- Responsibilities:
  - Node configuration and setup.
  - Monitoring node status and performance.
  - Managing node logs and diagnostics.
  - Performing administrative tasks (e.g., restarting node, updating configuration).
- Security controls:
  - Strong authentication for administrative access.
  - Role-based access control for administrative functions.
  - Audit logging of administrative actions.
  - Secure communication channels (e.g., SSH, HTTPS).

C4 CONTAINER

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Rippled Server"
        api_server("API Server")
        consensus_engine("Consensus Engine")
        ledger_database("Ledger Database")
        p2p_network("P2P Network Layer")
        admin_tools("Admin Tools")
    end

    external_users("XRP Ledger Users") -- "API Requests" --> api_server
    other_nodes("Other Rippled Nodes") -- "P2P Protocol" --> p2p_network
    monitoring_system("Monitoring System") -- "Metrics, Logs" --> admin_tools
    admin_interface("Admin Interface") -- "Admin Commands" --> admin_tools

    api_server -- "Reads/Writes Ledger Data" --> ledger_database
    api_server -- "Submits Transactions, Queries Network" --> p2p_network
    consensus_engine -- "Reads/Writes Ledger Data" --> ledger_database
    consensus_engine -- "P2P Consensus Messages" --> p2p_network
    admin_tools -- "Manages Node Configuration, Monitoring" --> api_server
    admin_tools -- "Retrieves Node Status, Logs" --> ledger_database

    style api_server fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style consensus_engine fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style ledger_database fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style p2p_network fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style admin_tools fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Container Diagram Elements:

Element:
- Name: API Server
- Type: Application
- Description: Provides APIs (e.g., REST, WebSocket) for external users and applications to interact with the XRP Ledger. Handles transaction submission, ledger queries, and account management requests.
- Responsibilities:
  - Receiving and validating API requests.
  - Interacting with the Ledger Database to retrieve and store data.
  - Communicating with the P2P Network Layer to submit transactions and query network state.
  - Enforcing API access controls and rate limiting.
- Security controls:
  - Input validation for API requests.
  - API authentication and authorization (if applicable for certain APIs).
  - Rate limiting and DDoS protection for API endpoints.
  - Secure communication channels (HTTPS).
Element:
- Name: Consensus Engine
- Type: Application
- Description: Implements the XRP Ledger consensus protocol, responsible for validating transactions, reaching agreement on the ledger state, and appending new ledgers to the chain.
- Responsibilities:
  - Participating in the consensus process with other nodes.
  - Validating transactions and ledger proposals.
  - Reaching agreement on the canonical ledger.
  - Updating the Ledger Database with new ledger versions.
  - Implementing Byzantine Fault Tolerance.
- Security controls:
  - Consensus protocol security mechanisms (e.g., cryptographic signatures, validation rules).
  - Resistance to Sybil attacks and other consensus-related attacks.
  - Secure communication channels with other consensus engine instances.
Element:
- Name: Ledger Database
- Type: Data Store
- Description: Stores the XRP Ledger data, including account balances, transaction history, and ledger state. Likely uses a high-performance database system optimized for ledger operations.
- Responsibilities:
  - Persistently storing the XRP Ledger data.
  - Providing efficient read and write access to ledger data.
  - Ensuring data integrity and consistency.
  - Potentially implementing data replication and backup mechanisms.
- Security controls:
  - Database access controls and authentication.
  - Data encryption at rest and in transit (if applicable).
  - Database hardening and security best practices.
  - Regular backups and disaster recovery mechanisms.
Element:
- Name: P2P Network Layer
- Type: Application
- Description: Handles peer-to-peer communication with other rippled nodes on the XRP Ledger network. Implements the network protocol for message exchange, node discovery, and network management.
- Responsibilities:
  - Establishing and maintaining connections with other rippled nodes.
  - Broadcasting and receiving network messages (transactions, ledger proposals, etc.).
  - Implementing node discovery and peer selection mechanisms.
  - Handling network security and message integrity.
- Security controls:
  - Node-to-node authentication and encryption.
  - Message integrity checks and digital signatures.
  - Peer reputation and blacklisting mechanisms.
  - DDoS protection at the network level.
Element:
- Name: Admin Tools
- Type: Application
- Description: Provides command-line and potentially web-based tools for administrators to manage and monitor the rippled server.
- Responsibilities:
  - Node configuration management.
  - Monitoring node status, performance, and logs.
  - Performing administrative tasks (e.g., restarting node, updating configuration).
  - Exposing metrics for monitoring systems.
- Security controls:
  - Strong authentication for administrative access.
  - Role-based access control for administrative functions.
  - Audit logging of administrative actions.
  - Secure communication channels (SSH, HTTPS).

DEPLOYMENT

Deployment Architecture: Distributed Node Network

Rippled is designed to be deployed as a distributed network of nodes. Each node typically runs on dedicated server infrastructure or within virtualized environments. For a production deployment, multiple geographically distributed nodes are recommended for redundancy and resilience.

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Deployment Environment 1 (Data Center A)"
        server_a1("Server Instance 1")
        server_a2("Server Instance 2")
        server_a3("Server Instance 3")
    end
    subgraph "Deployment Environment 2 (Data Center B)"
        server_b1("Server Instance 4")
        server_b2("Server Instance 5")
        server_b3("Server Instance 6")
    end

    load_balancer("Load Balancer") -- "API Requests" --> server_a1 & server_a2 & server_a3 & server_b1 & server_b2 & server_b3
    internet("Internet") -- "User Traffic" --> load_balancer

    server_a1 -- "P2P Network" --> server_a2 & server_a3 & server_b1 & server_b2 & server_b3
    server_a2 -- "P2P Network" --> server_a1 & server_a3 & server_b1 & server_b2 & server_b3
    server_a3 -- "P2P Network" --> server_a1 & server_a2 & server_b1 & server_b2 & server_b3
    server_b1 -- "P2P Network" --> server_a1 & server_a2 & server_a3 & server_b2 & server_b3
    server_b2 -- "P2P Network" --> server_a1 & server_a2 & server_a3 & server_b1 & server_b3
    server_b3 -- "P2P Network" --> server_a1 & server_a2 & server_a3 & server_b1 & server_b2

    style server_a1 fill:#efe,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style server_a2 fill:#efe,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style server_a3 fill:#efe,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style server_b1 fill:#efe,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style server_b2 fill:#efe,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style server_b3 fill:#efe,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style load_balancer fill:#cef,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Deployment Diagram Elements:

Element:
- Name: Server Instance (Server A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3)
- Type: Infrastructure (Physical Server or Virtual Machine)
- Description: Represents a single instance of the rippled server software running on a server. Each server instance hosts all containers described in the Container Diagram (API Server, Consensus Engine, Ledger Database, P2P Network Layer, Admin Tools).
- Responsibilities:
  - Running all rippled containers.
  - Participating in the XRP Ledger network.
  - Processing transactions and maintaining the ledger.
- Security controls:
  - Operating system hardening.
  - Firewall configuration to restrict network access.
  - Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS).
  - Security monitoring and logging.
  - Regular security patching and updates.
Element:
- Name: Load Balancer
- Type: Infrastructure (Network Device or Software)
- Description: Distributes incoming API requests across multiple rippled server instances to ensure high availability and scalability of the API service.
- Responsibilities:
  - Distributing API traffic across backend rippled servers.
  - Performing health checks on backend servers.
  - Providing a single entry point for API requests.
  - Potentially providing DDoS protection and rate limiting at the network edge.
- Security controls:
  - Load balancer hardening and security configuration.
  - SSL/TLS termination for API traffic.
  - Access control to load balancer management interface.
  - DDoS protection and rate limiting capabilities.
Element:
- Name: Internet
- Type: Network
- Description: The public internet, representing the external network from which user traffic originates.
- Responsibilities:
  - Providing connectivity for users to access the XRP Ledger API.
- Security controls:
  - N/A - Security of the internet is outside the scope of rippled deployment, but reliance on secure protocols (HTTPS) is crucial.

BUILD

Build Process: Automated CI/CD Pipeline

The rippled project likely employs an automated CI/CD pipeline for building, testing, and publishing the software. This pipeline ensures consistent builds, automated testing, and facilitates rapid iteration and deployment.

flowchart LR
    developer("Developer") -- "Code Commit" --> github_repo("GitHub Repository")
    github_repo -- "Webhook Trigger" --> ci_server("CI Server (e.g., GitHub Actions)")
    ci_server -- "Build & Test" --> build_environment("Build Environment")
    build_environment -- "Artifacts" --> artifact_repository("Artifact Repository")
    artifact_repository -- "Deployment" --> deployment_environment("Deployment Environment")

    subgraph "Build Environment"
        source_code_checkout("Source Code Checkout")
        dependency_resolution("Dependency Resolution")
        compilation("Compilation")
        unit_tests("Unit Tests")
        integration_tests("Integration Tests")
        static_analysis("Static Analysis & SAST")
        containerization("Containerization (e.g., Docker)")
    end
    build_environment -- "Input" --> source_code_checkout
    source_code_checkout -- "Output" --> dependency_resolution
    dependency_resolution -- "Output" --> compilation
    compilation -- "Output" --> unit_tests
    unit_tests -- "Output" --> integration_tests
    integration_tests -- "Output" --> static_analysis
    static_analysis -- "Output" --> containerization

    style github_repo fill:#cdf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style ci_server fill:#cdf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style artifact_repository fill:#cdf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style deployment_environment fill:#cdf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style build_environment fill:#eff,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Build Diagram Elements:

Element:
- Name: GitHub Repository
- Type: Code Repository
- Description: Hosts the source code for the rippled project, including code, build scripts, and configuration files.
- Responsibilities:
  - Version control of source code.
  - Collaboration platform for developers.
  - Triggering CI/CD pipelines on code changes.
- Security controls:
  - Access control to the repository (authentication and authorization).
  - Branch protection and code review requirements.
  - Audit logging of repository actions.
Element:
- Name: CI Server (e.g., GitHub Actions)
- Type: Build Automation System
- Description: Orchestrates the automated build, test, and deployment pipeline. Executes build scripts, runs tests, and manages artifact publishing.
- Responsibilities:
  - Automating the build and test process.
  - Running static analysis and security scans.
  - Packaging build artifacts.
  - Triggering deployments.
- Security controls:
  - Secure configuration of CI/CD pipelines.
  - Access control to CI/CD system and configurations.
  - Secrets management for credentials used in the pipeline.
  - Audit logging of CI/CD pipeline executions.
Element:
- Name: Build Environment
- Type: Compute Environment
- Description: A temporary or dedicated environment where the build process is executed. Includes steps like source code checkout, dependency resolution, compilation, testing, static analysis, and containerization.
- Responsibilities:
  - Providing a consistent and reproducible build environment.
  - Executing build steps and tests.
  - Generating build artifacts.
- Security controls:
  - Secure build environment configuration.
  - Isolation of build environments.
  - Dependency scanning and vulnerability checks during dependency resolution.
  - Static Application Security Testing (SAST) during static analysis.
Element:
- Name: Artifact Repository
- Type: Storage System
- Description: Stores the build artifacts (e.g., binaries, container images) produced by the CI/CD pipeline.
- Responsibilities:
  - Securely storing build artifacts.
  - Versioning and managing artifacts.
  - Providing access to artifacts for deployment.
- Security controls:
  - Access control to the artifact repository.
  - Integrity checks for artifacts (e.g., checksums, signatures).
  - Vulnerability scanning of container images in the repository.
Element:
- Name: Deployment Environment
- Type: Target Environment
- Description: The target infrastructure where the rippled server is deployed (as described in the Deployment section).
- Responsibilities:
  - Running the deployed rippled software.
  - Providing the runtime environment for rippled.
- Security controls:
  - Security controls as described in the Deployment section (OS hardening, firewalls, IDS/IPS, etc.).

RISK ASSESSMENT

Critical Business Processes:

Processing XRP transactions: This is the core function of the XRP Ledger and rippled. Ensuring secure and reliable transaction processing is paramount.
Maintaining ledger integrity: Protecting the ledger from unauthorized modifications and ensuring the accuracy and consistency of ledger data is crucial for trust and functionality.
Network consensus: The consensus mechanism is critical for maintaining agreement across the distributed network and preventing forks or inconsistencies.

Data to Protect and Sensitivity:

Transaction data: Highly sensitive financial data, including transaction details, amounts, and participants. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability are critical.
Account information: Sensitive data related to user accounts, including account balances and public keys. Confidentiality and integrity are crucial.
Ledger state: The complete state of the XRP Ledger, representing the current balances and transaction history. Integrity and availability are paramount.
Private keys: Extremely sensitive cryptographic keys used for signing transactions and node identities. Confidentiality is absolutely critical. Loss or compromise of private keys can lead to catastrophic security breaches.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

Questions:

What specific regulatory compliance standards are relevant to the rippled project and XRP Ledger? (e.g., KYC/AML, data privacy regulations)
Are there specific performance or scalability targets for the rippled server?
What are the current incident response procedures for security incidents related to rippled?
What specific security tools and technologies are currently used in the development, build, and deployment pipelines?

Assumptions:

BUSINESS POSTURE:
- The primary business goal is to maintain a secure, reliable, and scalable infrastructure for the XRP Ledger.
- Security and integrity are top priorities due to the financial nature of the system.
- Compliance with relevant financial regulations is important.
SECURITY POSTURE:
- Standard secure software development lifecycle practices are followed.
- Basic security controls like code review and testing are in place.
- Security is a significant concern and ongoing effort for the project.
DESIGN:
- Rippled is designed as a distributed system with a peer-to-peer network architecture.
- A modular design with components like API Server, Consensus Engine, and Ledger Database is assumed.
- Deployment is distributed across multiple server instances for redundancy and scalability.
- An automated CI/CD pipeline is used for building and deploying rippled.

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

sec-design.md

sec-design.md

BUSINESS POSTURE

SECURITY POSTURE

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

C4 CONTAINER

DEPLOYMENT

BUILD

RISK ASSESSMENT

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

Files

sec-design.md

Latest commit

History

sec-design.md

File metadata and controls

BUSINESS POSTURE

SECURITY POSTURE

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

C4 CONTAINER

DEPLOYMENT

BUILD

RISK ASSESSMENT

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS