attack-tree.md

Attack Tree Analysis for app-vnext/polly

Objective: Compromise application by exploiting weaknesses or vulnerabilities related to the Polly resilience library.

Attack Tree Visualization

Compromise Application Using Polly [CRITICAL NODE] ├───[AND] Exploit Polly Misconfiguration [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE] │ ├───[OR] Policy Bypass due to Misconfiguration [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ ├───[AND] Weak or Ineffective Policies │ │ │ ├───[AND] Policies Too Permissive (e.g., excessive retries, long timeouts) [CRITICAL NODE] │ │ │ │ └───[Action] Overwhelm backend services by triggering excessive retries, leading to resource exhaustion or cascading failures. [HIGH RISK PATH] │ └───[OR] Policy Management Vulnerabilities [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE] │ ├───[AND] Insecure Policy Storage [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE] │ │ ├───[AND] Policies Stored in Plain Text Configuration Files [CRITICAL NODE] │ │ │ └───[Action] Gain access to configuration files (e.g., via directory traversal, misconfigured access controls) and modify policies to weaken resilience or disable them. [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ ├───[AND] Policies Stored in Unsecured Databases [CRITICAL NODE] │ │ │ └───[Action] Exploit database vulnerabilities (e.g., SQL injection, weak credentials) to modify policies. [HIGH RISK PATH] ├───[AND] Denial of Service through Policy Abuse [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE] │ ├───[AND] Resource Exhaustion via Policy Loops [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE] │ │ └───[Action] Craft requests that trigger infinite retry loops or circuit breaker flapping, exhausting application resources (CPU, memory, network). [HIGH RISK PATH] ├───[AND] Exploit Polly Integration Weaknesses within Application │ ├───[OR] Insecure Policy Context Data Handling [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ ├───[AND] Sensitive Data Exposure in Policy Context [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE] │ │ │ └───[Action] Trigger policy executions that log or expose sensitive data (e.g., credentials, PII) within Polly's context data or logging mechanisms if not properly sanitized. [HIGH RISK PATH]

Attack Tree Path: Compromise Application Using Polly [CRITICAL NODE]

• Description: This is the ultimate attacker goal. Success means the attacker has achieved a significant breach of the application's security, potentially gaining unauthorized access, causing disruption, or stealing data.
• Risk Level: Critical, as it represents complete compromise.

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Polly Misconfiguration [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE]

• Description: Attackers target vulnerabilities arising from incorrect or insecure configuration of Polly policies. This is a high-risk path because misconfiguration is a common human error and can directly undermine the intended resilience and security.

• Risk Level: High, due to likelihood and potential impact.

  • Policy Bypass due to Misconfiguration [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Description: Misconfigurations lead to policies failing to provide the intended protection, allowing attackers to bypass resilience mechanisms.

    • Risk Level: High, as it directly negates the benefits of using Polly.

    • Weak or Ineffective Policies

      • Policies Too Permissive (e.g., excessive retries, long timeouts) [CRITICAL NODE]
        • Attack Vector: Overwhelm backend services by triggering excessive retries, leading to resource exhaustion or cascading failures. [HIGH RISK PATH]
          • Likelihood: Medium
          • Impact: Medium (Service Degradation/Outage)
          • Effort: Low
          • Skill Level: Low
          • Detection Difficulty: Medium (Increased backend load, error rates)
        • Description: Policies configured with overly generous settings (like too many retries or long timeouts) can be abused to amplify attacks. An attacker can intentionally trigger failures, causing Polly to retry excessively, thus overloading backend systems and leading to Denial of Service.
        • Risk Level: High, due to potential for DoS and ease of exploitation.

  • Policy Management Vulnerabilities [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE]

    • Description: Vulnerabilities in how policies are stored, accessed, and managed. This is a critical node because compromising policy management gives attackers significant control over application resilience.

    • Risk Level: High, due to potential for complete control over resilience.

    • Insecure Policy Storage [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE]

      • Description: Policies are stored in a way that is easily accessible and modifiable by unauthorized users. This is a critical node as it's a direct point of compromise.

      • Risk Level: High, as it allows direct manipulation of security controls.

      • Policies Stored in Plain Text Configuration Files [CRITICAL NODE]

        • Attack Vector: Gain access to configuration files (e.g., via directory traversal, misconfigured access controls) and modify policies to weaken resilience or disable them. [HIGH RISK PATH]
          • Likelihood: Medium
          • Impact: High (Complete control over resilience, potential for DoS or data manipulation)
          • Effort: Medium
          • Skill Level: Medium
          • Detection Difficulty: Hard (Policy changes might be subtle, requires monitoring config files)
        • Description: Storing policies in easily readable and editable plain text files makes them vulnerable to unauthorized modification. Attackers gaining access to these files can directly alter policies, weakening or disabling resilience mechanisms, or even introducing malicious policies.
        • Risk Level: High, due to ease of access and high impact of policy modification.

      • Policies Stored in Unsecured Databases [CRITICAL NODE]

        • Attack Vector: Exploit database vulnerabilities (e.g., SQL injection, weak credentials) to modify policies. [HIGH RISK PATH]
          • Likelihood: Medium
          • Impact: High (Complete control over resilience, potential for DoS or data manipulation)
          • Effort: Medium to High
          • Skill Level: Medium to High
          • Detection Difficulty: Hard (Policy changes might be subtle, requires database auditing)
        • Description: If policies are stored in databases with security flaws (like SQL injection vulnerabilities or weak credentials), attackers can exploit these flaws to modify policies. This allows them to manipulate resilience behavior and potentially gain control over application functionality.
        • Risk Level: High, due to potential for database compromise and high impact of policy modification.

Attack Tree Path: Denial of Service through Policy Abuse [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE]

• Description: Attackers intentionally trigger policy executions in a way that consumes excessive resources, leading to a Denial of Service. This is a high-risk path because DoS attacks can severely impact application availability.

• Risk Level: High, due to potential for service disruption.

  • Resource Exhaustion via Policy Loops [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE]
    • Attack Vector: Craft requests that trigger infinite retry loops or circuit breaker flapping, exhausting application resources (CPU, memory, network). [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Likelihood: Medium
      • Impact: High (Denial of Service)
      • Effort: Low to Medium
      • Skill Level: Low to Medium
      • Detection Difficulty: Medium (High resource usage, error logs)
    • Description: Poorly configured retry policies, especially when combined with circuit breakers in a flapping state, can create infinite loops. Attackers can craft requests that intentionally cause failures, triggering these loops and rapidly exhausting server resources (CPU, memory, network bandwidth), resulting in a Denial of Service.
    • Risk Level: High, due to potential for DoS and relatively easy exploitation.

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Polly Integration Weaknesses within Application

• Description: Vulnerabilities arising from how the application handles data within the Polly policy execution context. This is a high-risk path because it can lead to sensitive data leaks.

• Risk Level: High, due to potential for data breaches.

  • Insecure Policy Context Data Handling [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Description: Vulnerabilities arising from how the application handles data within the Polly policy execution context. This is a high-risk path because it can lead to sensitive data leaks.

    • Risk Level: High, due to potential for data breaches.

    • Sensitive Data Exposure in Policy Context [HIGH RISK PATH] [CRITICAL NODE]

      • Attack Vector: Trigger policy executions that log or expose sensitive data (e.g., credentials, PII) within Polly's context data or logging mechanisms if not properly sanitized. [HIGH RISK PATH]
        • Likelihood: Low to Medium
        • Impact: High (Sensitive data breach)
        • Effort: Medium
        • Skill Level: Medium
        • Detection Difficulty: Hard (Logs might be voluminous, requires careful log analysis)
      • Description: If the application logs or otherwise exposes data from Polly's execution context without proper sanitization, sensitive information (like credentials, personal data, or internal system details) might be leaked. Attackers can trigger specific policy executions designed to expose this data through logs or other accessible channels.
      • Risk Level: High, due to potential for sensitive data breaches and compliance violations.