attack-surface.md

Attack Surface Analysis for flame-engine/flame

Attack Surface: Malicious Asset Loading

• Description: Loading and processing assets (images, audio, fonts, etc.) from untrusted sources can introduce vulnerabilities if these assets are maliciously crafted to exploit weaknesses in asset processing libraries.
• Flame Contribution: Flame's APIs (Flame.images, Flame.audio, Flame.assets) are the primary mechanism for asset loading in Flame games. Improper use of these APIs to load assets from untrusted sources directly exposes the application to this attack surface. Flame relies on Flutter and underlying platform libraries for asset decoding, so vulnerabilities in those layers become exploitable through Flame's asset loading process.
• Example: A game uses Flame.images.load to load user-uploaded images as avatars without proper validation. A malicious user uploads a crafted PNG file that exploits a buffer overflow vulnerability in Flutter's image decoding library. When Flame attempts to load and render this avatar, it triggers code execution within the game's context.
• Impact: Code Execution, Denial of Service (DoS), Data Exfiltration.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Developer:
    • Strict Asset Source Control: Load assets only from trusted and controlled sources bundled with the application or served from a secure, validated backend.
    • Robust Input Validation (If unavoidable user assets): If user-provided assets must be loaded, implement rigorous validation including file type checks, size limits, and ideally, sandboxed asset processing and sanitization before using Flame.images.load or similar APIs.
    • Regular Updates: Keep Flame, Flutter, and the underlying operating system and libraries updated to patch known vulnerabilities in asset processing.

Attack Surface: Malicious or Vulnerable Plugins

• Description: Using plugins or extensions, especially from untrusted or unverified sources, can introduce vulnerabilities if these plugins are intentionally malicious or contain security flaws.
• Flame Contribution: Flame's plugin system allows developers to extend engine functionality. Integrating third-party plugins directly introduces the risk of inheriting vulnerabilities or malicious code from those plugins. Flame provides the framework for plugin integration, making it a direct contributor to this attack surface when plugins are used.
• Example: A developer uses a community-created Flame plugin for social media integration. This plugin, unbeknownst to the developer, contains a backdoor that allows the plugin author to remotely control games using the plugin or exfiltrate user data. Because the plugin is integrated into the Flame game, it runs with the game's permissions and can exploit vulnerabilities or access sensitive data.
• Impact: Code Execution, Data Theft, Backdoors, Full Application Compromise.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Developer:
    • Rigorous Plugin Vetting: Exercise extreme caution when selecting and integrating plugins. Prioritize plugins from highly reputable and well-maintained sources with a proven security track record.
    • Security Audits of Plugins: Ideally, conduct security audits or code reviews of plugin source code before integration, especially for plugins handling sensitive data or core game logic.
    • Principle of Least Privilege for Plugins: Grant plugins only the minimum necessary permissions and access to game resources.
    • Plugin Updates and Monitoring: Stay informed about plugin updates and security advisories. Promptly update plugins to patch any identified vulnerabilities.
  • User:
    • Be extremely cautious about installing games that rely on plugins from unknown or unverified developers. Research the game developer and any mentioned plugins before installation.

Attack Surface: Vulnerabilities in Flame Dependencies (Flutter & Dart Ecosystem)

• Description: Flame is built upon Flutter and relies on various Dart packages. Security vulnerabilities within these underlying dependencies can indirectly but directly impact Flame applications.
• Flame Contribution: Flame's architecture inherently depends on Flutter and the Dart ecosystem. Any security flaws in Flutter or its dependencies are directly inherited by Flame applications. Flame's security posture is thus inextricably linked to the security of its dependency chain. Flame developers must be aware of and mitigate risks arising from these dependencies.
• Example: A critical vulnerability is discovered in the Flutter framework itself, allowing for arbitrary code execution through a specific rendering process. Because Flame games are built on Flutter, all Flame games are potentially vulnerable to this Flutter framework vulnerability until Flutter is patched and the game is updated to use the patched Flutter version.
• Impact: Wide Range of Impacts, including Code Execution, Privilege Escalation, Denial of Service, Information Disclosure, depending on the specific dependency vulnerability.
• Risk Severity: High to Critical (depending on the severity of the underlying dependency vulnerability).
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Developer:
    • Proactive Dependency Management: Implement a robust dependency management strategy. Use tools to track and manage dependencies (e.g., pub).
    • Continuous Updates: Maintain Flame, Flutter, and all Dart package dependencies at their latest stable versions to benefit from security patches. Establish a process for promptly updating dependencies when security advisories are released.
    • Dependency Scanning & Monitoring: Utilize dependency scanning tools to automatically identify known vulnerabilities in project dependencies. Monitor security advisories for Flutter, Dart, and relevant Dart packages.
  • User:
    • Keep your games and apps updated. Updates often include security patches for underlying frameworks like Flutter, which directly benefits Flame games.