attack-tree.md

Attack Tree Analysis for flame-engine/flame

Objective: Compromise application using Flame Engine by exploiting Flame-specific vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution on the client-side.

Attack Tree Visualization

Sub-Tree (High-Risk Paths and Critical Nodes):

• [Critical Node] Root: Execute Arbitrary Code on Client (OR)
  • [High-Risk Path] Level 1: Exploit Asset Loading Vulnerabilities (OR)
    • [High-Risk Path] Level 2: Malicious Asset Injection (OR)
      • Level 3: Compromise Asset Source (AND)
        • [High-Risk Path] Level 4: Exploit CDN/Server Vulnerabilities
      • [High-Risk Path] Level 3: Exploit Asset Processing in Flame (AND)
        • [High-Risk Path] Level 4: Vulnerabilities in Image/Audio Decoding Libraries (Used by Flame/Flutter)
  • [High-Risk Path] Level 1: Exploit Dependencies of Flame Engine (OR)
    • [High-Risk Path] Level 2: Vulnerable Flutter Framework (AND)
      • [High-Risk Path] Level 3: Exploit Known Flutter Framework Vulnerabilities
    • [High-Risk Path] Level 2: Vulnerable Dart Packages Used by Flame (AND)
      • [High-Risk Path] Level 3: Exploit Known Vulnerabilities in Transitive Dependencies

Attack Tree Path: [Critical Node] Root: Execute Arbitrary Code on Client

Description: This is the ultimate goal of the attacker. Achieving arbitrary code execution allows complete control over the client-side application and potentially the user's system.

• Why Critical: Represents the most severe security compromise. Success here means all other security measures have failed.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 1: Exploit Asset Loading Vulnerabilities

Description: Attackers target the process of loading assets (images, audio, etc.) into the Flame application. Vulnerabilities in this area can lead to injecting malicious content or exploiting processing flaws.

• Why High-Risk: Asset loading is a common and often complex part of game development. It involves external data sources and processing, creating multiple potential attack surfaces.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 2: Malicious Asset Injection

Description: The attacker aims to inject malicious assets into the application's asset loading process. This can be achieved by compromising the source of assets or exploiting how Flame processes assets.

• Why High-Risk: Successful asset injection can directly lead to code execution if the injected asset is crafted to exploit vulnerabilities in asset processing or if it replaces legitimate code or data with malicious code.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 3: Compromise Asset Source

Description: Attackers target the origin of the assets, such as CDNs or backend servers, to replace legitimate assets with malicious ones.

• Why High-Risk: If the asset source is compromised, the malicious assets will be delivered to all users of the application, leading to a wide-scale attack.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 4: Exploit CDN/Server Vulnerabilities

• Attack Vector: Exploiting security weaknesses in the CDN or backend server infrastructure that hosts the application's assets. This could include:
  • Misconfigurations in server settings.
  • Unpatched software vulnerabilities in the server operating system or applications.
  • Weak authentication or authorization controls allowing unauthorized access.
• Impact: Successful exploitation allows the attacker to replace legitimate assets with malicious ones, affecting all users downloading assets from the compromised source.
• Mitigation:
  • Regularly patch and update server software.
  • Implement strong server configurations and security hardening.
  • Use strong authentication and authorization mechanisms to control access to asset storage.
  • Monitor server logs for suspicious activity.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 3: Exploit Asset Processing in Flame

Description: Attackers target vulnerabilities in how Flame Engine processes assets after they are loaded. This includes vulnerabilities in underlying libraries used for decoding asset formats or bugs in Flame's own asset handling logic.

• Why High-Risk: Asset processing often involves complex operations and interactions with external libraries, increasing the chance of vulnerabilities that can be exploited with crafted malicious assets.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 4: Vulnerabilities in Image/Audio Decoding Libraries (Used by Flame/Flutter)

• Attack Vector: Exploiting known or zero-day vulnerabilities in image and audio decoding libraries (like libpng, libjpeg, codecs) used by Flutter and consequently by Flame. Maliciously crafted image or audio files can trigger these vulnerabilities.
• Impact: Successful exploitation can lead to memory corruption, buffer overflows, or other issues that allow arbitrary code execution when the application attempts to process the malicious asset.
• Mitigation:
  • Keep Flutter and Dart SDK updated to benefit from patched versions of decoding libraries.
  • Consider using sandboxed or hardened versions of decoding libraries if available.
  • Implement robust error handling and input validation during asset processing to prevent crashes or unexpected behavior.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 1: Exploit Dependencies of Flame Engine

Description: Attackers target vulnerabilities in the software dependencies that Flame Engine relies upon. This includes the Flutter framework itself and any Dart packages used by Flame or the application.

• Why High-Risk: Applications built with Flame rely on a complex dependency chain. Vulnerabilities in any part of this chain can be exploited to compromise the application.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 2: Vulnerable Flutter Framework

Description: Exploiting known vulnerabilities within the core Flutter framework.

• Why High-Risk: Flutter is the foundation of Flame applications. Vulnerabilities in Flutter can have a broad impact on all applications built on it.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 3: Exploit Known Flutter Framework Vulnerabilities

• Attack Vector: Exploiting publicly known vulnerabilities in the Flutter framework. These vulnerabilities could be in various parts of Flutter, such as the rendering engine, platform channel communication, or core libraries.
• Impact: The impact depends on the specific Flutter vulnerability. It could range from denial of service to arbitrary code execution, data breaches, or privilege escalation.
• Mitigation:
  • Stay updated with the latest stable Flutter releases and apply security patches promptly.
  • Monitor Flutter security advisories and vulnerability databases.
  • Follow secure coding practices recommended by the Flutter team.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 2: Vulnerable Dart Packages Used by Flame

Description: Exploiting vulnerabilities in Dart packages that Flame Engine or the application directly or indirectly depends on.

• Why High-Risk: The Dart package ecosystem is vast, and vulnerabilities can be present in packages, especially in transitive dependencies that developers might not be directly aware of.

Attack Tree Path: [High-Risk Path] Level 3: Exploit Known Vulnerabilities in Transitive Dependencies

• Attack Vector: Exploiting known vulnerabilities in Dart packages that are dependencies of Flame or the application. This includes direct dependencies and transitive dependencies (dependencies of dependencies).
• Impact: The impact depends on the vulnerability and the functionality of the vulnerable package. It could range from denial of service to arbitrary code execution or data access, depending on what the vulnerable package does and how it's used.
• Mitigation:
  • Regularly audit project dependencies using tools like pub outdated and vulnerability scanners.
  • Keep dependencies updated to patched versions.
  • Consider using dependency pinning to manage versions and avoid unexpected updates.
  • Evaluate the security and trustworthiness of Dart packages before including them in the project.