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Threat Model Analysis for apache/couchdb

Threat: Unauthorized Admin Access (Admin Party Bypass)

  • Description: An attacker gains full administrative access to the CouchDB instance because the "Admin Party" mode is enabled (default configuration) or weak/default admin credentials are used. The attacker can create, read, update, and delete any database and document, and modify design documents.
  • Impact: Complete compromise of the CouchDB instance and all data. Attacker can exfiltrate data, corrupt data, or use the instance for malicious purposes.
  • Affected Component: CouchDB Authentication and Authorization system, specifically the _config/admins section and the overall security model.
  • Risk Severity: Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Immediately disable "Admin Party" mode after installation by setting a strong admin password.
    • Enforce strong, unique passwords for all CouchDB users, especially the admin user.
    • Regularly rotate admin credentials.
    • Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for admin access if possible (requires external tools/plugins).

Threat: Design Document Modification

  • Description: An attacker with some level of write access (even non-admin) modifies a design document (containing views, _validate_doc_update functions, show/list functions). They could inject malicious JavaScript code into a view to cause a denial of service, alter validation logic to bypass security checks, or modify show/list functions to leak sensitive data.
  • Impact: Data corruption, denial of service, information disclosure, privilege escalation (if validation logic is weakened). The specific impact depends on the nature of the modification.
  • Affected Component: Design Documents (_design/* documents), specifically the JavaScript code within views, _validate_doc_update, _show, and _list functions.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Restrict access to design documents: Only grant write access to a highly trusted "design" role or user.
    • Code Review: Implement a mandatory code review process for all changes to design documents before deployment.
    • Version Control: Manage design documents using a version control system (e.g., Git) to track changes and facilitate rollbacks.
    • Separate Development/Production: Use separate CouchDB instances for development/testing and production. Changes to design documents should be thoroughly tested before deployment to production.

Threat: Data Tampering via Bypassed Validation

  • Description: An attacker crafts a request that bypasses the intended data validation logic within a _validate_doc_update function. This could be due to flaws in the validation logic, unexpected input, or type juggling vulnerabilities in JavaScript. The attacker can then insert invalid or malicious data.
  • Impact: Data corruption, violation of data integrity constraints, potential for further attacks (e.g., if the tampered data is used in other parts of the application).
  • Affected Component: _validate_doc_update functions within design documents.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Thorough Validation Logic: Write comprehensive _validate_doc_update functions that validate all fields, not just those expected to change. Check data types, lengths, formats, and allowed values.
    • Schema Validation: Consider using a schema validation library (e.g., a JSON Schema validator) within your validation functions to enforce stricter data structure and type checks.
    • Input Sanitization: Sanitize input data to remove or escape potentially harmful characters. (While sanitization is often done at the application layer, it's relevant within the _validate_doc_update function as a defense-in-depth measure).
    • Testing: Extensively test validation functions with both valid and invalid input, including edge cases and boundary conditions.
    • Defense in Depth: Combine validation functions with other security measures (e.g., proper user roles, application-level validation).

Threat: Denial of Service via Resource Exhaustion

  • Description: An attacker sends a large number of requests to CouchDB, creates excessively large documents, or uses inefficient views/queries to consume server resources (CPU, memory, disk I/O), making the database unresponsive. This is specifically focused on attacks that exploit CouchDB's internal processing.
  • Impact: Denial of service, making the application unavailable to legitimate users.
  • Affected Component: CouchDB server, potentially all components (depending on the nature of the attack). Specifically, view indexing, query processing, and document storage.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Document Size Limits: Enforce limits on the maximum size of documents and attachments within CouchDB's configuration.
    • View Optimization: Optimize view functions to minimize resource usage. Avoid complex calculations or large data manipulations within views. Use appropriate indexing. This is a direct CouchDB mitigation.
    • Query Optimization: Ensure queries are efficient and use appropriate indexes. This is a direct CouchDB mitigation.
    • Compaction: Regularly run CouchDB's compaction process to optimize database size and performance. This is a direct CouchDB mitigation.
    • Resource Monitoring: Monitor CouchDB's resource usage (CPU, memory, disk I/O) and set alerts for unusual activity.

Threat: CouchDB Version Vulnerability Exploitation

  • Description: An attacker exploits a known vulnerability in a specific version of CouchDB or its dependencies (Erlang, JavaScript engine). This could lead to arbitrary code execution, data breaches, or denial of service.
  • Impact: Varies depending on the vulnerability, but could range from information disclosure to complete system compromise.
  • Affected Component: The specific vulnerable component within CouchDB or its dependencies (e.g., a specific Erlang module, the JavaScript engine, or a CouchDB API endpoint).
  • Risk Severity: Varies (often High or Critical) depending on the vulnerability.
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Keep CouchDB Updated: Regularly update CouchDB and its dependencies (Erlang, JavaScript engine) to the latest stable versions with security patches.
    • Monitor Security Advisories: Subscribe to security advisories and mailing lists for CouchDB and related components to stay informed about new vulnerabilities.
    • Vulnerability Scanning: Use vulnerability scanners to identify known vulnerabilities in your CouchDB deployment.