mitigations.md

Mitigation Strategies Analysis for inconshreveable/ngrok

Mitigation Strategy: Purpose Limitation for ngrok Usage

• Mitigation Strategy: Define and Document Permitted ngrok Use Cases.
• Description:
  1. Identify all legitimate scenarios where ngrok might be used within the development lifecycle (e.g., local development testing, demonstrating features to stakeholders, temporary access for external QA).
  2. Create a clear and concise document outlining these permitted use cases. This document should explicitly state that ngrok is prohibited in production environments and for accessing sensitive production data.
  3. Communicate this policy to all developers and relevant stakeholders through team meetings, documentation platforms (wiki, internal knowledge base), and onboarding processes for new team members.
  4. Regularly review and update the documented use cases as development processes evolve.
• Threats Mitigated:
  • Unauthorized Production Access (High Severity): Prevents accidental or intentional exposure of production systems through ngrok.
  • Data Leakage in Production (High Severity): Reduces the risk of sensitive production data being accessed or leaked through unauthorized ngrok tunnels.
  • Shadow IT/Uncontrolled Tool Usage (Medium Severity): Discourages developers from using ngrok for unapproved purposes, improving overall security posture related to ngrok.
• Impact:
  • Unauthorized Production Access: High Impact. Directly addresses and significantly reduces the risk related to ngrok in production.
  • Data Leakage in Production: High Impact. Directly addresses and significantly reduces the risk related to ngrok in production.
  • Shadow IT/Uncontrolled Tool Usage: Medium Impact. Improves awareness and control of ngrok usage, but requires ongoing enforcement.
• Currently Implemented: Partially implemented. We have verbally discouraged production usage, but it's not formally documented or enforced.
• Missing Implementation: Formal documentation of permitted use cases, explicit prohibition of production usage in written policy, and integration into developer onboarding regarding ngrok usage.

Mitigation Strategy: Enforce ngrok Authentication

• Mitigation Strategy: Utilize ngrok's Built-in Authentication.
• Description:
  1. Configure ngrok to require authentication for all tunnels. This can be done using basic authentication (--auth='user:password') or OAuth integration (depending on the ngrok plan and desired provider).
  2. Generate strong, unique usernames and passwords for ngrok authentication. Avoid default credentials or reusing passwords.
  3. Securely store and manage ngrok credentials. Consider using a password manager or secrets management system if sharing credentials is necessary (though individual accounts are preferred).
  4. Document the authentication process for developers who need to use ngrok.
  5. Regularly review and rotate ngrok authentication credentials.
• Threats Mitigated:
  • Unauthorized Access to Development/Testing Environments (Medium Severity): Prevents unauthorized individuals from accessing services exposed through ngrok tunnels.
  • Data Exposure in Development/Testing (Medium Severity): Reduces the risk of sensitive development or testing data being accessed by unintended parties via ngrok.
  • Man-in-the-Middle Attacks (Low Severity): While ngrok uses HTTPS, authentication adds another layer of defense against potential unauthorized interception attempts through the ngrok tunnel.
• Impact:
  • Unauthorized Access to Development/Testing Environments: Medium Impact. Significantly reduces the risk by adding an access control layer to ngrok tunnels.
  • Data Exposure in Development/Testing: Medium Impact. Reduces the risk by limiting access through ngrok to authorized users.
  • Man-in-the-Middle Attacks: Low Impact. Provides a minor additional layer of defense for ngrok tunnels.
• Currently Implemented: Not implemented. ngrok is currently used without authentication for convenience during local development.
• Missing Implementation: Configuration of ngrok to enforce authentication, generation and secure management of credentials specifically for ngrok, and developer documentation on using authenticated ngrok tunnels.

Mitigation Strategy: Restrict Tunnel Scope (Port Specificity)

• Mitigation Strategy: Use Specific Port Forwarding.
• Description:
  1. When creating ngrok tunnels, explicitly specify the port(s) that need to be exposed. Instead of using broad ranges or exposing entire local networks, identify the precise port(s) required for the task when using ngrok.
  2. Avoid using wildcard port ranges or commands that expose all running services through ngrok.
  3. Document the principle of least privilege for ngrok tunnel creation, emphasizing the importance of limiting tunnel scope.
  4. Review ngrok tunnel configurations to ensure they adhere to the principle of least privilege.
• Threats Mitigated:
  • Unnecessary Service Exposure (Medium Severity): Prevents accidental exposure of services or ports that are not intended to be publicly accessible via ngrok.
  • Lateral Movement (Low to Medium Severity): Limits the potential for attackers to explore and exploit other services on the local system if a ngrok tunnel is compromised due to over-exposure.
  • Information Disclosure (Low to Medium Severity): Reduces the risk of unintentionally exposing sensitive information from services that were not meant to be tunneled through ngrok.
• Impact:
  • Unnecessary Service Exposure: Medium Impact. Directly reduces the attack surface exposed by ngrok by limiting exposed services.
  • Lateral Movement: Low to Medium Impact. Reduces the potential for lateral movement originating from a compromised ngrok tunnel, depending on the local network configuration.
  • Information Disclosure: Low to Medium Impact. Reduces the risk of unintentional information disclosure through ngrok.
• Currently Implemented: Partially implemented. Developers are generally aware of exposing specific ports, but it's not strictly enforced or documented as a security practice specifically for ngrok.
• Missing Implementation: Formal documentation of port specificity as a security requirement when using ngrok, automated checks or guidelines during ngrok tunnel creation, and regular reviews of ngrok tunnel configurations.

Mitigation Strategy: Centralized Logging and Monitoring of ngrok Usage (If Applicable)

• Mitigation Strategy: Implement ngrok Logging and Application-Level Logging.
• Description:
  1. If using a paid ngrok plan, enable and configure ngrok's logging features. This will provide logs of tunnel activity, connection attempts, and potentially authentication events related to ngrok.
  2. Implement comprehensive application-level logging within the tunneled service. Log access attempts, actions performed by users, errors, and security-related events accessible through ngrok.
  3. Centralize logs from ngrok (if available) and the application into a security information and event management (SIEM) system or a centralized logging platform.
  4. Configure alerts and monitoring rules to detect suspicious activity, unauthorized access attempts, or anomalies in ngrok and application logs.
  5. Regularly review logs and alerts to identify and respond to potential security incidents related to ngrok usage.
• Threats Mitigated:
  • Unauthorized Access Detection (Medium Severity): Improves the ability to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts through ngrok tunnels.
  • Security Incident Detection and Response (Medium Severity): Enables faster detection and response to security incidents related to ngrok usage.
  • Auditing and Compliance (Low Severity): Provides audit trails for ngrok usage and application access via ngrok, which can be helpful for compliance purposes.
• Impact:
  • Unauthorized Access Detection: Medium Impact. Significantly improves detection capabilities for access via ngrok.
  • Security Incident Detection and Response: Medium Impact. Enables faster and more effective incident response related to ngrok.
  • Auditing and Compliance: Low Impact. Provides some benefits for auditing and compliance related to ngrok usage.
• Currently Implemented: Partially implemented. Application-level logging exists, but it's not centralized, and ngrok logging is not currently used as we are on a free plan.
• Missing Implementation: Upgrading to a paid ngrok plan to enable logging, centralizing application logs relevant to ngrok access, integrating ngrok and application logs into a SIEM or centralized logging platform, and setting up monitoring and alerting rules specifically for ngrok related events.