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BUSINESS POSTURE

  • Business Priorities and Goals

    • Goal: To provide a modular, extensible, and robust networking stack for building peer-to-peer applications.
    • Priority: Interoperability and standardization across different implementations of libp2p in various programming languages.
    • Priority: Performance and efficiency to support high-throughput and low-latency peer-to-peer communication.
    • Priority: Security and resilience against attacks targeting peer-to-peer networks.
    • Priority: Community adoption and contribution to ensure the long-term sustainability and evolution of the library.

  • Business Risks

    • Risk: Security vulnerabilities in the library could be exploited by malicious actors, compromising applications built on top of libp2p and the wider peer-to-peer network.
    • Risk: Performance bottlenecks or inefficiencies could limit the scalability and usability of applications using libp2p.
    • Risk: Lack of interoperability with other libp2p implementations or networking technologies could fragment the peer-to-peer ecosystem.
    • Risk: Insufficient community support or contribution could lead to stagnation and lack of maintenance, making the library less attractive over time.
    • Risk: Changes in the underlying network landscape or emerging technologies could render parts of libp2p obsolete or require significant refactoring.

SECURITY POSTURE

  • Existing Security Controls

    • security control: Code is publicly available on GitHub, allowing for community review and identification of potential vulnerabilities. (Implemented: GitHub Repository)
    • security control: Go language's built-in security features, such as memory safety and garbage collection, mitigate certain classes of vulnerabilities. (Implemented: Go Language)
    • security control: Usage of established cryptographic libraries within Go ecosystem for secure communication protocols. (Implemented: Codebase)
    • security control: Project follows open source development practices, encouraging community contributions and security audits. (Implemented: Development Process)
    • accepted risk: Reliance on users and application developers to correctly implement and configure libp2p security features in their applications.
    • accepted risk: Potential vulnerabilities might be introduced through community contributions and may not be immediately identified.
    • accepted risk: Complexity of peer-to-peer networking protocols can make comprehensive security analysis challenging.

  • Recommended Security Controls

    • security control: Implement automated security scanning (SAST/DAST) in the CI/CD pipeline to detect potential vulnerabilities early in the development process.
    • security control: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing by external security experts to identify and address vulnerabilities.
    • security control: Establish a clear vulnerability disclosure and response process to handle security issues effectively.
    • security control: Provide security guidelines and best practices documentation for developers using libp2p to build secure applications.
    • security control: Implement fuzz testing to identify potential crashes and vulnerabilities in network protocol implementations.

  • Security Requirements

    • Authentication:
      • Requirement: Support for mutual authentication between peers to ensure only authorized peers can communicate.
      • Requirement: Pluggable authentication mechanisms to allow applications to choose appropriate authentication methods.
      • Requirement: Protection of authentication credentials and secrets during storage and transmission.
    • Authorization:
      • Requirement: Mechanisms to control access to resources and functionalities based on peer identity or roles.
      • Requirement: Policy enforcement points to ensure authorization decisions are consistently applied.
      • Requirement: Ability to define granular authorization policies to meet diverse application needs.
    • Input Validation:
      • Requirement: Robust input validation for all data received from network peers to prevent injection attacks and protocol manipulation.
      • Requirement: Input validation should be applied at multiple layers of the networking stack.
      • Requirement: Clear error handling and logging for invalid inputs to aid in debugging and security monitoring.
    • Cryptography:
      • Requirement: Use of strong and up-to-date cryptographic algorithms and libraries for encryption, signing, and hashing.
      • Requirement: Proper key management practices, including secure key generation, storage, and rotation.
      • Requirement: Implementation of cryptographic protocols should follow security best practices to avoid common pitfalls.
      • Requirement: Support for forward secrecy to protect past communication even if long-term keys are compromised.

DESIGN

  • C4 CONTEXT
graph LR
    subgraph "Internet"
        A["Other Systems/Services"]
    end
    B["go-libp2p Library"] -- "Uses Network" --> A
    C["Application Developers"] -- "Integrates" --> B
    D["End Users of Applications"] -- "Uses Applications built with" --> B
    style B fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • C4 CONTEXT Elements

      • Name: go-libp2p Library
      • Type: Software System
      • Description: A modular networking stack for building peer-to-peer applications in Go. Provides core functionalities for peer discovery, routing, transport, and security.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Establishing and managing peer-to-peer connections.
        • Routing messages between peers.
        • Providing secure communication channels.
        • Offering a modular and extensible architecture for customization.
      • Security controls:
        • Security controls are implemented within the library's components (see Container Diagram).
        • Relies on application developers to use the library securely and configure security features appropriately.
      • Name: Application Developers
      • Type: Person
      • Description: Software developers who use the go-libp2p library to build decentralized applications.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Integrating the go-libp2p library into their applications.
        • Configuring and utilizing libp2p's features, including security settings.
        • Developing application-specific logic and protocols on top of libp2p.
      • Security controls:
        • Responsible for secure coding practices in their applications.
        • Must understand and correctly utilize libp2p's security features.
        • Should follow security guidelines provided by the libp2p project.
      • Name: End Users of Applications
      • Type: Person
      • Description: Users who interact with applications built using the go-libp2p library.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Using applications built with libp2p for various peer-to-peer interactions.
        • Potentially managing their own peer identities and keys within applications.
      • Security controls:
        • Security depends on the security of the applications they use and the underlying libp2p library.
        • Users should follow best practices for online safety and privacy when using peer-to-peer applications.
      • Name: Other Systems/Services
      • Type: External System
      • Description: Represents other systems and services on the internet that libp2p-based applications might interact with, such as DNS servers, relay servers, or other network services.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Providing network infrastructure and services for peer-to-peer communication.
        • Potentially acting as intermediaries or relays in peer-to-peer networks.
      • Security controls:
        • Security controls are external to the go-libp2p library itself.
        • Libp2p applications need to consider the security posture of these external systems when interacting with them.

  • C4 CONTAINER

graph LR
    subgraph "go-libp2p Library"
        A["Core\n(Peer Management,\nRouting)"]
        B["Transport\n(TCP, QUIC,\nWebSockets)"]
        C["Security\n(TLS, Noise,\nPSK)"]
        D["Discovery\n(mDNS, DHT,\nBootstrap)"]
        E["Protocol\nNegotiation\n(Multistream,\nStream Muxing)"]
        F["Pubsub\n(Gossipsub,\nFloodsub)"]
        G["Content\nRouting\n(DHT)"]
        H["Data\nTransfer\n(Bitswap)"]
        A --> B
        A --> C
        A --> D
        A --> E
        A --> F
        A --> G
        A --> H
        B --> C
        D --> A
        E --> B
        E --> C
        F --> A
        G --> A
        H --> A
    end
    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • C4 CONTAINER Elements

      • Name: Core (Peer Management, Routing)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: The central component of libp2p, responsible for managing peer identities, maintaining connections, and routing messages between peers. Implements the core logic of the peer-to-peer network.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Peer identity management (PeerIDs).
        • Connection management (establishing, maintaining, and closing connections).
        • Message routing and forwarding.
        • Protocol and stream management.
        • Core security policy enforcement.
      • Security controls:
        • Implements core authentication and authorization mechanisms.
        • Manages security contexts for connections.
        • Enforces policies related to peer connectivity and resource usage.
        • Input validation for routing information and peer metadata.
      • Name: Transport (TCP, QUIC, WebSockets)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Handles the underlying network transport protocols used for communication. Supports multiple transports like TCP, QUIC, and WebSockets, allowing flexibility in network environments.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Establishing network connections using different transport protocols.
        • Sending and receiving data over network connections.
        • Transport-level security (e.g., TLS for WebSockets).
        • Connection multiplexing at the transport layer.
      • Security controls:
        • TLS encryption for WebSocket transport.
        • Integration with security modules for connection encryption (e.g., Noise, TLS).
        • Input validation for transport-level data.
        • Protection against transport-level denial-of-service attacks.
      • Name: Security (TLS, Noise, PSK)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Provides security protocols for encrypting and authenticating communication channels. Supports various security modules like TLS, Noise, and Pre-Shared Keys (PSK) for different security needs and performance trade-offs.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Establishing secure communication channels between peers.
        • Key exchange and management for encryption.
        • Authentication of peers during connection establishment.
        • Encryption and decryption of data in transit.
      • Security controls:
        • Implementation of robust cryptographic protocols (TLS, Noise, PSK).
        • Secure key generation, storage, and exchange mechanisms.
        • Protection against man-in-the-middle attacks and eavesdropping.
        • Regular updates to cryptographic libraries to address known vulnerabilities.
      • Name: Discovery (mDNS, DHT, Bootstrap)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Enables peers to discover each other on the network. Supports various discovery mechanisms like mDNS for local networks, DHT for global discovery, and bootstrap nodes for initial peer discovery.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Peer discovery and advertisement.
        • Maintaining peer routing tables (DHT).
        • Bootstrapping into the peer-to-peer network.
        • Resolving peer addresses.
      • Security controls:
        • Protection against discovery protocol manipulation and spoofing.
        • Secure bootstrapping mechanisms to prevent joining malicious networks.
        • Access control to discovery information to limit exposure.
        • Rate limiting and input validation for discovery requests and responses.
      • Name: Protocol Negotiation (Multistream, Stream Muxing)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Handles protocol negotiation and stream multiplexing over connections. Multistream allows peers to negotiate supported protocols, and stream muxing enables multiple streams to be multiplexed over a single connection.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Protocol negotiation between peers.
        • Stream multiplexing and demultiplexing.
        • Managing streams within a connection.
        • Efficient utilization of network connections.
      • Security controls:
        • Protection against protocol downgrade attacks during negotiation.
        • Input validation for protocol negotiation messages.
        • Security considerations for stream multiplexing to prevent interference between streams.
      • Name: Pubsub (Gossipsub, Floodsub)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Provides publish-subscribe messaging capabilities for broadcasting messages to multiple peers. Supports different pubsub protocols like Gossipsub (gossip-based) and Floodsub (flooding-based) with varying performance and reliability characteristics.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Message broadcasting and distribution to subscribers.
        • Topic management and subscription handling.
        • Message routing and propagation in pubsub networks.
        • Reliability and ordering guarantees for pubsub messages (depending on protocol).
      • Security controls:
        • Access control to pubsub topics and message publication.
        • Message authentication and integrity checks.
        • Protection against spam and denial-of-service attacks in pubsub networks.
        • Privacy considerations for pubsub message content and topic subscriptions.
      • Name: Content Routing (DHT)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Implements distributed hash table (DHT) functionality for content routing and peer discovery. Allows peers to find providers of specific content or resources in a decentralized manner.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Content indexing and advertisement in the DHT.
        • Content routing and lookup based on content identifiers.
        • Distributed storage and retrieval of content routing information.
        • Peer discovery through DHT lookups.
      • Security controls:
        • Protection against DHT poisoning and data manipulation.
        • Sybil resistance mechanisms in the DHT.
        • Access control to content routing information.
        • Data integrity and authenticity in the DHT.
      • Name: Data Transfer (Bitswap)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Provides efficient data transfer mechanisms for exchanging data blocks between peers. Bitswap is a common protocol used for block-based data exchange in peer-to-peer networks, optimizing for bandwidth and availability.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Block-based data transfer between peers.
        • Data availability and redundancy management.
        • Swarming and parallel data transfer.
        • Data integrity verification.
      • Security controls:
        • Data integrity checks to ensure data is not corrupted during transfer.
        • Protection against data injection and manipulation during transfer.
        • Access control to data being transferred.
        • Denial-of-service protection for data transfer protocols.

  • DEPLOYMENT

  • Deployment Options:

      1. Library Integration: go-libp2p is primarily deployed as a library integrated into various applications. Each application instance becomes a node in the peer-to-peer network.
      1. Standalone Node (Less Common): While less typical, it's technically possible to build a standalone application that solely runs a libp2p node for specific infrastructure purposes (e.g., relay node, bootstrap node).

  • Detailed Deployment (Library Integration):

graph LR
    subgraph "Application Environment"
        A["Application Instance"]
        subgraph "go-libp2p Library (within Application)"
            B["Core"]
            C["Transport"]
            D["Security"]
            E["Discovery"]
            F["Protocol Negotiation"]
            G["Pubsub"]
            H["Content Routing"]
            I["Data Transfer"]
        end
        A --> B
        A --> C
        A --> D
        A --> E
        A --> F
        A --> G
        A --> H
        A --> I
        B --> C
        B --> D
        B --> E
        B --> F
        B --> G
        B --> H
        B --> I
        C --> D
        E --> B
        F --> C
        F --> B
        G --> B
        H --> B
        I --> B
    end
    J["Peer-to-Peer Network"] -- "Connects to" --> A
    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • DEPLOYMENT Elements

      • Name: Application Instance
      • Type: Software Instance
      • Description: An instance of an application that integrates the go-libp2p library. This instance acts as a node in the peer-to-peer network. Deployed in various environments depending on the application (e.g., servers, desktops, mobile devices).
      • Responsibilities:
        • Running the application logic.
        • Hosting and executing the go-libp2p library.
        • Participating in the peer-to-peer network.
        • Providing application-specific services and functionalities over the network.
      • Security controls:
        • Application-level security controls (authentication, authorization, input validation).
        • Relies on the security of the underlying operating system and environment.
        • Utilizes security features provided by the go-libp2p library.
      • Name: go-libp2p Library (within Application)
      • Type: Software Library (Set of Containers)
      • Description: The go-libp2p library embedded within the application instance. Consists of the containers described in the Container Diagram (Core, Transport, Security, etc.).
      • Responsibilities:
        • All responsibilities of the containers as described in the Container Diagram.
        • Providing the networking stack for the application.
      • Security controls:
        • Security controls of the individual containers as described in the Container Diagram.
        • Library-level security features and configurations.
      • Name: Peer-to-Peer Network
      • Type: Network
      • Description: The decentralized network formed by all application instances running go-libp2p. Nodes in this network communicate directly with each other without central servers (in most cases).
      • Responsibilities:
        • Facilitating peer-to-peer communication.
        • Routing messages across the network.
        • Providing a decentralized infrastructure for applications.
      • Security controls:
        • Security is distributed across all nodes in the network.
        • Network-level security protocols (implemented by libp2p and applications).
        • Resilience against attacks due to decentralization.

  • BUILD

graph LR
    A["Developer"] -- "Code Changes" --> B["Version Control (GitHub)"]
    B -- "Webhook/Trigger" --> C["CI/CD System (GitHub Actions)"]
    C -- "Build Process\n(Go Build,\nTests,\nLinters,\nSAST)" --> D["Build Artifacts\n(Go Modules,\nBinaries)"]
    D -- "Publish" --> E["Package Registry\n(pkg.go.dev,\nGitHub Packages)"]
    style C fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • BUILD Elements
      • Name: Developer
      • Type: Person
      • Description: Software developers contributing to the go-libp2p project.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Writing and modifying code for go-libp2p.
        • Running local builds and tests.
        • Committing code changes to version control.
      • Security controls:
        • Secure development practices on developer machines.
        • Code review process for contributions.
        • Authentication and authorization for code commits.
      • Name: Version Control (GitHub)
      • Type: System
      • Description: GitHub repository hosting the go-libp2p source code. Manages code versions, branches, and pull requests.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Storing and managing source code.
        • Tracking code changes and history.
        • Facilitating collaboration through pull requests.
        • Triggering CI/CD pipelines on code changes.
      • Security controls:
        • Access control to the repository (authentication and authorization).
        • Audit logging of repository activities.
        • Branch protection and code review requirements.
      • Name: CI/CD System (GitHub Actions)
      • Type: System
      • Description: GitHub Actions used for automated build, test, and deployment processes. Executes workflows defined in the repository.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Automated build process (compilation, testing, linting).
        • Security checks (SAST scanning).
        • Generation of build artifacts.
        • Publishing build artifacts to package registries.
      • Security controls:
        • Secure configuration of CI/CD pipelines.
        • Secrets management for credentials used in CI/CD.
        • Isolation of build environments.
        • Security scanning tools integration (SAST).
      • Name: Build Artifacts (Go Modules, Binaries)
      • Type: Data
      • Description: Output of the build process, including Go modules, compiled binaries (if applicable), and other distributable artifacts.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Representing the built and tested version of go-libp2p.
        • Being used by application developers to integrate libp2p into their projects.
      • Security controls:
        • Signing of build artifacts to ensure integrity and authenticity.
        • Storage of artifacts in secure repositories.
        • Vulnerability scanning of dependencies included in artifacts.
      • Name: Package Registry (pkg.go.dev, GitHub Packages)
      • Type: System
      • Description: Public package registries where go-libp2p modules are published and made available for download by application developers. Examples include pkg.go.dev and GitHub Packages.
      • Responsibilities:
        • Hosting and distributing go-libp2p modules.
        • Providing versioning and dependency management.
        • Making the library easily accessible to developers.
      • Security controls:
        • Security of the registry infrastructure itself.
        • Integrity checks of published packages.
        • Potential vulnerability scanning of published packages.

RISK ASSESSMENT

  • Critical Business Processes:

    • Secure and reliable peer-to-peer communication for applications using libp2p.
    • Maintaining the integrity and availability of the go-libp2p library itself for the community.
    • Ensuring interoperability and standardization within the libp2p ecosystem.

  • Data to Protect and Sensitivity:

    • Source code of go-libp2p (High Sensitivity - Confidentiality and Integrity): Protection against unauthorized modification or disclosure is crucial to maintain trust and prevent supply chain attacks.
    • Cryptographic keys and secrets used within libp2p (Critical Sensitivity - Confidentiality and Integrity): Compromise could lead to complete breakdown of security for applications using libp2p.
    • Peer identities and routing information (Medium to High Sensitivity - Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability): Depending on the application, this data might contain sensitive information about network participants and their activities.
    • Application data transmitted over libp2p (Sensitivity depends on application - Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability): The sensitivity of this data is determined by the applications built on top of libp2p, and libp2p should provide mechanisms to protect it accordingly.
    • Build artifacts and published packages (High Sensitivity - Integrity and Availability): Ensuring the integrity of distributed packages is vital to prevent supply chain attacks and maintain trust in the library.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

  • Questions:

    • What are the specific types of applications that are primarily targeted to use go-libp2p? (e.g., file sharing, messaging, distributed databases, etc.) Understanding the use cases will help tailor security requirements.
    • Are there specific regulatory compliance requirements that applications using go-libp2p need to adhere to? (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, etc.) This will influence security and privacy considerations.
    • What is the expected threat model for applications built on go-libp2p? (e.g., nation-state adversaries, script kiddies, etc.) This will help prioritize security controls and risk mitigation strategies.
    • Are there specific performance requirements or constraints that impact security choices? (e.g., low-latency communication, resource-constrained devices, etc.)
    • What is the process for community contributions and security vulnerability reporting for go-libp2p?

  • Assumptions:

    • Assumption: go-libp2p is intended to be a foundational library used in a wide range of decentralized applications.
    • Assumption: Security is a high priority for the go-libp2p project and its users.
    • Assumption: The primary deployment model is library integration into applications.
    • Assumption: The project utilizes GitHub Actions for CI/CD and relies on standard Go tooling for building and testing.
    • Assumption: The target environment for applications using go-libp2p is the public internet, with potential deployments in private or local networks as well.