sec-design.md

Okay, let's create a design document for the hub project, keeping in mind its purpose and potential security implications.

BUSINESS POSTURE

Business Priorities and Goals:

• Seamless integration with GitHub: The primary goal is to enhance the user's workflow by making GitHub interactions feel like native Git commands.
• Increased developer productivity: By reducing the need to switch between the command line and the GitHub web interface, hub aims to speed up development processes.
• Simplified GitHub operations: hub provides easier access to common GitHub features like creating pull requests, managing issues, and forking repositories.
• Open-source community engagement: As an open-source project, hub benefits from community contributions and aims to foster a collaborative environment.

Most Important Business Risks:

• Compromised user credentials: If hub is compromised, attackers could gain access to users' GitHub accounts, potentially leading to code theft, data breaches, and reputational damage.
• Supply chain attacks: Malicious code injected into hub's dependencies or build process could compromise users' systems.
• Unauthorized access to repositories: Bugs or vulnerabilities in hub could allow unauthorized users to access or modify private repositories.
• Denial of service: Attacks targeting hub or its infrastructure could disrupt users' workflows and prevent them from accessing GitHub.
• Data breaches: hub handles sensitive data, such as API tokens, which, if exposed, could lead to significant security breaches.

SECURITY POSTURE

Existing Security Controls:

• security control: Authentication via GitHub's OAuth flow: hub leverages GitHub's OAuth 2.0 protocol for user authentication, delegating credential management to GitHub. Described in documentation and implemented in code.
• security control: Secure storage of API tokens: hub stores GitHub API tokens securely, typically using the operating system's credential manager or environment variables. Described in documentation and implemented in code.
• security control: HTTPS communication: hub communicates with GitHub's API exclusively over HTTPS, ensuring encrypted data transmission. Implemented in code.
• security control: Regular dependency updates: The hub project actively maintains its dependencies, reducing the risk of known vulnerabilities. Described in documentation.
• security control: Code reviews: Contributions to hub undergo code review, helping to identify and prevent potential security issues. Described in contribution guidelines.

Accepted Risks:

• accepted risk: Reliance on GitHub's security infrastructure: hub's security is inherently tied to the security of GitHub's platform.
• accepted risk: Potential for user error: Users may inadvertently expose their API tokens or misconfigure hub, leading to security risks.
• accepted risk: Limited control over third-party dependencies: While hub updates its dependencies, there's always a risk of vulnerabilities in third-party libraries.

Recommended Security Controls:

• security control: Implement a robust mechanism for detecting and responding to compromised API tokens.
• security control: Introduce regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
• security control: Provide clear and concise security documentation to educate users on best practices and potential risks.
• security control: Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) and Subresource Integrity (SRI) if hub includes any web-based components.

Security Requirements:

• Authentication:
  • hub MUST use GitHub's OAuth 2.0 flow for user authentication.
  • hub MUST NOT store user passwords directly.
  • hub MUST securely store API tokens, using the operating system's credential manager or equivalent.
  • hub SHOULD provide a mechanism for users to easily revoke API tokens.
• Authorization:
  • hub MUST enforce GitHub's access control policies.
  • hub MUST NOT grant users more permissions than they have on GitHub.
  • hub SHOULD provide clear error messages when users attempt unauthorized actions.
• Input Validation:
  • hub MUST validate all user inputs to prevent command injection and other injection attacks.
  • hub MUST sanitize user inputs before passing them to GitHub's API.
  • hub SHOULD use a well-defined input validation library or framework.
• Cryptography:
  • hub MUST use HTTPS for all communication with GitHub's API.
  • hub MUST use strong cryptographic algorithms and protocols.
  • hub MUST securely generate and manage any cryptographic keys.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

graph LR
    User["User"]
    Hub["hub (GitHub CLI)"]
    GitHub["GitHub.com"]
    Git["Local Git Repository"]

    User -- Uses --> Hub
    Hub -- Wraps --> Git
    Hub -- Interacts with --> GitHub

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Element Descriptions:

• Element:

  • Name: User
  • Type: Person
  • Description: A developer using Git and GitHub.
  • Responsibilities: Interacts with hub to perform Git and GitHub operations.
  • Security controls: Strong passwords, 2FA enabled on GitHub account.

• Element:

  • Name: hub (GitHub CLI)
  • Type: Software System
  • Description: A command-line tool that extends Git with GitHub-specific features.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Provides a command-line interface for interacting with GitHub.
    • Authenticates users with GitHub using OAuth.
    • Makes API calls to GitHub on behalf of the user.
    • Wraps and extends Git commands.
  • Security controls: OAuth 2.0 authentication, secure token storage, HTTPS communication, input validation.

• Element:

  • Name: GitHub.com
  • Type: Software System
  • Description: The online platform for hosting and collaborating on Git repositories.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Hosts Git repositories.
    • Provides a web interface for managing repositories, issues, pull requests, etc.
    • Provides an API for programmatic access.
  • Security controls: Robust security infrastructure, access controls, encryption, regular security audits.

• Element:

  • Name: Local Git Repository
  • Type: Software System
  • Description: The local copy of a Git repository on the user's machine.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Stores the project's files and history.
    • Tracks changes made by the user.
  • Security controls: File system permissions, user authentication.

C4 CONTAINER

graph LR
    User["User"]
    HubCLI["hub CLI"]
    GitHubAPI["GitHub API"]
    GitCLI["Git CLI"]
    OSCredentialManager["OS Credential Manager"]

    User -- Uses --> HubCLI
    HubCLI -- Interacts with --> GitHubAPI
    HubCLI -- Wraps --> GitCLI
    HubCLI -- Stores/Retrieves Tokens --> OSCredentialManager
    GitHubAPI -- Provides Data --> HubCLI

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Element Descriptions:

• Element:

  • Name: User
  • Type: Person
  • Description: A developer using Git and GitHub.
  • Responsibilities: Interacts with the hub CLI.
  • Security controls: Strong passwords, 2FA enabled on GitHub.

• Element:

  • Name: hub CLI
  • Type: Application
  • Description: The command-line interface for hub.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Parses user commands.
    • Authenticates users with GitHub.
    • Makes API calls to GitHub.
    • Executes Git commands.
  • Security controls: Input validation, secure token storage, HTTPS communication.

• Element:

  • Name: GitHub API
  • Type: API
  • Description: The programmatic interface for interacting with GitHub.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Provides access to GitHub features.
    • Enforces access control.
  • Security controls: Authentication, authorization, rate limiting, input validation.

• Element:

  • Name: Git CLI
  • Type: Application
  • Description: The standard Git command-line interface.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Manages the local Git repository.
  • Security controls: File system permissions.

• Element:

  • Name: OS Credential Manager
  • Type: System Tool
  • Description: The operating system's secure storage for credentials.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Securely stores and retrieves API tokens.
  • Security controls: Encryption, access controls.

DEPLOYMENT

Possible Deployment Solutions:

1. Manual Installation: Users download the pre-compiled binary for their operating system and place it in their system's PATH.
2. Package Managers: hub is available through various package managers like brew (macOS), apt (Debian/Ubuntu), choco (Windows), etc.
3. Building from Source: Users clone the repository and build hub from source using Go.
4. Containers: While not the primary deployment method, hub could be packaged in a container for specific use cases.

Chosen Solution (Package Managers):

This is the most common and user-friendly approach.

graph LR
    User["User"]
    PackageManager["Package Manager (e.g., brew, apt, choco)"]
    HubBinary["hub Binary"]
    GitHubReleases["GitHub Releases"]

    User -- Installs via --> PackageManager
    PackageManager -- Downloads from --> GitHubReleases
    GitHubReleases -- Provides --> HubBinary
    PackageManager -- Installs --> HubBinary

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Element Descriptions:

• Element:

  • Name: User
  • Type: Person
  • Description: A developer installing hub.
  • Responsibilities: Initiates the installation process.
  • Security controls: Uses a trusted package manager.

• Element:

  • Name: Package Manager (e.g., brew, apt, choco)
  • Type: Software System
  • Description: A system for managing software installations.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Downloads and installs hub.
    • Verifies package integrity (often through checksums or signatures).
  • Security controls: Package signing, checksum verification, secure repositories.

• Element:

  • Name: GitHub Releases
  • Type: Software System
  • Description: The official distribution point for hub releases.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Hosts pre-compiled hub binaries.
  • Security controls: HTTPS, access controls, code signing (potentially).

• Element:

  • Name: hub Binary
  • Type: Executable
  • Description: The compiled hub executable.
  • Responsibilities: Runs on the user's system.
  • Security controls: Code signing (ideally).

BUILD

graph LR
    Developer["Developer"]
    GitHubRepo["GitHub Repository"]
    CI["CI (e.g., GitHub Actions)"]
    GoCompiler["Go Compiler"]
    Tests["Tests"]
    Linters["Linters"]
    Artifacts["Build Artifacts (hub binaries)"]
    GitHubReleasesPage["GitHub Releases"]

    Developer -- Pushes Code --> GitHubRepo
    GitHubRepo -- Triggers --> CI
    CI -- Runs --> GoCompiler
    CI -- Runs --> Tests
    CI -- Runs --> Linters
    GoCompiler -- Produces --> Artifacts
    Tests -- Validates --> Artifacts
    Linters -- Checks --> GitHubRepo
    CI -- Uploads --> Artifacts
    Artifacts -- Published to --> GitHubReleasesPage

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Build Process Description:

1. Developers write code and push changes to the hub repository on GitHub.
2. A Continuous Integration (CI) system (e.g., GitHub Actions) is triggered by the push.
3. The CI system performs the following steps:
   • Checks out the code from the repository.
   • Runs linters to enforce code style and identify potential issues.
   • Runs unit and integration tests to verify the code's functionality.
   • Compiles the code using the Go compiler, producing binaries for various operating systems.
   • Uploads the build artifacts (binaries) to a storage location.
   • Publishes release on GitHub Releases page.
4. Security controls:
   • security control: CI/CD pipeline: Automates the build and testing process, ensuring consistency and reducing the risk of manual errors.
   • security control: Linters: Enforce code style and identify potential security issues.
   • security control: Automated testing: Verifies the code's functionality and helps prevent regressions.
   • security control: Dependency management: Uses a dependency management system (e.g., Go modules) to track and manage dependencies.
   • security control: (Recommended) Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Integrates SCA tools into the CI pipeline to identify known vulnerabilities in dependencies.
   • security control: (Recommended) Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Integrates SAST tools into the CI pipeline to identify potential security vulnerabilities in the code.

RISK ASSESSMENT

Critical Business Processes to Protect:

• User authentication and authorization with GitHub.
• Access to and modification of user repositories.
• Creation and management of pull requests and issues.
• Secure storage and handling of API tokens.

Data to Protect and Sensitivity:

• GitHub API tokens: Highly sensitive; grants access to user's GitHub account.
• Usernames and email addresses: Potentially sensitive; could be used for phishing or social engineering attacks.
• Repository names and contents: Variable sensitivity; ranges from public information to highly confidential source code.
• Issue and pull request data: Variable sensitivity; may contain sensitive information about bugs, vulnerabilities, or internal discussions.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

Questions:

• What is the specific threat model used by the hub project (if any)?
• Are there any existing security audits or penetration testing reports for hub?
• What is the process for handling security vulnerabilities reported by external researchers?
• Are there any plans to implement code signing for hub binaries?
• What is the frequency of dependency updates?
• What is the process for reviewing and merging pull requests?
• Are there any specific compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) that hub needs to adhere to?

Assumptions:

• BUSINESS POSTURE: The hub project prioritizes user experience and developer productivity while maintaining a reasonable level of security.
• BUSINESS POSTURE: The project relies heavily on GitHub's security infrastructure.
• SECURITY POSTURE: Users are responsible for securing their own GitHub accounts (e.g., using strong passwords and 2FA).
• SECURITY POSTURE: The hub project follows secure coding practices.
• SECURITY POSTURE: The hub project has a process for handling security vulnerabilities.
• DESIGN: The primary deployment method is through package managers.
• DESIGN: The build process is automated using a CI system.
• DESIGN: hub is primarily written in Go.
• DESIGN: hub uses GitHub's official API.