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Threat Model Analysis for rook/rook

Threat: Unauthorized Cluster Control via Operator Compromise

  • Description: An attacker gains control of the Rook Operator pod. This is typically through a vulnerability in the Operator itself, a compromised dependency within the Operator's container image, or by exploiting misconfigured Kubernetes RBAC that grants the Operator excessive privileges. The attacker can then manipulate the Ceph cluster's configuration via Rook's CRDs, create/delete storage resources, potentially gain indirect access to data (by manipulating storage access), and use the Operator's privileges to escalate access within the Kubernetes cluster.
    • Impact: Complete compromise of the Ceph cluster managed by Rook, including potential data loss, data theft, denial of service, and potential lateral movement within the Kubernetes cluster due to the Operator's elevated privileges.
    • Affected Component: Rook Operator pod (specifically, the main operator process and any associated sidecars).
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Strict RBAC: Implement the principle of least privilege for the Rook Operator's service account. Limit its permissions to only what is absolutely necessary for managing Ceph resources. Regularly audit RBAC policies.
      • Image Scanning: Regularly scan the Rook Operator container image for vulnerabilities using a container image scanning tool.
      • Regular Updates: Keep the Rook Operator updated to the latest version to patch known vulnerabilities. Subscribe to Rook's security advisories.
      • Pod Security Policies (or equivalent): Restrict the capabilities of the Rook Operator pod (e.g., prevent it from running as root, limit access to the host network, restrict volume mounts). Use Kubernetes Pod Security Standards or a policy engine like Kyverno or OPA Gatekeeper.
      • Auditing: Enable audit logging for Kubernetes API calls made by the Rook Operator's service account to detect suspicious activity.

Threat: Data Loss due to Misconfigured Replication (Rook CRD Issue)

  • Description: The Ceph cluster is misconfigured due to incorrect settings within the Rook Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs), specifically CephCluster, CephBlockPool, or other storage-related CRDs. This could involve incorrect replication factors, improper placement rules (failure to account for Kubernetes failure domains like availability zones), or incorrect storage class parameters. If a sufficient number of OSDs or nodes fail, data loss can occur because Rook did not configure Ceph correctly.
    • Impact: Permanent data loss.
    • Affected Component: Rook Operator (CRD interpretation and translation to Ceph configuration), Ceph OSDs (data placement, but as directed by Rook).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Configuration Review: Carefully review and validate all Rook CRD configurations, especially replication settings, placement rules, and storage class parameters. Have multiple team members review configurations.
      • Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC): Use IaC tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Helm) to manage Rook deployments and ensure consistent, version-controlled configurations. This makes misconfigurations easier to detect and roll back.
      • Testing: Test failure scenarios (e.g., node failures, OSD failures) in a non-production environment that mirrors the production setup. Verify that data redundancy is maintained as expected, specifically testing Rook's configuration.
      • Monitoring: Monitor the Ceph cluster's health and data redundancy levels as reported by Rook and Ceph. Configure alerts for any degradation in redundancy.
      • Understand Failure Domains: Properly configure Ceph, via Rook's CRDs, to be aware of Kubernetes failure domains (e.g., racks, availability zones, node labels) to ensure data is replicated across them.

Threat: Unauthorized Access via Compromised Toolbox (If Deployed)

  • Description: An attacker gains access to the Rook Toolbox pod. The Toolbox, if deployed, provides command-line access to the Ceph cluster. Compromise could occur through a vulnerability in the Toolbox image, a misconfigured service account, or exposed network access. The attacker can then potentially execute arbitrary Ceph commands, modify data, or disrupt the cluster. This threat is entirely dependent on the deployment of the Toolbox.
    • Impact: Potential for data breach, data loss, denial of service, or complete cluster compromise, depending on the actions taken by the attacker using the Toolbox.
    • Affected Component: Rook Toolbox pod (if deployed).
    • Risk Severity: High (if deployed), N/A (if not deployed)
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Avoid in Production: Do not deploy the Rook Toolbox pod in production environments unless absolutely necessary for specific, short-term debugging tasks.
      • Restricted Access: If the Toolbox is required temporarily, strictly limit access using Kubernetes RBAC and Network Policies. Only grant access to specific users or service accounts.
      • Short-Lived Pods: Use short-lived, on-demand Toolbox pods instead of a persistent deployment. Delete the pod immediately after the debugging task is complete.
      • Auditing: Enable audit logging for commands executed within the Toolbox pod, if possible. Monitor these logs for suspicious activity.
      • Image Scanning: Scan the toolbox image.

Threat: Secret Exposure Leading to Unauthorized Rook/Ceph Access

  • Description: Ceph authentication keys, or other secrets used by Rook to manage Ceph, are exposed. This could be due to misconfigured Kubernetes Secrets, secrets accidentally committed to code repositories, secrets exposed in logs, or vulnerabilities in the Rook Operator that leak secrets. An attacker who obtains these secrets can gain unauthorized access to the Ceph cluster by impersonating Rook components.
    • Impact: Data breach, unauthorized access to and control of the Ceph cluster.
    • Affected Component: Kubernetes Secrets, Rook Operator (secret handling), Ceph components (authentication, but exploited via Rook's credentials).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Secure Secret Storage: Use Kubernetes Secrets to store sensitive information. Never hardcode secrets in configuration files or container images.
      • Secret Rotation: Regularly rotate Ceph authentication keys and other secrets used by Rook. Automate this process if possible.
      • Secrets Management Solution: Strongly consider using a dedicated secrets management solution (e.g., HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault) for enhanced security, auditability, and centralized management of secrets.
      • Least Privilege: Ensure that service accounts and pods only have access to the Kubernetes Secrets they absolutely need. Use RBAC to restrict access.
      • Audit Logging: Enable audit logging for access to Kubernetes Secrets. Monitor these logs for suspicious access patterns.

Threat: Exploitation of Vulnerability in Rook Operator

  • Description: A software vulnerability exists in the Rook Operator code itself (not Ceph, not a dependency, but the Operator's logic). This could be a remote code execution vulnerability, a privilege escalation vulnerability, or a logic flaw that allows an attacker to manipulate the Ceph cluster in unintended ways.
    • Impact: Varies depending on the specific vulnerability, but could range from denial of service to complete control of the Ceph cluster and potential lateral movement within the Kubernetes cluster.
    • Affected Component: Rook Operator pod.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Regular Updates: Keep the Rook Operator updated to the latest version. This is the most critical mitigation. Subscribe to Rook's security advisories and release announcements.
      • Image Scanning: Regularly scan the Rook Operator container image for known vulnerabilities using a container image scanning tool.
      • Runtime Protection: Consider using runtime protection tools (e.g., Falco, Sysdig Secure) to detect and potentially prevent exploitation of vulnerabilities at runtime.
      • Code Review: If you are contributing to Rook or modifying its code, perform thorough security code reviews.

Threat: Uncontrolled Ceph Upgrade Failure (Due to Rook Orchestration)

  • Description: A Ceph upgrade, orchestrated by Rook, fails or encounters unexpected issues. This is specifically due to Rook's handling of the upgrade process, such as incorrect sequencing of operations, misconfiguration of upgrade parameters, or failure to handle errors gracefully. This can lead to data corruption, data loss, or extended downtime of the Ceph cluster.
    • Impact: Data loss, data corruption, Ceph cluster unavailability.
    • Affected Component: Rook Operator (upgrade orchestration logic), all Ceph components (but the failure is initiated by Rook).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Testing: Thoroughly test Ceph upgrade procedures, as managed by Rook, in a non-production environment that closely mirrors the production setup. This is crucial to validate Rook's upgrade process.
      • Monitoring: Closely monitor the upgrade process as reported by Rook and Ceph. Configure alerts for any errors, warnings, or unexpected delays.
      • Rollback Plan: Have a well-defined and tested rollback plan in place in case the upgrade fails. This plan should address how to revert Rook's actions and restore Ceph to a previous state.
      • Backup: Back up critical data before initiating a Ceph upgrade managed by Rook.
      • Staged Rollouts: Consider using staged rollouts for Ceph upgrades, where Rook updates a subset of the Ceph components at a time, to minimize the impact of potential issues.