Attack Tree Analysis for spf13/viper

Objective: Compromise Application by Exploiting Viper Vulnerabilities

Attack Tree Visualization

Compromise Application via Viper CRITICAL NODE
- (OR) Manipulate Application Configuration via Viper CRITICAL NODE
  - (OR) Control Configuration Source CRITICAL NODE
    - (AND) Control Configuration File HIGH RISK PATH CRITICAL NODE
      - (+) File Inclusion/Overwrite HIGH RISK PATH
    - (AND) Control Environment Variables HIGH RISK PATH CRITICAL NODE
      - (+) Environment Variable Injection HIGH RISK PATH
      - (+) Environment Variable Precedence Exploitation HIGH RISK PATH
    - (AND) Control Remote Configuration Source (if used) CRITICAL NODE
      - (+) Compromise Remote Source Credentials HIGH RISK PATH
  - (OR) Exploit Viper's Configuration Processing
    - (+) Default Configuration Exploitation HIGH RISK PATH
- (OR) Abuse Application Logic via Viper Configuration CRITICAL NODE
  - (+) Insecure Configuration Parameters HIGH RISK PATH CRITICAL NODE

Action: Exploit vulnerabilities allowing file write or inclusion to modify Viper configuration files (e.g., path traversal, insecure file upload, misconfigured permissions).
Likelihood: Medium-High (Common web app vulnerabilities, misconfigurations possible)
Impact: High-Critical (Configuration manipulation, potential RCE, data breach)
Effort: Low-Medium (Tools and techniques readily available)
Skill Level: Low-Medium (Basic web app exploitation skills)
Detection Difficulty: Medium (File system monitoring, integrity checks can help, but initial overwrite might be missed)

Action: Inject malicious environment variables that Viper reads and uses to override or manipulate application settings.
Likelihood: Medium (Depends on environment access, containerization, cloud environments might limit this, but still possible in some setups)
Impact: Medium-High (Configuration manipulation, potential privilege escalation, service disruption)
Effort: Low-Medium (Relatively easy if attacker gains access to the environment)
Skill Level: Low-Medium (Basic system administration/environment manipulation skills)
Detection Difficulty: Medium (Environment variable changes can be logged, but might be missed in noisy environments)

Action: Understand Viper's precedence rules and leverage environment variables to override intended configuration values, especially in production environments where environment variables are often used.
Likelihood: Medium-High (Common practice to use env vars in production, precedence rules can be exploited if not well understood)
Impact: Medium (Configuration manipulation, potentially subtle changes in application behavior)
Effort: Low (Requires understanding Viper's precedence, but easy to execute)
Skill Level: Low (Basic understanding of configuration and environment variables)
Detection Difficulty: High (Very difficult to detect as it might look like legitimate configuration, unless deviations from intended config are monitored)

Action: Obtain credentials for remote configuration sources (e.g., etcd, Consul) if used by Viper, allowing direct manipulation of configuration data.
Likelihood: Low-Medium (Depends on security of credential management, secrets rotation, etc.)
Impact: Critical (Full control over application configuration, potential for complete compromise)
Effort: Medium-High (Requires bypassing authentication and authorization mechanisms of the remote source)
Skill Level: Medium-High (Requires understanding of authentication, authorization, and potentially cryptography)
Detection Difficulty: Medium (Access logs of remote source, anomaly detection on configuration changes can help)

Action: If the application relies heavily on Viper's default values and these defaults are insecure or predictable, exploit these defaults when other configuration sources are unavailable or can be bypassed.
Likelihood: Medium (Developers might rely on defaults, especially in early stages, and defaults might not always be secure)
Impact: Medium-High (Depends on the nature of insecure defaults, could lead to weakened security, information disclosure, etc.)
Effort: Low (Requires understanding of default configurations, often easily discoverable)
Skill Level: Low (Basic understanding of configuration and application defaults)
Detection Difficulty: High (Very difficult to detect as it relies on lack of configuration, might look like intended behavior if defaults are not well-documented)

Action: Identify configuration parameters managed by Viper that directly control security-sensitive aspects of the application (e.g., database credentials, API keys, feature flags, allowed origins, insecure defaults enabled via config). Manipulate these parameters to weaken security or gain unauthorized access.
Likelihood: Medium-High (Common issue, developers might expose sensitive settings via configuration)
Impact: High-Critical (Data breach, unauthorized access, privilege escalation, depending on the sensitive parameter)
Effort: Low-Medium (Requires reconnaissance to identify sensitive parameters, but manipulation is often straightforward)
Skill Level: Low-Medium (Basic understanding of application configuration and security principles)
Detection Difficulty: Medium (Configuration changes can be logged, but detecting insecure configuration requires security policy enforcement and monitoring)