sec-design.md

BUSINESS POSTURE

This project, represented by the Vegeta GitHub repository, provides a command-line HTTP load testing tool. The primary business purpose of such a tool is to enable developers, QA engineers, and operations teams to assess the performance, stability, and scalability of web applications and APIs under simulated load conditions.

Business Priorities and Goals:

• Performance Testing: Ensure web applications can handle expected and peak traffic loads without performance degradation.
• Stability and Reliability: Identify potential bottlenecks, failure points, and resource limitations in web applications before they impact users.
• Scalability Validation: Verify that web applications can scale effectively to meet growing user demands.
• Cost Optimization: Optimize infrastructure resources by understanding application performance characteristics under different load levels.

Business Risks:

• Inaccurate Performance Assessment: Improperly configured or executed load tests can lead to misleading performance data, resulting in incorrect capacity planning and potential application failures in production.
• Production Impact: Load testing against production environments without careful planning and safeguards can inadvertently cause service disruptions or outages.
• Security Vulnerability Exposure: Load testing might inadvertently expose security vulnerabilities in the target application if not conducted with security considerations in mind.
• Data Security Risks: Using sensitive data in load tests, especially in non-production environments that lack adequate security controls, can lead to data breaches or leaks.
• Tool Misuse: The load testing tool could be misused for malicious purposes, such as Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, if not properly controlled and secured.

SECURITY POSTURE

Existing Security Controls:

• security control: Source Code Review - The project is open-source on GitHub, allowing for community review of the code for potential security vulnerabilities. (Implemented: GitHub Repository)
• security control: Version Control - Git history provides traceability of code changes and facilitates identification of potential security regressions. (Implemented: GitHub Repository)
• security control: Dependency Management - Go modules are used for dependency management, allowing for tracking and updating of external libraries. (Implemented: go.mod, go.sum)

Accepted Risks:

• accepted risk: Vulnerabilities in Dependencies - The project relies on external Go libraries, which may contain security vulnerabilities. Risk is mitigated by dependency management and updates.
• accepted risk: User Misconfiguration - Users may misconfigure the tool or use it in insecure environments, leading to unintended security consequences. User education and documentation are mitigation strategies.
• accepted risk: Tool Vulnerabilities - The tool itself may contain undiscovered security vulnerabilities. Open source nature and community review help mitigate this risk.

Recommended Security Controls:

• security control: Static Application Security Testing (SAST) - Integrate SAST tools into the build process to automatically scan the codebase for potential security vulnerabilities.
• security control: Dependency Vulnerability Scanning - Implement automated scanning of dependencies for known vulnerabilities as part of the build and release process.
• security control: Input Validation and Sanitization - Ensure robust input validation and sanitization for all command-line arguments and input data to prevent injection attacks.
• security control: Secure Distribution - Provide checksums or digital signatures for released binaries to ensure integrity and authenticity.

Security Requirements:

• Authentication: Not directly applicable to the Vegeta tool itself, as it is a command-line utility. However, when testing applications that require authentication, Vegeta needs to be able to handle various authentication methods (e.g., Basic Auth, Bearer tokens).
• Authorization: Similar to authentication, not directly applicable to Vegeta. However, Vegeta needs to be able to test applications with authorization mechanisms, respecting access control policies.
• Input Validation: Crucial for command-line arguments to prevent command injection and other input-related vulnerabilities. Also important for handling responses from target applications to prevent issues like response header injection.
• Cryptography: Vegeta relies on Go's standard library for handling HTTPS connections, ensuring secure communication with target applications when needed. No specific cryptographic requirements beyond using TLS for HTTPS.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

flowchart LR
    subgraph Internet
        A[/"Target Web Application"/]
    end
    subgraph "User's Environment"
        U[/"Developer, QA Engineer, DevOps, SRE"/]
        V[/"Vegeta"/]
    end
    U --> V
    V --> A
    style Internet fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style "User's Environment" fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Context Diagram Elements:

• Element:
  • Name: Developer, QA Engineer, DevOps, SRE
  • Type: Person
  • Description: Users who utilize Vegeta to perform load testing on web applications.
  • Responsibilities: Define load test scenarios, execute Vegeta commands, analyze test results.
  • Security controls: security control: User Access Control - Users are responsible for securing their own environments where Vegeta is executed. security control: Secure Configuration - Users are responsible for configuring Vegeta securely and using it ethically.
• Element:
  • Name: Vegeta
  • Type: Software System
  • Description: Command-line HTTP load testing tool.
  • Responsibilities: Generate HTTP requests based on user-defined scenarios, send requests to target applications, collect and report performance metrics.
  • Security controls: security control: Input Validation - Vegeta validates command-line inputs. security control: HTTPS Support - Vegeta supports HTTPS for secure communication.
• Element:
  • Name: Target Web Application
  • Type: Software System
  • Description: The web application or API being tested by Vegeta.
  • Responsibilities: Process incoming HTTP requests, respond to requests, handle load.
  • Security controls: Security controls of the target web application are outside the scope of Vegeta itself, but Vegeta is used to test their effectiveness.

C4 CONTAINER

flowchart LR
    subgraph "User's Environment"
        V[/"Vegeta CLI"/]
    end
    V -->|HTTP/HTTPS Requests| A[/"Target Web Application"/]
    style "User's Environment" fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style "Target Web Application" fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Container Diagram Elements:

• Element:
  • Name: Vegeta CLI
  • Type: Container (Executable)
  • Description: The Vegeta command-line executable, written in Go. It's a single, self-contained application.
  • Responsibilities: Parse command-line arguments, generate HTTP requests, manage attack execution, collect metrics, output results.
  • Security controls: security control: Input Validation - Implemented within the CLI application to validate command-line arguments. security control: Secure HTTP Client - Uses Go's net/http library, which supports TLS for HTTPS.

DEPLOYMENT

Deployment Scenario: Local Workstation Deployment

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Developer Workstation"
        OS[/"Operating System (Linux, macOS, Windows)"/]
        V[/"Vegeta Executable"/]
        OS --> V
    end
    V -->|HTTP/HTTPS Requests| TargetApp[/"Target Web Application Environment (Cloud, On-Premise)"/]
    style "Developer Workstation" fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style "Target Web Application Environment (Cloud, On-Premise)" fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Deployment Diagram Elements:

• Element:
  • Name: Developer Workstation
  • Type: Infrastructure (Physical/Virtual Machine)
  • Description: The local computer used by a developer or QA engineer to run Vegeta.
  • Responsibilities: Provide execution environment for Vegeta, network connectivity to the target application.
  • Security controls: security control: Operating System Security - Security controls of the workstation OS (firewall, antivirus, patching). security control: User Account Security - Security of the user account running Vegeta.
• Element:
  • Name: Vegeta Executable
  • Type: Software (Executable)
  • Description: The compiled Vegeta binary, deployed on the developer's workstation.
  • Responsibilities: Execute load tests as configured by the user.
  • Security controls: security control: Executable Integrity - Ensuring the integrity of the Vegeta executable (e.g., downloaded from a trusted source, checksum verification).
• Element:
  • Name: Target Web Application Environment (Cloud, On-Premise)
  • Type: Infrastructure (Cloud, Data Center)
  • Description: The environment where the target web application is deployed.
  • Responsibilities: Host and run the target web application, handle incoming requests from Vegeta.
  • Security controls: Security controls of the target application environment are independent of Vegeta deployment.

BUILD

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Developer"
        Dev[/"Developer"/]
    end
    subgraph "GitHub"
        Repo[/"GitHub Repository"/]
        Actions[/"GitHub Actions CI/CD"/]
        Releases[/"GitHub Releases"/]
    end
    Dev --> Repo: Code Commit
    Repo --> Actions: Trigger Build
    Actions -->|Build, Test, SAST, Dependency Scan| Artifacts[/"Build Artifacts (Binaries)"/]
    Artifacts --> Releases: Publish Release
    style "GitHub" fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Build Process Description:

1. Developer commits code changes to the GitHub Repository.
2. GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline is triggered upon code commit.
3. CI/CD pipeline performs the following steps:
   • Build: Compiles the Go source code into executable binaries for different platforms.
   • Test: Executes unit and integration tests.
   • SAST: Performs Static Application Security Testing to identify potential vulnerabilities in the code.
   • Dependency Scan: Scans dependencies for known vulnerabilities.
4. Build Artifacts (binaries) are generated.
5. Build Artifacts are published to GitHub Releases.

Build Security Controls:

• security control: Automated Build Process - GitHub Actions automates the build process, reducing manual errors and ensuring consistency. (Implemented: GitHub Actions)
• security control: Static Application Security Testing (SAST) - SAST tools can be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline to automatically scan for vulnerabilities. (Recommended: Integrate SAST tools in GitHub Actions)
• security control: Dependency Vulnerability Scanning - Dependency scanning tools can be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline to identify vulnerable dependencies. (Recommended: Integrate dependency scanning in GitHub Actions)
• security control: Code Review - Pull requests and code reviews on GitHub facilitate manual security review of code changes. (Implemented: GitHub Pull Requests)
• security control: Release Integrity - GitHub Releases can be used to provide signed releases or checksums to ensure the integrity of downloaded binaries. (Recommended: Implement release signing or checksums for GitHub Releases)

RISK ASSESSMENT

Critical Business Processes Protected:

• Website/Application Availability: Load testing helps ensure applications remain available and performant under expected and peak loads, preventing downtime and service disruptions.
• Application Performance: Load testing validates application performance, ensuring a positive user experience and preventing performance-related business losses.
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Load testing helps verify that applications meet defined SLAs for performance and availability.

Data to Protect and Sensitivity:

• Test Scenarios: Load test configurations and scripts may contain information about application endpoints and parameters. Sensitivity: Low to Medium (depending on the exposure of internal endpoints).
• Performance Metrics: Collected performance data itself is generally not sensitive, but its accuracy and integrity are important for making informed business decisions. Sensitivity: Low.
• Target Application URLs and Parameters: URLs and parameters used in load tests might reveal information about application structure and functionality. Sensitivity: Low to Medium (depending on the exposure of internal application details).
• Sensitive Data in Tests (Potentially): If users include sensitive data in their load test requests (e.g., for testing data input validation), this data needs to be protected. Sensitivity: High (if sensitive data is used).

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

Questions:

• What is the intended environment for running Vegeta? (e.g., local workstations, CI/CD pipelines, dedicated testing infrastructure)
• What types of web applications and APIs will be tested with Vegeta? (e.g., public websites, internal APIs, microservices)
• What is the user's security maturity level and their understanding of secure load testing practices?
• Are there specific compliance or regulatory requirements that need to be considered when using Vegeta?
• What are the typical load testing scenarios and data used with Vegeta in the user's context?

Assumptions:

• BUSINESS POSTURE:
  • The primary goal is to improve web application performance, stability, and scalability.
  • Users are aware of the potential risks of load testing, especially in production environments.
  • Load testing is conducted for legitimate purposes, such as performance optimization and capacity planning.
• SECURITY POSTURE:
  • Users will download Vegeta from trusted sources (e.g., GitHub Releases).
  • Users will configure and use Vegeta responsibly and ethically.
  • Basic security practices are followed in the environments where Vegeta is executed.
• DESIGN:
  • Vegeta is primarily used as a command-line tool executed from user workstations or automated systems.
  • The target web applications are accessible over HTTP/HTTPS.
  • The deployment environment for Vegeta is relatively simple, typically a local workstation or a CI/CD agent.