attack-tree.md

Attack Tree Analysis for eleme/mess

Objective: Disrupt, Manipulate, or Gain Unauthorized Access to Data via mess

Attack Tree Visualization

Goal: Disrupt, Manipulate, or Gain Unauthorized Access to Data via mess ├── 1. Denial of Service (DoS) on mess Communication [HIGH RISK] │ ├── 1.1 Flood the Message Queue [HIGH RISK] │ │ ├── 1.1.1 Exploit Lack of Rate Limiting (if present) [CRITICAL] │ │ │ └── Action: Implement rate limiting and queue size limits in mess. │ │ ├── 1.1.2 Exploit Large Message Sizes (if unbounded) [CRITICAL] │ │ │ └── Action: Enforce maximum message size limits in mess. ├── 2. Message Manipulation [HIGH RISK] │ ├── 2.1 Message Interception and Modification (Man-in-the-Middle) [HIGH RISK] │ │ ├── 2.1.1 Exploit Lack of Encryption (if present) [CRITICAL] │ │ │ └── Action: Implement end-to-end encryption for message content. │ │ └── 2.1.3 Exploit Lack of Authentication/Integrity Checks (if present) [CRITICAL] │ │ └── Action: Implement message authentication and integrity checks (e.g., HMAC, digital signatures). │ ├── 2.2 Message Replay │ │ ├── 2.2.1 Exploit Lack of Message Sequencing/Timestamping (if present) [CRITICAL] │ │ │ └── Action: Implement message sequencing or timestamping to detect and reject replayed messages. │ └── 2.3 Message Injection [HIGH RISK] │ ├── 2.3.1 Exploit Lack of Sender Authentication [CRITICAL] │ │ └── Action: Implement sender authentication to verify the origin of messages. ├── 3. Unauthorized Access to Data [HIGH RISK] │ ├── 3.1 Eavesdropping (Passive Interception) [HIGH RISK] │ │ ├── 3.1.1 Exploit Lack of Encryption (if present) [CRITICAL] │ │ │ └── Action: Implement end-to-end encryption for message content. │ ├── 3.2 Unauthorized Subscription/Access to Message Channels [HIGH RISK] │ │ ├── 3.2.1 Exploit Lack of Access Control (if present) [CRITICAL] │ │ │ └── Action: Implement access control mechanisms to restrict access to specific message channels.

Attack Tree Path: 1. Denial of Service (DoS) on mess Communication [HIGH RISK]

• Overall Description: Attacks aimed at making the mess communication unavailable to legitimate users.

  • 1.1 Flood the Message Queue [HIGH RISK]

    • Description: Overwhelm the message queue with a large number of messages or excessively large messages, preventing legitimate messages from being processed.

    • 1.1.1 Exploit Lack of Rate Limiting (if present) [CRITICAL]

      • Description: If mess doesn't limit the rate at which messages can be sent, an attacker can flood the queue with a high volume of messages.
      • Likelihood: High (if no rate limiting is implemented)
      • Impact: High (application unavailability)
      • Effort: Low
      • Skill Level: Novice
      • Detection Difficulty: Easy (high traffic, queue buildup)
      • Action: Implement rate limiting and queue size limits.

    • 1.1.2 Exploit Large Message Sizes (if unbounded) [CRITICAL]

      • Description: If mess doesn't limit the size of individual messages, an attacker can send very large messages to consume resources and potentially crash the system.
      • Likelihood: Medium (depends on application usage and whether large messages are expected)
      • Impact: High (resource exhaustion, potential crash)
      • Effort: Low
      • Skill Level: Novice
      • Detection Difficulty: Easy (large messages visible in logs or network monitoring)
      • Action: Enforce maximum message size limits.

Attack Tree Path: 2. Message Manipulation [HIGH RISK]

• Overall Description: Attacks that involve intercepting, modifying, replaying, or injecting messages to compromise data integrity or impersonate legitimate users.

  • 2.1 Message Interception and Modification (Man-in-the-Middle) [HIGH RISK]

    • Description: An attacker positions themselves between the sender and receiver of messages, allowing them to read, modify, or delete messages.

    • 2.1.1 Exploit Lack of Encryption (if present) [CRITICAL]

      • Description: If messages are transmitted in plain text, an attacker can easily read their contents.
      • Likelihood: High (if no encryption and network access is obtained)
      • Impact: Very High (data compromise, confidentiality breach)
      • Effort: Medium
      • Skill Level: Intermediate
      • Detection Difficulty: Hard (without network monitoring and intrusion detection)
      • Action: Implement end-to-end encryption.

    • 2.1.3 Exploit Lack of Authentication/Integrity Checks (if present) [CRITICAL]

      • Description: If messages don't have integrity checks (e.g., HMACs), an attacker can modify them without detection.
      • Likelihood: High (if no authentication and network access is obtained)
      • Impact: High (data modification, impersonation, integrity violation)
      • Effort: Medium
      • Skill Level: Intermediate
      • Detection Difficulty: Hard (without specific monitoring for message alterations)
      • Action: Implement message authentication and integrity checks (HMAC, digital signatures).

  • 2.2 Message Replay

    • Description: An attacker captures a legitimate message and resends it later, potentially causing unintended actions or data duplication.

    • 2.2.1 Exploit Lack of Message Sequencing/Timestamping (if present) [CRITICAL]

      • Description: If messages don't have sequence numbers or timestamps, it's difficult to detect replayed messages.
      • Likelihood: Medium (depends on application logic and whether replay attacks are relevant)
      • Impact: Medium to High (depends on the application; could cause data corruption, duplicate actions, or unexpected behavior)
      • Effort: Medium
      • Skill Level: Intermediate
      • Detection Difficulty: Medium (requires application-level logic to detect out-of-order or duplicate messages)
      • Action: Implement message sequencing or timestamping.

  • 2.3 Message Injection [HIGH RISK]

    • Description: An attacker sends forged messages that appear to be from a legitimate source.

    • 2.3.1 Exploit Lack of Sender Authentication [CRITICAL]

      • Description: If the receiver doesn't verify the sender's identity, an attacker can impersonate a legitimate sender.
      • Likelihood: High (if no sender authentication and network access is obtained)
      • Impact: High (data corruption, impersonation, potential for unauthorized actions)
      • Effort: Medium
      • Skill Level: Intermediate
      • Detection Difficulty: Hard (without specific monitoring for unauthorized senders)
      • Action: Implement sender authentication.

Attack Tree Path: 3. Unauthorized Access to Data [HIGH RISK]

• Overall Description: Attacks that allow an attacker to gain access to data they are not authorized to see.

  • 3.1 Eavesdropping (Passive Interception) [HIGH RISK]

    • Description: An attacker passively listens to network traffic to capture sensitive data transmitted via mess.

    • 3.1.1 Exploit Lack of Encryption (if present) [CRITICAL]

      • Description: Identical to 2.1.1; if messages are unencrypted, they can be easily read.
      • Likelihood: High (if no encryption and network access is obtained)
      • Impact: Very High (data compromise, confidentiality breach)
      • Effort: Medium
      • Skill Level: Intermediate
      • Detection Difficulty: Hard (without network monitoring)
      • Action: Implement end-to-end encryption.

  • 3.2 Unauthorized Subscription/Access to Message Channels [HIGH RISK]

    • Description: An attacker gains access to message channels they are not authorized to access.

    • 3.2.1 Exploit Lack of Access Control (if present) [CRITICAL]

      • Description: If mess doesn't enforce access control, any user can subscribe to any channel.
      • Likelihood: High (if no access control is implemented)
      • Impact: High (data leakage, potential for unauthorized actions)
      • Effort: Low
      • Skill Level: Intermediate
      • Detection Difficulty: Medium (audit logs, access monitoring can reveal unauthorized subscriptions)
      • Action: Implement access control mechanisms (authentication and authorization).