threat-modeling.md

Threat Model Analysis for jfrog/artifactory-user-plugins

Threat: Malicious Plugin Upload (Code Injection)

• Description: An attacker with plugin upload privileges uploads a plugin containing malicious code. Upon deployment and execution, this code runs on the Artifactory server, potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary commands, access sensitive data, or disrupt services.
• Impact: Full compromise of the Artifactory server, including data breaches, data manipulation, denial of service, and potential lateral movement within the network.
• Affected Component: Plugin Execution Engine, Artifactory Server Host System
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Implement strict access control for plugin upload and management using RBAC and least privilege.
  • Mandatory code review and security audit of all plugins before deployment by a dedicated security team.
  • Utilize static code analysis tools to scan plugin code for vulnerabilities before deployment.
  • Implement input validation and sanitization within plugins.
  • Regularly monitor Artifactory logs for suspicious plugin activity.

Threat: Plugin Privilege Escalation

• Description: A plugin, either malicious or vulnerable, exploits weaknesses in Artifactory's plugin execution environment or Artifactory APIs to gain higher privileges than intended. This allows the plugin to bypass intended security boundaries and access resources or functionalities beyond its authorized scope.
• Impact: Unauthorized access to sensitive Artifactory data and functionalities, potential for data modification, access control bypass, and further system compromise.
• Affected Component: Plugin Execution Engine, Artifactory API, Artifactory Security Framework
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Apply the principle of least privilege, granting plugins only necessary permissions.
  • Implement robust input validation and authorization checks within Artifactory APIs used by plugins.
  • Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing of Artifactory and the plugin execution environment.
  • Monitor plugin activities for unexpected API calls or resource access attempts.
  • Keep Artifactory and plugins updated with the latest security patches.

Threat: Resource Exhaustion (DoS via Plugin)

• Description: A poorly written or maliciously designed plugin consumes excessive server resources (CPU, memory, disk I/O, network) during execution. This can overload the Artifactory server, leading to performance degradation or a complete denial of service for legitimate users.
• Impact: Performance degradation of Artifactory, denial of service for users, and potential system instability or crashes.
• Affected Component: Plugin Execution Engine, Artifactory Server Resources
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Implement resource limits and quotas for plugin execution if Artifactory provides such features.
  • Perform code review and performance testing of plugins to identify resource-intensive code.
  • Monitor Artifactory server resource utilization, especially during plugin execution.
  • Implement circuit breaker patterns for plugins to prevent cascading failures.
  • Provide guidelines for developers to write efficient and resource-conscious plugin code.

Threat: Data Exfiltration through Plugin

• Description: A malicious plugin is designed to access and exfiltrate sensitive data from Artifactory, such as repository credentials, artifact content, configuration details, or user information. The plugin then transmits this data to an attacker-controlled external system, leading to a data breach.
• Impact: Confidentiality breach, loss of sensitive data, potential compromise of downstream systems using exfiltrated credentials, and reputational damage.
• Affected Component: Plugin Code, Artifactory Data Access Layer, Network Communication
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Apply the principle of least privilege to minimize data access permissions granted to plugins.
  • Implement strict output encoding and sanitization within plugins to prevent unintended data leakage.
  • Monitor network traffic for unusual outbound connections from the Artifactory server during plugin execution.
  • Regularly audit plugin code for data access patterns and potential exfiltration attempts.
  • Consider implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) mechanisms.

Threat: Plugin Dependency Vulnerabilities

• Description: Plugins rely on external libraries or dependencies. If these dependencies contain known security vulnerabilities, they can be exploited. A vulnerable dependency within a plugin can be a pathway for attackers to compromise the Artifactory server through the plugin.
• Impact: Code execution, information disclosure, or denial of service depending on the vulnerability in the dependency. This can lead to similar impacts as vulnerabilities directly within the plugin code.
• Affected Component: Plugin Dependencies, Plugin Execution Environment
• Risk Severity: High (when dependency vulnerability severity is high)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Maintain a detailed inventory of all plugin dependencies.
  • Regularly scan plugin dependencies for known vulnerabilities using vulnerability scanning tools.
  • Implement a process for promptly updating plugin dependencies to patched versions.
  • Encourage plugin developers to use well-maintained and secure libraries.
  • Utilize dependency pinning or lock files to manage and control dependency versions.

Threat: Plugin Induced Configuration Tampering

• Description: A plugin, either through vulnerabilities or by design, modifies Artifactory configurations or plugin configurations in a way that weakens security or maliciously alters system behavior. This could involve disabling security features, changing access controls, or modifying critical system settings.
• Impact: Weakened security posture, unauthorized access, system instability, and potential for further exploitation due to misconfiguration.
• Affected Component: Plugin Code, Artifactory Configuration System, Plugin Configuration System
• Risk Severity: High (depending on the criticality of the configuration change)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Apply the principle of least privilege, restricting plugin access to configuration APIs.
  • Implement strict input validation and authorization checks for configuration changes initiated by plugins.
  • Regularly audit Artifactory configurations for unauthorized changes.
  • Implement configuration management and version control for Artifactory configurations.
  • Monitor plugin activities for configuration modification attempts.