mitigations.md

Mitigation Strategies Analysis for jfrog/artifactory-user-plugins

Mitigation Strategy: Custom Security Manager (Plugin-Specific Policies)

1. Policy File Creation: Create individual policy files (e.g., plugin_name.policy) for each user plugin within a designated directory (e.g., $ARTIFACTORY_HOME/etc/security/plugins/). This is the core of the plugin-specific mitigation.
2. Granular Permission Definition: Within each policy file, define highly specific permissions using Java's Security Manager syntax. These permissions should be the absolute minimum required for the plugin to function. Examples (and crucial denials):
   • permission java.io.FilePermission "/opt/artifactory/data/plugins/myplugin/data/*", "read,write"; (Allows read/write access only to the plugin's data directory).
   • permission java.net.SocketPermission "localhost:8081", "connect,resolve"; (Allows connecting only to Artifactory's internal API on localhost – if needed. Consider if network access is truly required).
   • permission java.util.PropertyPermission "plugin.myplugin.*", "read"; (Allows reading only properties prefixed with plugin.myplugin.).
   • Crucially, explicitly deny all other permissions. The policy file should not contain permission java.security.AllPermission;. Instead, rely on the default-deny behavior of the Security Manager.
   • Deny java.lang.RuntimePermission "createClassLoader"; to prevent the plugin from loading arbitrary classes.
   • Deny java.lang.RuntimePermission "exitVM"; to prevent the plugin from shutting down Artifactory.
   • Deny java.lang.reflect.ReflectPermission "suppressAccessChecks"; to prevent the plugin from bypassing security checks via reflection.
   • Carefully consider and restrict java.lang.Thread permissions to prevent the plugin from creating uncontrolled threads.
3. Artifactory Configuration: Configure Artifactory to use the custom Security Manager and point it to the policy directory. This typically involves modifying the artifactory.system.properties file:
   • java.security.manager=default (Enables the Security Manager).
   • java.security.policy==/opt/artifactory/etc/security/plugins/plugin_policy_loader.policy (Points to a loader policy file).
4. Loader Policy: Create a plugin_policy_loader.policy file that grants permission only to read files in the plugin policy directory. This acts as a bootstrap and should be extremely restrictive. Example: permission java.io.FilePermission "/opt/artifactory/etc/security/plugins/*", "read";
5. Testing (Plugin-Specific): Thoroughly test each plugin individually with its specific Security Manager policy enabled. Monitor the Artifactory logs for java.security.AccessControlException errors, which indicate permission violations. Adjust the policy file iteratively until the plugin functions correctly with the minimum necessary permissions.
6. Regular Review: Regularly review and update the security policies to adapt to changes in the plugins or the Artifactory environment.

Threats Mitigated:

• Arbitrary Code Execution (High Severity): Prevents a malicious plugin from executing arbitrary system commands outside the allowed, highly restricted set.
• Data Exfiltration (High Severity): Prevents a plugin from reading sensitive data outside its designated, explicitly permitted area.
• Data Tampering (High Severity): Prevents a plugin from modifying files or data outside its explicitly permitted area.
• Denial of Service (Medium Severity): Limits a plugin's ability to consume excessive resources by restricting access to system resources.
• Privilege Escalation (High Severity): Prevents a plugin from gaining higher privileges within the Artifactory JVM by restricting access to sensitive APIs and operations.
• Network Eavesdropping (High Severity): Restricts a plugin's ability to connect to arbitrary network hosts, allowing only explicitly permitted connections.

Impact:

• Arbitrary Code Execution: Risk reduced from High to Low (with correct implementation).
• Data Exfiltration: Risk reduced from High to Low.
• Data Tampering: Risk reduced from High to Low.
• Denial of Service: Risk reduced from Medium to Low.
• Privilege Escalation: Risk reduced from High to Low.
• Network Eavesdropping: Risk reduced from High to Low.

Currently Implemented: Partially. A basic Security Manager is enabled, but it uses a single, overly permissive policy file for all plugins. Granular, plugin-specific policies are not in place. The loader policy is implemented.

Missing Implementation: Plugin-specific policy files are missing. The current policy file grants AllPermission to all plugins, effectively disabling the Security Manager's protective capabilities. Regular policy review process is not defined.

Mitigation Strategy: Enhanced Plugin Logging (Within the Plugin Code)

1. Code Modification: Within the plugin code itself, add comprehensive logging statements to record all significant actions. This is not about general Artifactory logging, but logging within the plugin's Groovy code.
2. Log Key Events:
   • Artifactory API Calls: Log every call made to the Artifactory API, including the method called, parameters passed, and the result. Use the org.artifactory.api.* interfaces to interact with Artifactory and log these interactions.
   • File System Access: Log every file system read, write, or delete operation, including the full file path.
   • Network Connections: Log any network connections initiated by the plugin, including the destination address, port, and protocol.
   • User Context: If the plugin action is triggered by a user, log the username.
   • Error Handling: Log all exceptions and errors, including stack traces (but be careful not to log sensitive information within error messages).
3. Structured Logging: Use a structured logging format (e.g., JSON) within the plugin. This makes it easier to parse and analyze the logs later. You can use a logging library like Logback or SLF4J within the plugin (carefully managing dependencies). Example (Groovy):

   import groovy.json.JsonOutput
   import org.slf4j.Logger
   import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory
   
   Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger("myplugin")
   
   def logEvent(String eventType, Map details) {
       def logData = [
           timestamp: new Date().format("yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.SSSZ"),
           eventType: eventType,
           details: details
       ]
       log.info(JsonOutput.toJson(logData))
   }
   
   // Example usage:
   logEvent("fileAccess", [path: "/path/to/file", operation: "read"])

4. Log Levels: Use appropriate log levels (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR) to categorize log messages.
5. Security Manager Violations: Log any attempts by the plugin to violate the Security Manager policy.

Threats Mitigated:

• Data Exfiltration (High Severity): Provides detailed visibility into data access patterns from within the plugin, aiding in the detection of unauthorized data retrieval.
• Data Tampering (High Severity): Logs file modifications performed by the plugin, allowing for detection and investigation of unauthorized changes.
• Malicious Activity (Variable Severity): Creates a detailed audit trail of plugin actions, facilitating the detection and investigation of any malicious behavior originating from the plugin.
• Compromised Plugin Detection (High Severity): Anomalous behavior logged by the plugin itself can be a strong indicator of compromise.

Impact:

• Data Exfiltration: Risk remains High, but detection capability is significantly improved (specifically for actions initiated by the plugin).
• Data Tampering: Risk remains High, but detection capability is significantly improved (specifically for actions initiated by the plugin).
• Malicious Activity: Risk remains Variable, but detection and investigation capabilities are significantly improved.
• Compromised Plugin Detection: Risk reduced from High to Medium (with effective log analysis and alerting).

Currently Implemented: Not implemented. Plugins currently rely on Artifactory's default logging, which is insufficient for detailed plugin activity tracking.

Missing Implementation: Comprehensive logging statements need to be added within the code of each plugin. A structured logging format should be adopted.