threat-modeling.md

Threat Model Analysis for nextflow-io/nextflow

Threat: Command Injection in Process Definitions

• Threat: Command Injection in Process Definitions
• Description: An attacker could inject malicious shell commands into Nextflow process definitions by manipulating unsanitized input parameters. This allows execution of arbitrary commands on the Nextflow execution environment.
• Impact: Arbitrary code execution, data breaches, system compromise, denial of service, data manipulation.
• Affected Nextflow Component: process definition, script block, exec block, input parameters.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Use parameterized commands within process definitions.
  • Validate and sanitize all external inputs used in process commands.
  • Run Nextflow processes with the minimum necessary privileges.
  • Conduct thorough code reviews of workflow definitions.
  • Utilize static analysis tools to detect potential command injection flaws.

Threat: Workflow Logic Manipulation

• Threat: Workflow Logic Manipulation
• Description: An attacker with write access to workflow definition files could modify the workflow logic to perform malicious actions, bypass security checks, or exfiltrate data.
• Impact: Compromised workflow execution, data manipulation, unauthorized access, denial of service, data breaches.
• Affected Nextflow Component: Workflow definition files (.nf files), configuration files.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Store workflow definitions in version control (e.g., Git).
  • Implement integrity checks (e.g., checksums, digital signatures) for workflow definitions.
  • Deploy workflow definitions to production with read-only permissions.
  • Restrict write access to workflow definition files to authorized personnel.
  • Implement a code review and approval process for workflow changes.

Threat: Denial of Service through Malicious Workflow Design

• Threat: Denial of Service through Malicious Workflow Design
• Description: An attacker could design a workflow that intentionally consumes excessive resources (CPU, memory, network) to overwhelm the system and cause a denial of service.
• Impact: System unavailability, performance degradation, resource exhaustion, financial costs in cloud environments.
• Affected Nextflow Component: Workflow definition, process definitions, workflow execution engine.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Implement resource quotas and limits for workflow executions.
  • Analyze workflow definitions for potential resource consumption patterns.
  • Monitor resource usage during workflow execution and set up alerts.
  • Validate workflow inputs to prevent excessively resource-intensive requests.

Threat: Data Exfiltration through Workflow Processes

• Threat: Data Exfiltration through Workflow Processes
• Description: A compromised workflow process could be designed to exfiltrate sensitive data processed within the workflow to external locations.
• Impact: Confidentiality breach, data loss, regulatory non-compliance, reputational damage.
• Affected Nextflow Component: process definitions, script block, exec block, output channels, logging mechanisms.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Implement network segmentation to restrict network access for workflow processes.
  • Limit or block outbound network access from workflow processes.
  • Implement data access controls within workflows.
  • Monitor network traffic and data egress from workflow execution environments.
  • Implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP) measures.

Threat: Compromised Container Images or Environments

• Threat: Compromised Container Images or Environments
• Description: Using compromised container images (Docker, Conda) in Nextflow processes can introduce malware, vulnerabilities, or backdoors into the workflow execution.
• Impact: Arbitrary code execution within containerized processes, data breaches, system compromise, supply chain vulnerabilities, malware propagation.
• Affected Nextflow Component: Containerized process definitions, Docker images, Conda environments, container registries.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Use trusted and verified container registries.
  • Regularly scan container images for vulnerabilities before use.
  • Use minimal base images to reduce the attack surface.
  • Implement container image signing and verification.
  • Consider using a private container registry.

Threat: Insecure Credentials for Cloud or HPC Environments

• Threat: Insecure Credentials for Cloud or HPC Environments
• Description: Insecurely managed credentials for cloud or HPC environments used by Nextflow workflows can allow attackers unauthorized access to resources.
• Impact: Unauthorized access to cloud/HPC resources, data breaches, resource hijacking, financial costs in cloud environments, denial of service.
• Affected Nextflow Component: Nextflow configuration, cloud/HPC executor configurations, credential management mechanisms.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Use secure credential management systems (secrets management tools).
  • Store credentials as environment variables or in securely stored configuration files.
  • Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for cloud/HPC resources.
  • Practice principle of least privilege for credentials.
  • Regularly rotate credentials.
  • Avoid hardcoding credentials in workflow definitions or code.

Threat: Insufficient Isolation between Workflow Executions

• Threat: Insufficient Isolation between Workflow Executions
• Description: In shared compute environments, lack of isolation between workflow executions can allow a compromised workflow to affect or access resources of other workflows.
• Impact: Cross-workflow interference, data breaches, unauthorized access between workflows, denial of service affecting multiple workflows, resource contention.
• Affected Nextflow Component: Nextflow execution engine, compute environment (shared infrastructure), process isolation mechanisms.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Utilize process isolation mechanisms like containers or virtual machines.
  • Use resource namespaces to isolate resources between workflows.
  • Configure shared compute environments with secure multi-tenancy practices.
  • Consider dedicated compute environments for sensitive workflows.

Threat: Malicious or Vulnerable Nextflow Plugins

• Threat: Malicious or Vulnerable Nextflow Plugins
• Description: Using malicious or vulnerable Nextflow plugins can introduce security risks into the Nextflow environment, potentially leading to code execution or data breaches.
• Impact: Arbitrary code execution, data breaches, system compromise, plugin supply chain vulnerabilities, malware propagation.
• Affected Nextflow Component: Nextflow plugin system, Nextflow plugins, plugin repositories.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Use plugins from trusted and verified sources only.
  • Conduct code reviews and security audits of plugins before deployment.
  • Scan plugins for known vulnerabilities before use.
  • Implement plugin whitelisting to restrict plugin usage.

Threat: Privilege Escalation within Workflow Execution

• Threat: Privilege Escalation within Workflow Execution
• Description: Processes within a workflow running with excessive privileges can be exploited to escalate privileges and gain broader system access.
• Impact: System compromise, data breaches, unauthorized access, privilege escalation attacks, complete control over the execution environment.
• Affected Nextflow Component: process definitions, script block, exec block, process execution environment, user context.
• Risk Severity: High to Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Apply the principle of least privilege for process execution.
  • Use containerization with restricted capabilities to limit process privileges.
  • Utilize user namespace isolation.
  • Consider secure process execution frameworks.
  • Conduct regular security audits of process definitions.