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Threat Model Analysis for elastic/logstash

Threat: Spoofed Log Source Injection

  • Threat: Spoofed Log Source Injection

    • Description: An attacker crafts and sends log events to Logstash, masquerading as a legitimate source. They might spoof IP addresses or manipulate network traffic at the Logstash input level.
    • Impact: Ingestion of fabricated log data, leading to incorrect analysis, false alerts, and potentially masking real attacks. Could trigger unintended actions based on log patterns.
    • Affected Logstash Component: Input plugins (e.g., beats, tcp, udp, syslog) – any input lacking strong authentication.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Implement strict input validation using allowlists for source identifiers (IPs, hostnames).
      • Use secure transport protocols with mutual authentication (e.g., TLS with client certificates) where supported by the input plugin.
      • Use authenticated logging agents (e.g., Filebeat with TLS) that integrate with Logstash input plugins.

Threat: Configuration File Tampering

  • Threat: Configuration File Tampering

    • Description: An attacker gains unauthorized access to Logstash configuration files (e.g., logstash.yml, pipeline .conf files) and modifies them directly.
    • Impact: Disabling of logging, redirection of logs to a malicious destination, modification of filters to drop/allow specific events, introduction of vulnerabilities via malicious plugin configurations, or data exfiltration.
    • Affected Logstash Component: Core Logstash configuration, pipeline configuration files, any plugin configuration.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Strictly control access to configuration files using OS permissions and ACLs.
      • Implement configuration management and version control (e.g., Git).
      • Regularly audit configuration files for unauthorized changes.
      • Use secure deployment methods (e.g., SSH with key-based authentication, configuration management tools).
      • Monitor file integrity of configuration files.

Threat: Malicious Plugin Installation/Modification

  • Threat: Malicious Plugin Installation/Modification

    • Description: An attacker installs a malicious Logstash plugin or modifies an existing one directly on the Logstash server.
    • Impact: Arbitrary code execution, data exfiltration, denial of service, or other malicious behavior, depending on the plugin. Could lead to complete system compromise.
    • Affected Logstash Component: Plugin management system, any installed plugin.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Download plugins only from trusted sources (official Elastic repository).
      • Verify plugin integrity using checksums or digital signatures.
      • Regularly update plugins.
      • Implement file integrity monitoring on the plugin directory.

Threat: Credential Exposure in Configuration

  • Threat: Credential Exposure in Configuration

    • Description: Logstash configuration files contain hardcoded credentials (e.g., for Elasticsearch, databases). An attacker accessing these files directly on the Logstash server steals the credentials.
    • Impact: Compromise of connected systems, data breaches.
    • Affected Logstash Component: Configuration files (logstash.yml, pipeline .conf files), specifically input/output plugin configurations.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Use environment variables.
      • Use a secrets management system (e.g., HashiCorp Vault).
      • Utilize Logstash's Keystore feature.
      • Never hardcode credentials in configuration files.

Threat: Denial of Service via Resource Exhaustion (Targeting Logstash)

  • Threat: Denial of Service via Resource Exhaustion (Targeting Logstash)

    • Description: An attacker floods Logstash directly with a high volume of log data, or sends complex events, aiming to overwhelm Logstash's processing capabilities (CPU, memory, disk I/O within Logstash).
    • Impact: Logstash becomes unresponsive, unable to process logs, leading to data loss.
    • Affected Logstash Component: Input plugins, filter plugins, output plugins, and the core Logstash engine.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Configure Logstash with appropriate resource limits (JVM heap size, worker threads).
      • Monitor Logstash resource usage and set up alerts.
      • Scale Logstash horizontally (add more instances).
      • Use dead-letter queues for unprocessable messages.
      • Implement rate-limiting within Logstash input plugins if supported.

Threat: Denial of Service via Malicious Log Events (Exploiting Logstash Vulnerabilities)

  • Threat: Denial of Service via Malicious Log Events (Exploiting Logstash Vulnerabilities)

    • Description: An attacker sends specially crafted log events designed to exploit vulnerabilities within Logstash plugins or the core engine, causing crashes or excessive resource consumption.
    • Impact: Logstash becomes unavailable, leading to data loss.
    • Affected Logstash Component: Potentially any plugin (especially those with complex parsing), and the core Logstash engine.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Regularly update Logstash and all plugins.
      • Implement input validation and filtering within Logstash to reject malformed or suspicious events.
      • Thoroughly test Logstash configurations with a variety of input, including fuzzing.

Threat: Elevation of Privilege via Logstash (Direct Execution Context)

  • Threat: Elevation of Privilege via Logstash (Direct Execution Context)

    • Description: Logstash itself is run with excessive privileges (e.g., root). If a vulnerability within Logstash is exploited, the attacker gains those privileges.
    • Impact: Complete system compromise.
    • Affected Logstash Component: The entire Logstash instance and its operating environment.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Run Logstash as a dedicated, non-privileged user.

Threat: Code Execution via Vulnerable Plugin (Direct Logstash Impact)

  • Threat: Code Execution via Vulnerable Plugin (Direct Logstash Impact)

    • Description: A vulnerability in a Logstash plugin (input, filter, or output) allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the Logstash process.
    • Impact: Code execution with the privileges of the Logstash process. Could lead to data exfiltration or further system compromise.
    • Affected Logstash Component: Any vulnerable plugin.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Keep all plugins updated.
      • Carefully vet and audit any custom plugins.
      • Run Logstash with least privilege.
      • Implement robust input validation within custom plugins.