attack-tree.md

Attack Tree Analysis for asciinema/asciinema-player

Objective: Compromise the application using asciinema-player by exploiting vulnerabilities within the player or through malicious asciicast content to gain unauthorized access, execute malicious code, or disrupt the application's functionality.

Attack Tree Visualization

• Compromise Application via Asciinema Player [CRITICAL NODE]
  • Exploit Vulnerabilities in Asciinema Player Code [HIGH-RISK PATH START]
    • Client-Side Code Injection (XSS) [CRITICAL NODE]
      • Malicious Asciicast Content Injection [HIGH-RISK PATH START]
        • Inject Malicious Escape Sequences [HIGH-RISK PATH]
          • Terminal Control Sequences (e.g., ANSI escape codes) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
            • Craft Asciicast with escape sequences to inject <script> tags or malicious HTML/JS [HIGH-RISK PATH]
        • Crafted JSON Payload Exploitation [HIGH-RISK PATH START]
          • Inject Malicious Data in JSON Fields [HIGH-RISK PATH]
            • Inject malicious JavaScript or HTML within JSON fields that are later rendered without proper sanitization [HIGH-RISK PATH]
  • Supply Malicious Asciicast Content [HIGH-RISK PATH START]
    • Compromise Asciicast Source [HIGH-RISK PATH START]
      • Compromise Asciicast Hosting Server [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
        • Gain unauthorized access to the server hosting asciicast files [HIGH-RISK PATH]
    • Social Engineering to Inject Malicious Asciicast [HIGH-RISK PATH START]
      • Phishing or Social Engineering Attacks [HIGH-RISK PATH]
        • Trick application administrators or content creators into uploading or linking to malicious asciicast files [HIGH-RISK PATH]
      • Compromise developer/administrator accounts [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
        • Compromise developer/administrator accounts [HIGH-RISK PATH]

Attack Tree Path: 1. XSS via Malicious Escape Sequences (Under "Inject Malicious Escape Sequences")

Attack Name: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via Malicious Terminal Escape Sequences

• Description: Attacker crafts a malicious asciicast file containing terminal escape sequences (like ANSI escape codes) that, when processed by the asciinema player, are interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This injected code can then execute in the user's browser within the context of the application using the player.
• Likelihood: Medium-High
• Impact: High (Full application compromise, data theft, session hijacking, malware distribution)
• Effort: Medium (Requires understanding of terminal escape sequences and basic web exploitation skills)
• Skill Level: Medium
• Detection Difficulty: Medium-High (Depends heavily on the effectiveness of sanitization and output encoding implemented by the application)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Strict Sanitization and Encoding: Thoroughly sanitize and encode all terminal output rendered by the player. Use a robust and security-focused terminal emulation library.
  • Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strong CSP to restrict script execution and mitigate the impact of XSS.

Attack Tree Path: 2. XSS via Malicious JSON Data (Under "Inject Malicious Data in JSON Fields")

Attack Name: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via Malicious JSON Payload

• Description: Attacker injects malicious JavaScript or HTML code into JSON fields within the asciicast file. If the application using the player renders data from these JSON fields without proper sanitization, the injected code can be executed as XSS.
• Likelihood: Medium
• Impact: High (Full application compromise, data theft, session hijacking, malware distribution)
• Effort: Low-Medium (Requires understanding of JSON structure and basic web exploitation skills)
• Skill Level: Medium
• Detection Difficulty: Medium-High (Depends on sanitization of JSON data and logging of rendered content)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Strict JSON Validation: Implement JSON schema validation to ensure asciicast files conform to expected structure and data types.
  • Output Encoding for JSON Data: Encode any data extracted from JSON fields before rendering it in the application's UI.
  • Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strong CSP to further mitigate XSS risks.

Attack Tree Path: 3. Compromise Asciicast Hosting Server (Under "Compromise Asciicast Hosting Server")

Attack Name: Asciicast Hosting Server Compromise

• Description: Attacker gains unauthorized access to the server hosting the asciicast files used by the application. This could be achieved through various server-side vulnerabilities (e.g., weak passwords, software vulnerabilities, misconfigurations). Once compromised, the attacker can replace legitimate asciicast files with malicious ones.
• Likelihood: Low-Medium (Depends on the security posture of the hosting server)
• Impact: Critical (Complete control over content served by the application, potential for widespread malware distribution, application defacement, data breaches)
• Effort: Medium-High (Depends on the server's security, may require server exploitation skills)
• Skill Level: Medium-High (Server administration and security skills, potentially server exploitation expertise)
• Detection Difficulty: Medium (Intrusion Detection Systems, File Integrity Monitoring, Server Access Logs can help detect compromise)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Secure Server Configuration: Harden the server hosting asciicast files. Implement strong passwords, keep software updated, and follow security best practices.
  • Access Controls: Implement strict access controls to limit who can access and modify files on the server.
  • Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing of the hosting server.

Attack Tree Path: 4. Compromise Developer/Administrator Accounts (Under "Compromise developer/administrator accounts")

Attack Name: Account Compromise for Malicious Asciicast Injection

• Description: Attacker compromises developer or administrator accounts that have the ability to upload or modify asciicast files used by the application. This can be achieved through phishing, password cracking, or exploiting account-related vulnerabilities.
• Likelihood: Low-Medium (Depends on account security practices and vulnerability of account management systems)
• Impact: Critical (Full control over content served by the application, ability to inject malicious asciicast files at will)
• Effort: Medium-High (Account compromise can require social engineering, password cracking, or exploiting account system vulnerabilities)
• Skill Level: Medium-High (Social engineering skills, password cracking techniques, potentially web application exploitation skills)
• Detection Difficulty: Medium (Account activity monitoring, login logs, anomaly detection can help identify compromised accounts)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Strong Password Policies and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enforce strong password policies and mandate MFA for all administrator and developer accounts.
  • Account Activity Monitoring: Monitor account activity for suspicious logins or actions.
  • Regular Security Awareness Training: Train developers and administrators about phishing and social engineering attacks.

Attack Tree Path: 5. Social Engineering to Inject Malicious Asciicast (Under "Trick application administrators or content creators...")

Attack Name: Social Engineering for Malicious Asciicast Upload

• Description: Attacker uses social engineering tactics (e.g., phishing emails, pretexting) to trick application administrators or content creators into uploading or linking to malicious asciicast files. This relies on human error rather than technical vulnerabilities in the player or application itself.
• Likelihood: Medium (Social engineering attacks are often successful due to human factors)
• Impact: High (Serving malicious content, potential for application compromise depending on the nature of the malicious asciicast)
• Effort: Low-Medium (Social engineering effort, crafting convincing phishing emails or scenarios)
• Skill Level: Low-Medium (Social engineering skills, basic understanding of how the application uses asciicast files)
• Detection Difficulty: High (Human error is difficult to prevent and detect technically. Relies on user vigilance and security awareness.)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Security Awareness Training: Educate administrators and content creators about social engineering tactics and the risks of uploading untrusted files.
  • Content Review Process: Implement a review process for uploaded asciicast files, especially from untrusted sources.
  • Principle of Least Privilege: Limit the number of users who have the ability to upload or modify asciicast files.