attack-surface.md

Attack Surface Analysis for gatsbyjs/gatsby

Attack Surface: Dependency Vulnerabilities (npm Packages)

• Description: Vulnerabilities present in third-party npm packages used by Gatsby core, plugins, or project dependencies.
• Gatsby Contribution: Gatsby's architecture relies heavily on npm packages for core functionality and its plugin ecosystem. This expands the dependency tree and potential vulnerability surface, making it a direct Gatsby-related concern.
• Example: A core Gatsby dependency or a widely used plugin dependency contains a known remote code execution vulnerability. During the build process, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability if the build environment is targeted, or inject malicious code into the build output.
• Impact:
  • Build-time compromise: Malicious code execution on the build server, potentially leading to full system compromise.
  • Supply chain attack: Injection of malicious code into the generated static site, affecting all website users and potentially leading to widespread compromise.
  • Data breaches: Exfiltration of sensitive data from the build environment, including source code, secrets, or customer data processed during build.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Regular Dependency Audits: Implement automated and regular audits using tools like npm audit or yarn audit to identify and immediately address known vulnerabilities.
  • Dependency Scanning in CI/CD: Integrate robust dependency scanning tools into CI/CD pipelines to automatically detect vulnerabilities before builds are deployed. Fail builds on detection of high or critical vulnerabilities.
  • Keep Dependencies Updated (Proactively): Establish a process for proactively updating Gatsby core, plugins, and project dependencies to the latest versions, including patch updates, as soon as they are released. Automate dependency updates where possible, with thorough testing.
  • Use Dependency Management Tools (Strictly): Enforce the use of dependency lock files (npm-shrinkwrap.json or yarn.lock) to guarantee consistent dependency versions across all development and build environments, preventing unexpected dependency drift and vulnerability introduction.

Attack Surface: Plugin Vulnerabilities

• Description: Security flaws within Gatsby plugins, either due to poor coding practices, outdated code, or malicious intent.
• Gatsby Contribution: Gatsby's plugin ecosystem is a core architectural feature, actively encouraging the use of community-developed plugins to extend functionality. This inherently introduces a wide and varied range of code quality and security levels directly into Gatsby projects.
• Example: A popular Gatsby plugin, designed for form handling or data integration, contains a critical vulnerability like SQL injection or remote code execution. Exploiting this during the build process or through the generated client-side code could lead to severe consequences.
• Impact:
  • Build-time compromise: Code execution on the build server, potentially allowing attackers to control the build process and inject malicious content.
  • Injection vulnerabilities in static site: Introduction of critical injection flaws (like XSS, SQL injection if plugin interacts with databases at runtime, or command injection if plugin executes system commands) in the generated website, directly impacting users.
  • Data leaks and breaches: Exposure of sensitive data processed by the plugin during build or at runtime, potentially leading to data breaches and compliance violations.
• Risk Severity: High to Critical (depending on the plugin's functionality, the nature of the vulnerability, and the potential data exposure).
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Rigorous Plugin Vetting (Mandatory): Implement a mandatory and rigorous plugin vetting process before incorporating any plugin into a Gatsby project. This includes checking plugin popularity, author reputation, recent update history, community feedback, and known vulnerability databases.
  • Security-Focused Plugin Selection: Prioritize plugins from reputable authors or organizations with a demonstrated commitment to security and active maintenance. Favor plugins with a strong security track record.
  • Code Review of Plugins (Critical Plugins): For plugins handling sensitive data or core functionalities, conduct thorough code reviews of the plugin's source code to proactively identify potential vulnerabilities before deployment.
  • Minimize Plugin Surface Area: Strictly limit plugin usage to only absolutely necessary functionalities. Avoid using plugins with overlapping features to reduce the overall attack surface.
  • Continuous Plugin Monitoring and Updates: Establish a system for continuously monitoring plugins for newly discovered vulnerabilities and promptly updating plugins to the latest versions to patch security flaws.

Attack Surface: gatsby-node.js and Build Script Vulnerabilities

• Description: Security flaws in custom code within gatsby-node.js or other build scripts that directly customize the Gatsby build process. These are developer-introduced vulnerabilities within the Gatsby-specific build pipeline.
• Gatsby Contribution: gatsby-node.js is a core Gatsby feature providing significant and direct flexibility to customize the build process using Node.js code. This powerful customization capability inherently increases the potential for developers to introduce security vulnerabilities directly into the Gatsby build.
• Example: gatsby-node.js code fetches data from an external API using user-provided input without proper sanitization, leading to a server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability during the build. Or, insecure file handling in gatsby-node.js allows an attacker to manipulate file paths and gain unauthorized file system access on the build server.
• Impact:
  • Build-time compromise (Critical): Unrestricted code execution on the build server, allowing attackers to fully control the build process, inject malicious code, and potentially compromise the entire infrastructure.
  • File system access vulnerabilities (Critical): Unauthorized read/write access to the build server's file system, enabling attackers to steal sensitive data, modify critical files, or plant malware.
  • Secrets exposure (Critical): Accidental exposure of API keys, database credentials, or other sensitive secrets hardcoded or insecurely handled within gatsby-node.js, leading to immediate and widespread compromise of connected systems.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Mandatory Secure Coding Practices (Enforced): Enforce mandatory secure coding principles for all code written in gatsby-node.js and build scripts. This includes input validation, output encoding, proper error handling, and least privilege principles.
  • Strict Input Validation and Sanitization: Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all external inputs used within gatsby-node.js and build scripts to prevent injection vulnerabilities (command injection, path traversal, SSRF, etc.).
  • Principle of Least Privilege (Applied to Build Scripts): Apply the principle of least privilege to build scripts and processes. Grant only the minimum necessary permissions required for the build process to function, limiting the potential impact of a compromise.
  • Centralized and Secure Secrets Management (Mandatory): Implement a centralized and secure secrets management solution (like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or similar) and mandate its use for managing all sensitive credentials. Never hardcode secrets in gatsby-node.js or build scripts. Use environment variables injected securely at build time.
  • Mandatory Code Reviews (Security Focused): Implement mandatory and security-focused code reviews for all changes to gatsby-node.js and build scripts. Reviews should specifically focus on identifying potential security vulnerabilities and ensuring adherence to secure coding practices.

Attack Surface: Build Environment Compromise

• Description: Security breaches targeting the build environment itself (developer machines, CI/CD servers) used to build Gatsby applications. While not a vulnerability in Gatsby code, it's a critical attack vector that directly impacts Gatsby builds and is essential to consider in a Gatsby security analysis.
• Gatsby Contribution: Gatsby builds require a build environment. If this environment is compromised, the integrity of the Gatsby build and the resulting static site is directly and severely impacted. Gatsby's reliance on a build process makes it vulnerable to build environment compromises.
• Example: A CI/CD server used to build a Gatsby site is compromised through a vulnerability in its operating system or CI/CD software. Attackers gain access and modify the Gatsby build process to inject malicious JavaScript into the generated static site, affecting all users.
• Impact:
  • Malicious code injection (Critical): Injection of arbitrary malicious code into the generated static site, leading to widespread user compromise, data theft, and website defacement.
  • Data exfiltration (Critical): Exfiltration of highly sensitive data from the build environment, including source code, API keys, database credentials, and potentially customer data if processed in the build environment.
  • Complete Supply Chain Compromise (Critical): Distribution of a fundamentally compromised static site to end-users, representing a severe supply chain attack with potentially massive impact.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Harden Build Environments (Comprehensive Security): Implement comprehensive security hardening measures for all build environments (developer machines and CI/CD servers). This includes:
    • Regular security patching and updates of operating systems and software.
    • Strong firewall configurations and network segmentation.
    • Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS).
    • Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions.
    • Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.
  • Secure CI/CD Pipelines (End-to-End Security): Implement end-to-end security for CI/CD pipelines, including:
    • Strict access controls and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
    • Secure credential management for CI/CD tools.
    • Code signing and artifact verification to ensure build integrity.
    • Immutable build environments and infrastructure-as-code.
    • Comprehensive audit logging and monitoring of CI/CD activities.
  • Environment Isolation (Strict Separation): Enforce strict isolation of build environments from production environments and other sensitive systems. Minimize network connectivity and data sharing between environments.
  • Regular Security Audits of Build Infrastructure: Conduct regular security audits of the entire build infrastructure (developer machines, CI/CD servers, related systems) to identify and remediate vulnerabilities and misconfigurations proactively.
  • Incident Response Plan (Specific to Build Environment Compromise): Develop and maintain a detailed incident response plan specifically addressing potential build environment compromises. This plan should outline steps for detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident analysis.