attack-tree.md

Attack Tree Analysis for koajs/koa

Objective: Compromise Koa.js Application

Attack Tree Visualization

Compromise Koa.js Application [CRITICAL NODE] ├───[AND] Exploit Koa-Specific Vulnerabilities [CRITICAL NODE] │ ├───[OR] Middleware Chain Manipulation │ │ ├───[AND] Middleware Bypass [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Goal] Bypass Authentication/Authorization Middleware [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Action] Craft request to skip authentication middleware execution due to misconfiguration or vulnerability in middleware logic. [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ ├───[AND] Middleware Denial of Service (DoS) [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Goal] Exhaust resources by overloading specific middleware [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Action] Send crafted requests that trigger computationally expensive operations within a specific middleware (e.g., complex body parsing, rate limiting bypass). [HIGH RISK PATH] │ ├───[OR] Context (ctx) Object Exploitation [CRITICAL NODE] │ │ ├───[AND] Information Disclosure via ctx [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ ├───[Goal] Leak sensitive data from ctx object [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ │ ├───[Action] Trigger error conditions that expose ctx properties in error responses (e.g., stack traces, internal paths). [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ │ └───[Action] Exploit logging mechanisms that inadvertently log sensitive ctx data. │ │ ├───[AND] ctx.throw/Error Handling Exploitation [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ ├───[Goal] Trigger unhandled exceptions to cause DoS [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ │ └───[Action] Send requests designed to cause errors in middleware or application logic that are not properly caught and handled, leading to application crash. [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Goal] Information Disclosure via Error Messages [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Action] Trigger specific error conditions that reveal detailed error messages, potentially exposing code paths, dependencies, or internal configurations. [HIGH RISK PATH] │ ├───[OR] Asynchronous Nature Exploitation │ │ ├───[AND] Unhandled Promise Rejections [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Goal] Cause application instability or DoS due to unhandled promise rejections [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ │ └───[Action] Trigger asynchronous operations that result in unhandled promise rejections, leading to application crashes or unexpected behavior if not properly handled by Koa's error handling. [HIGH RISK PATH] │ └───[OR] Dependency Vulnerabilities (Koa Core & Essential Middleware) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ ├───[AND] Vulnerable Koa Core Dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ └───[Goal] Exploit vulnerabilities in Koa's direct dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ │ └───[Action] Identify and exploit known vulnerabilities in libraries Koa directly depends on (e.g., koa-compose, http-errors). (Requires monitoring Koa's dependencies for CVEs) [HIGH RISK PATH] │ └───[AND] Vulnerable Essential Middleware Dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ └───[Goal] Exploit vulnerabilities in commonly used Koa middleware dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] │ └───[Action] Identify and exploit known vulnerabilities in popular middleware libraries used with Koa (e.g., koa-bodyparser, koa-router, koa-static). (Requires careful selection and security audits of middleware) [HIGH RISK PATH] └───[AND] General Web Application Vulnerabilities (Amplified by Koa Usage) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] └───[Note] While not strictly Koa-specific, Koa's flexibility and middleware-centric approach can sometimes amplify the impact of general web vulnerabilities if not handled carefully in middleware and application logic. Examples include: [HIGH RISK PATH] ├───[Example] Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] ├───[Example] SQL Injection [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH] └───[Example] Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

Attack Tree Path: 1. Compromise Koa.js Application [CRITICAL NODE]

• Description: The ultimate goal of the attacker. Success means gaining unauthorized access, control, or disruption of the Koa.js application.
  • Impact: Critical - Full compromise of the application and potentially underlying systems and data.
  • Mitigation: Implement comprehensive security measures across all layers of the application, as detailed in the subsequent points.

Attack Tree Path: 2. Exploit Koa-Specific Vulnerabilities [CRITICAL NODE]

• Description: Targeting vulnerabilities that are inherent to or amplified by the Koa.js framework itself.
  • Impact: Critical - Can lead to various forms of compromise, from DoS to data breaches and control takeover.
  • Mitigation: Focus on secure middleware practices, robust error handling, dependency management, and understanding Koa's asynchronous nature.

Attack Tree Path: 3. Middleware Chain Manipulation

• Description: Exploiting weaknesses in the middleware pipeline to alter its intended execution flow.

  • Impact: Significant - Can bypass security controls, lead to DoS, or enable further exploitation.

  • Mitigation: Carefully design and order middleware, implement route-specific middleware, and thoroughly test middleware chain execution.

  • 3.1. Middleware Bypass [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Goal: Bypass Authentication/Authorization Middleware [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Crafting requests to circumvent authentication or authorization middleware due to misconfigurations or vulnerabilities in routing or middleware logic.
      • Impact: Critical - Complete bypass of access controls, allowing unauthorized access to protected resources and functionalities.
      • Mitigation:
        • Explicitly define middleware order and ensure security middleware is always executed for protected routes.
        • Use route-specific middleware application for granular control.
        • Thoroughly test request paths and parameters to verify middleware chain execution.

  • 3.2. Middleware Denial of Service (DoS) [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Goal: Exhaust resources by overloading specific middleware [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Sending crafted requests that trigger computationally expensive operations within specific middleware (e.g., body parsing, rate limiting bypass).
      • Impact: Moderate to Significant - Application downtime and service disruption.
      • Mitigation:
        • Benchmark middleware performance under load and identify bottlenecks.
        • Implement resource limits (request body size limits, rate limiting) in middleware.
        • Choose performant and well-optimized middleware.

Attack Tree Path: 4. Context (ctx) Object Exploitation [CRITICAL NODE]

• Description: Exploiting vulnerabilities related to the ctx object, which is central to Koa and carries request and application state.

  • Impact: Moderate to Critical - Information disclosure, logic bypass, and potentially further exploitation.

  • Mitigation: Securely manage and handle data within the ctx object, especially data derived from user input or external sources.

  • 4.1. Information Disclosure via ctx [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Goal: Leak sensitive data from ctx object [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Triggering error conditions that expose ctx properties in error responses (stack traces, internal paths) or exploiting logging mechanisms that inadvertently log sensitive ctx data.
      • Impact: Moderate - Leakage of sensitive information, potentially aiding further attacks.
      • Mitigation:
        • Implement robust production error handling to prevent detailed error messages.
        • Secure logging practices, sanitizing and filtering sensitive data before logging ctx information.

  • 4.2. ctx.throw/Error Handling Exploitation [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Goal: Trigger unhandled exceptions to cause DoS [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Sending requests designed to cause errors in middleware or application logic that are not properly caught and handled, leading to application crashes.
      • Impact: Moderate to Significant - Application downtime and service disruption.
      • Mitigation:
        • Implement comprehensive error handling middleware to catch unhandled exceptions.
    • Goal: Information Disclosure via Error Messages [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Triggering specific error conditions that reveal detailed error messages, potentially exposing code paths, dependencies, or internal configurations.
      • Impact: Moderate - Leakage of sensitive information, potentially aiding further attacks.
      • Mitigation:
        • Implement custom error pages in production that do not reveal sensitive information.

Attack Tree Path: 5. Asynchronous Nature Exploitation

• Description: Exploiting vulnerabilities arising from Koa's asynchronous nature and JavaScript's asynchronous programming model.

  • Impact: Moderate to Significant - Application instability, DoS, data corruption.

  • Mitigation: Careful handling of promises and asynchronous operations, especially in middleware.

  • 5.1. Unhandled Promise Rejections [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Goal: Cause application instability or DoS due to unhandled promise rejections [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Triggering asynchronous operations that result in unhandled promise rejections, leading to application crashes or unexpected behavior.
      • Impact: Moderate to Significant - Application downtime, unpredictable behavior, and potential instability.
      • Mitigation:
        • Ensure all promises are properly handled with .catch() blocks or try/catch in async/await.
        • Implement a global unhandled rejection handler for logging and graceful handling.

Attack Tree Path: 6. Dependency Vulnerabilities (Koa Core & Essential Middleware) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

• Description: Exploiting known vulnerabilities in Koa's core dependencies or commonly used middleware dependencies.

  • Impact: Critical - Can lead to Remote Code Execution (RCE), DoS, data breaches, and other severe compromises, depending on the specific vulnerability.

  • Mitigation:

    • Regularly monitor Koa core and middleware dependencies for known vulnerabilities (CVEs).
    • Keep dependencies updated to the latest secure versions.
    • Choose well-maintained and reputable middleware libraries.
    • Perform security audits of dependencies.

  • 6.1. Vulnerable Koa Core Dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Goal: Exploit vulnerabilities in Koa's direct dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Exploiting known vulnerabilities in libraries Koa directly depends on (e.g., koa-compose, http-errors).
      • Impact: Critical - Depending on the vulnerability, could be RCE, DoS, or other severe impacts.
      • Mitigation: Vigilant dependency monitoring and updates for Koa core dependencies.

  • 6.2. Vulnerable Essential Middleware Dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Goal: Exploit vulnerabilities in commonly used Koa middleware dependencies [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]
      • Attack Vector: Exploiting known vulnerabilities in popular middleware libraries used with Koa (e.g., koa-bodyparser, koa-router, koa-static).
      • Impact: Critical - Depending on the vulnerability, could be RCE, XSS, SQLi, or other severe impacts.
      • Mitigation: Secure middleware selection, regular security audits, and dependency updates for middleware.

Attack Tree Path: 7. General Web Application Vulnerabilities (Amplified by Koa Usage) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

• Description: Common web application vulnerabilities that can be present in any web application, including those built with Koa. Koa's flexibility might sometimes amplify these if not handled carefully in middleware and application logic.

  • Impact: Moderate to Critical - Ranging from information disclosure and account compromise to full database compromise, depending on the specific vulnerability.

  • Mitigation: Implement standard web application security best practices, including input validation, output encoding, secure authentication and authorization, and regular security testing.

  • 7.1. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Attack Vector: Injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, often due to insufficient output encoding of user-controlled data.
    • Impact: Moderate to Significant - Account compromise, data theft, website defacement.
    • Mitigation: Properly encode output data, especially user-generated content, before rendering it in web pages. Use templating engines with automatic escaping and consider Content Security Policy (CSP).

  • 7.2. SQL Injection [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Attack Vector: Injecting malicious SQL code into database queries, often due to improper sanitization of user inputs used in database queries.
    • Impact: Critical - Data breach, data manipulation, complete database compromise.
    • Mitigation: Use parameterized queries or ORMs to prevent SQL injection. Sanitize user inputs before using them in database queries. Apply principle of least privilege to database access.

  • 7.3. Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH RISK PATH]

    • Attack Vector: Accessing resources directly using predictable or easily guessable identifiers without proper authorization checks.
    • Impact: Moderate to Significant - Unauthorized access to resources, data leakage, privilege escalation.
    • Mitigation: Implement robust authorization checks to ensure users can only access resources they are permitted to access. Use unpredictable or opaque identifiers and avoid exposing internal object IDs directly.