threat-modeling.md

Threat Model Analysis for bang590/jspatch

Threat: Malicious Patch Injection (Remote Code Execution)

• Description: An attacker compromises the patch delivery server or intercepts patch downloads (Man-in-the-Middle attack) to inject malicious JavaScript code into a patch. When the application applies this compromised patch via JSPatch, the attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary code within the application's context.
• Impact: Critical. Full application compromise, including the ability to steal sensitive data, install malware, perform unauthorized actions, and completely control the application's functionality on the user's device.
• JSPatch Component Affected: Patch Download Mechanism, Patch Execution Engine.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Enforce HTTPS for all patch delivery to prevent Man-in-the-Middle attacks and ensure patch confidentiality.
  • Implement robust digital signing of patches on the server and rigorous signature verification within the application before patch application.
  • Secure the patch server infrastructure with strong access controls, regular security audits, and intrusion detection systems.
  • Implement network security monitoring to detect anomalies in patch download traffic.

Threat: Security Feature Bypass via Patch Manipulation

• Description: Attackers craft malicious patches specifically designed to bypass security checks or disable security features within the application. By leveraging JSPatch's dynamic patching capabilities, they can alter application code at runtime to circumvent intended security controls.
• Impact: High. Circumvention of security measures, unauthorized access to protected features or data, potential data breaches if bypassed security controls protect sensitive information or functionalities.
• JSPatch Component Affected: Patch Execution Engine, Patched Application Code.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Minimize the amount of critical security logic implemented in code that is patchable by JSPatch. Keep core security functionalities in native code.
  • Implement thorough and rigorous security testing and code review processes for all patches before deployment to identify potential security bypasses.
  • Adhere to the principle of least privilege when designing patches, ensuring they only modify necessary functionalities and avoid granting excessive permissions.
  • Conduct regular security audits of the application and patch deployment process to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

Threat: Data Exfiltration through Malicious Patches

• Description: Attackers inject malicious JavaScript code into patches that is designed to collect sensitive data from the application (e.g., user credentials, personal information, application usage data) and transmit it to an attacker-controlled server. JSPatch is used as a vehicle to introduce data exfiltration capabilities into the application.
• Impact: High. Privacy violation, data breach, potential identity theft, financial fraud, and reputational damage due to the compromise of sensitive user data.
• JSPatch Component Affected: Patch Execution Engine, Patched Application Code, Network Communication within Patches.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Implement strict data access controls within patches, limiting the data accessible by patch code to only what is absolutely necessary for intended functionality.
  • Conduct regular security audits of patch code, specifically focusing on data handling and potential data exfiltration attempts.
  • Maintain transparency with users regarding the use of dynamic patching and its potential privacy implications.
  • Implement network monitoring to detect and alert on unusual outbound network traffic from the application, which could indicate data exfiltration.

Threat: Denial of Service (DoS) via Faulty or Malicious Patches

• Description: A faulty patch containing bugs or performance issues, or a maliciously crafted patch designed to consume excessive device resources (CPU, memory, network) or crash the application, can lead to a Denial of Service for legitimate users. This can be unintentional due to development errors or intentional as a malicious attack vector using JSPatch.
• Impact: High. Application unavailability, significant negative user experience, business disruption, potential financial losses due to service interruption and user dissatisfaction.
• JSPatch Component Affected: Patch Execution Engine, Patched Application Code, Application Runtime Environment.
• Risk Severity: High (Severity is high due to potential for significant business impact and user disruption)
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Implement robust and comprehensive patch testing and quality assurance processes to identify and resolve bugs or performance issues before patch deployment.
  • Establish a reliable patch rollback mechanism to quickly revert to a previous stable application version or patch in case a faulty patch is deployed and causes critical issues.
  • Continuously monitor application stability and performance after patch deployments to promptly detect any degradation or crashes.
  • Implement rate limiting on patch download requests to mitigate potential DoS attacks targeting the patch delivery system itself.