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BUSINESS POSTURE

This project, OctoberCMS, is a free, open-source, self-hosted content management system (CMS) based on the Laravel PHP Framework. Its primary business goal is to provide a user-friendly and flexible platform for building and managing websites and web applications. It targets web developers, designers, and content creators who need a robust and customizable CMS solution.

Business Priorities and Goals:

  • Provide a stable and reliable CMS platform.
  • Offer a user-friendly interface for content management.
  • Enable customization and extensibility through themes and plugins.
  • Foster a strong community and ecosystem around the CMS.
  • Maintain the open-source nature of the project.

Business Risks:

  • Security vulnerabilities in the core CMS or plugins could damage user trust and reputation.
  • Lack of community support or developer contributions could hinder project growth and maintenance.
  • Competition from other CMS platforms could reduce market share.
  • Changes in underlying technologies (PHP, Laravel) could require significant updates and refactoring.
  • Hosting and infrastructure costs for the project's website and services.

SECURITY POSTURE

Existing Security Controls:

  • security control: Regular security updates and patches for the core CMS (described in release notes and security advisories on the OctoberCMS website and GitHub).
  • security control: Input validation and sanitization to prevent common web vulnerabilities (likely implemented throughout the codebase, but specific details would require code review).
  • security control: Protection against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks (likely implemented through templating engine and output encoding, but specific details would require code review).
  • security control: Protection against SQL Injection attacks (likely mitigated by Laravel's Eloquent ORM and parameterized queries, but specific details would require code review).
  • security control: Authentication and authorization mechanisms for backend access (implemented within the OctoberCMS core, details in documentation and codebase).
  • security control: Password hashing for user accounts (likely using bcrypt or similar strong hashing algorithms, details in codebase).

Accepted Risks:

  • accepted risk: Reliance on community-developed plugins and themes introduces potential security risks if these extensions are not properly vetted.
  • accepted risk: Self-hosted nature means users are responsible for securing their own hosting environment and keeping the CMS updated.
  • accepted risk: Open-source nature means vulnerabilities can be publicly disclosed before patches are available.

Recommended Security Controls:

  • security control: Implement automated security scanning (SAST/DAST) in the development and release pipeline.
  • security control: Establish a formal security vulnerability reporting and response process.
  • security control: Conduct regular penetration testing or security audits by external security experts.
  • security control: Provide security guidelines and best practices for plugin and theme developers.
  • security control: Implement a plugin/theme review process to identify and mitigate security risks in extensions.
  • security control: Encourage or enforce the use of Content Security Policy (CSP) to mitigate XSS risks.
  • security control: Implement rate limiting and brute-force protection for login attempts.
  • security control: Regularly update dependencies, including Laravel and PHP, to address known vulnerabilities.

Security Requirements:

  • Authentication:
    • requirement: Secure authentication mechanism for backend users (administrators, editors).
    • requirement: Support for strong passwords and password complexity requirements.
    • requirement: Option for multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance login security.
    • requirement: Secure session management to prevent session hijacking.
  • Authorization:
    • requirement: Role-based access control (RBAC) to manage user permissions and access to different CMS features.
    • requirement: Granular permissions to control access to specific content and functionalities.
    • requirement: Principle of least privilege should be applied to user roles and permissions.
  • Input Validation:
    • requirement: Comprehensive input validation for all user-supplied data to prevent injection attacks (SQL injection, XSS, etc.).
    • requirement: Server-side validation should be enforced.
    • requirement: Use of parameterized queries or ORM to prevent SQL injection.
    • requirement: Output encoding to prevent XSS attacks.
  • Cryptography:
    • requirement: Secure storage of sensitive data, such as passwords, using strong encryption or hashing algorithms.
    • requirement: Use of HTTPS for all communication to protect data in transit.
    • requirement: Consider encryption for sensitive data at rest in the database.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

flowchart LR
    subgraph "OctoberCMS Ecosystem"
        A["OctoberCMS Platform"]
    end
    U1["Content Creators"] --> A
    U2["Website Visitors"] --> A
    U3["Developers"] --> A
    B["Web Server"] --> A
    C["Database Server"] --> A
    D["Plugin/Theme Marketplace"] --> A
    E["Email Server"] --> A
    F["CDN"] --> A

    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Context Diagram Elements:

  • Element:

    • Name: OctoberCMS Platform
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: The core OctoberCMS application, providing content management, website building, and customization features.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Managing website content (pages, posts, media).
      • Providing a user interface for content creation and administration.
      • Handling user authentication and authorization.
      • Processing website requests and generating web pages.
      • Interacting with the database to store and retrieve data.
      • Integrating with plugins and themes for extensibility.
    • Security controls:
      • Input validation and sanitization.
      • Output encoding.
      • Authentication and authorization mechanisms.
      • Password hashing.
      • Security updates and patches.

  • Element:

    • Name: Content Creators
    • Type: User
    • Description: Users who create, edit, and manage content within the OctoberCMS backend.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Creating and publishing website content.
      • Managing website structure and navigation.
      • Configuring CMS settings.
    • Security controls:
      • Strong password management.
      • Role-based access control limiting their administrative privileges.

  • Element:

    • Name: Website Visitors
    • Type: User
    • Description: Public users who access the website's frontend to view content.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Browsing website content.
      • Interacting with website features (forms, comments, etc.).
    • Security controls:
      • Limited interaction with the system, primarily read-only access to public content.

  • Element:

    • Name: Developers
    • Type: User
    • Description: Users who develop, customize, and maintain OctoberCMS websites, themes, and plugins.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Developing custom themes and plugins.
      • Customizing the core CMS functionality.
      • Deploying and maintaining OctoberCMS installations.
    • Security controls:
      • Secure coding practices.
      • Access control to development environments and production systems.

  • Element:

    • Name: Web Server
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Web server (e.g., Apache, Nginx) that hosts the OctoberCMS application and serves web pages to visitors.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Handling HTTP requests and responses.
      • Serving static files (images, CSS, JavaScript).
      • Forwarding requests to the PHP interpreter.
      • SSL/TLS termination for HTTPS.
    • Security controls:
      • Web server hardening (configuration best practices).
      • Access control to server resources.
      • DDoS protection.
      • Regular security updates.

  • Element:

    • Name: Database Server
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Database server (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) that stores OctoberCMS data, including content, user information, and settings.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing and retrieving data for the CMS.
      • Ensuring data integrity and availability.
      • Managing database users and permissions.
    • Security controls:
      • Database server hardening (configuration best practices).
      • Access control to the database.
      • Regular security updates.
      • Database backups and recovery.
      • Encryption at rest (optional, depending on sensitivity).

  • Element:

    • Name: Plugin/Theme Marketplace
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Online marketplace where users can download and install plugins and themes for OctoberCMS.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Hosting and distributing plugins and themes.
      • Providing a platform for developers to share their extensions.
      • Potentially reviewing and vetting plugins/themes (depending on marketplace policies).
    • Security controls:
      • Security scanning of uploaded plugins/themes (if implemented).
      • User reviews and ratings to provide community feedback.
      • Secure platform for transactions and downloads.

  • Element:

    • Name: Email Server
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Email server used by OctoberCMS to send emails, such as password reset emails, notifications, and form submissions.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Sending emails from the CMS application.
      • Receiving emails (potentially for contact forms, etc.).
    • Security controls:
      • Secure email server configuration.
      • SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to prevent email spoofing.
      • TLS encryption for email transmission.

  • Element:

    • Name: CDN
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Content Delivery Network (CDN) to cache and serve static assets (images, CSS, JavaScript) closer to website visitors, improving performance.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Caching and delivering static content.
      • Reducing load on the web server.
      • Improving website loading speed.
      • DDoS protection (often provided by CDN).
    • Security controls:
      • CDN security features (e.g., DDoS protection, WAF).
      • Secure CDN configuration.
      • HTTPS delivery of content.

C4 CONTAINER

flowchart LR
    subgraph "OctoberCMS Platform"
        A["Web Application" <br> (PHP, Laravel)]
        B["Database" <br> (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite)]
        C["Plugins & Themes"]
    end
    U1["Content Creators"] --> A
    U2["Website Visitors"] --> A
    U3["Developers"] --> C
    A --> B
    A --> C
    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Container Diagram Elements:

  • Element:

    • Name: Web Application
    • Type: Container
    • Description: The core PHP application built on the Laravel framework, responsible for handling web requests, business logic, and user interface.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Handling HTTP requests and responses.
      • Routing requests to appropriate controllers.
      • Implementing business logic for content management, user authentication, etc.
      • Rendering web pages using templates.
      • Interacting with the Database container.
      • Loading and executing Plugins and Themes.
    • Security controls:
      • Input validation and sanitization within the application code.
      • Output encoding in templates.
      • Authentication and authorization logic.
      • Session management.
      • Vulnerability scanning of application dependencies.

  • Element:

    • Name: Database
    • Type: Container
    • Description: Relational database system used to store persistent data for OctoberCMS.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing website content (pages, posts, media).
      • Storing user accounts and permissions.
      • Storing CMS configuration settings.
      • Providing data persistence and retrieval for the Web Application.
    • Security controls:
      • Database access control (user permissions).
      • Database server hardening.
      • Regular database backups.
      • Encryption at rest (optional).

  • Element:

    • Name: Plugins & Themes
    • Type: Container
    • Description: Collection of plugins and themes that extend the functionality and appearance of OctoberCMS. These are typically files stored on the file system.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Providing additional features and functionalities to OctoberCMS.
      • Customizing the visual appearance of websites.
      • Extending the CMS backend and frontend.
    • Security controls:
      • Plugin/theme code review (ideally, but often community-driven).
      • File system permissions to restrict access to plugin/theme files.
      • Security guidelines for plugin/theme developers.

DEPLOYMENT

Deployment Architecture Option: Cloud VM (e.g., AWS EC2, Google Compute Engine, Azure VM)

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Cloud Environment"
        subgraph "Virtual Machine"
            A["Web Server" <br> (Nginx/Apache)]
            B["PHP-FPM"]
            C["OctoberCMS Application Files"]
        end
        D["Database Server" <br> (RDS, Cloud SQL, Azure DB)]
        E["File Storage" <br> (S3, Cloud Storage, Azure Blob)]
    end
    F["Internet"] --> A
    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D
    C --> E

    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Deployment Diagram Elements (Cloud VM):

  • Element:

    • Name: Web Server (Nginx/Apache)
    • Type: Software
    • Description: Web server software running on the virtual machine, responsible for handling HTTP requests.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Receiving HTTP requests from the Internet.
      • Serving static files.
      • Proxying PHP requests to PHP-FPM.
      • SSL/TLS termination.
    • Security controls:
      • Web server hardening.
      • Regular security updates.
      • Firewall rules to restrict access.

  • Element:

    • Name: PHP-FPM
    • Type: Software
    • Description: FastCGI Process Manager, a PHP processor that executes the OctoberCMS application code.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Executing PHP code.
      • Interacting with the OctoberCMS application files.
      • Communicating with the Database Server.
    • Security controls:
      • PHP-FPM configuration hardening.
      • Restricting access to PHP-FPM processes.
      • Regular security updates.

  • Element:

    • Name: OctoberCMS Application Files
    • Type: Filesystem
    • Description: Files containing the OctoberCMS application code, plugins, and themes, stored on the virtual machine's file system.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing the application codebase.
      • Providing access to application files for PHP-FPM.
    • Security controls:
      • File system permissions to restrict access.
      • Regular backups of application files.

  • Element:

    • Name: Database Server (RDS, Cloud SQL, Azure DB)
    • Type: Managed Service
    • Description: Managed database service provided by the cloud provider, hosting the OctoberCMS database.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Providing a managed database instance.
      • Handling database backups and maintenance.
      • Ensuring database availability and scalability.
    • Security controls:
      • Cloud provider's security controls for managed databases.
      • Database access control (user permissions).
      • Encryption at rest and in transit (provided by the managed service).

  • Element:

    • Name: File Storage (S3, Cloud Storage, Azure Blob)
    • Type: Managed Service
    • Description: Cloud-based object storage service used to store media files and potentially other static assets for OctoberCMS.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing media files (images, videos, etc.).
      • Providing scalable and durable storage.
      • Serving media files to website visitors (potentially via CDN).
    • Security controls:
      • Cloud provider's security controls for object storage.
      • Access control policies for storage buckets.
      • Encryption at rest and in transit (provided by the managed service).

BUILD

flowchart LR
    A["Developer"] --> B["Code Repository" <br> (GitHub)]
    B --> C["CI/CD Pipeline" <br> (GitHub Actions, Jenkins)]
    C --> D["Build Artifacts" <br> (ZIP, Composer Packages)]
    D --> E["Release Repository" <br> (GitHub Releases, Packagist)]

    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Build Process Diagram Elements:

  • Element:

    • Name: Developer
    • Type: User
    • Description: Software developers who contribute code to the OctoberCMS project.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Writing and testing code.
      • Committing code changes to the code repository.
      • Participating in code reviews.
    • Security controls:
      • Secure development practices.
      • Code review process.
      • Access control to the code repository.
      • Developer training on secure coding.

  • Element:

    • Name: Code Repository (GitHub)
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Version control system (GitHub) used to store and manage the OctoberCMS source code.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing code history and changes.
      • Facilitating collaboration among developers.
      • Triggering CI/CD pipelines on code changes.
    • Security controls:
      • Access control to the repository (permissions).
      • Branch protection rules.
      • Audit logs of code changes.

  • Element:

    • Name: CI/CD Pipeline (GitHub Actions, Jenkins)
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Automated CI/CD pipeline that builds, tests, and packages the OctoberCMS application.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Automating the build process.
      • Running automated tests (unit, integration, security).
      • Performing static analysis and security scans (SAST).
      • Packaging build artifacts (ZIP files, Composer packages).
    • Security controls:
      • Secure CI/CD pipeline configuration.
      • Dependency scanning and vulnerability checks.
      • SAST and DAST security scans.
      • Code signing of build artifacts (optional).
      • Access control to the CI/CD system.

  • Element:

    • Name: Build Artifacts (ZIP, Composer Packages)
    • Type: Files
    • Description: Packaged versions of OctoberCMS, ready for distribution and deployment.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Providing installable packages of OctoberCMS.
      • Including all necessary files for deployment.
    • Security controls:
      • Integrity checks (checksums, signatures) for build artifacts.
      • Secure storage of build artifacts.

  • Element:

    • Name: Release Repository (GitHub Releases, Packagist)
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Platforms used to distribute and make OctoberCMS releases available to users.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Hosting and distributing OctoberCMS releases.
      • Providing version management and package management.
      • Making releases publicly accessible.
    • Security controls:
      • Secure release process.
      • Integrity checks for downloaded releases.
      • Access control to release management systems.

RISK ASSESSMENT

Critical Business Processes:

  • Website content management: Ensuring content creators can reliably manage website content without data loss or corruption.
  • Website availability: Maintaining website uptime and accessibility for visitors.
  • User account management: Securely managing user accounts and permissions for backend access.
  • Plugin/theme installation and updates: Providing a safe and reliable way to extend CMS functionality.

Data Sensitivity:

  • User credentials (passwords): Highly sensitive, require strong encryption and secure storage.
  • Website content: Sensitivity varies depending on the website's purpose, could include personal data, confidential information, or public content.
  • CMS configuration settings: Potentially sensitive, may include database credentials or API keys.
  • Website visitor data (if collected): Sensitivity depends on the type of data collected (e.g., personal information, analytics data).

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

Questions:

  • What is the process for security vulnerability reporting and response for OctoberCMS?
  • Are there any formal security audits or penetration testing conducted on OctoberCMS?
  • What security review process is in place for plugins and themes in the marketplace?
  • Are there specific security guidelines provided to plugin and theme developers?
  • What is the typical update frequency for security patches and core CMS updates?
  • Is multi-factor authentication (MFA) supported for backend users?
  • Is there a Content Security Policy (CSP) implemented by default or recommended for OctoberCMS websites?

Assumptions:

  • BUSINESS POSTURE: Assumed that the primary business goal is to provide a secure and reliable open-source CMS platform.
  • SECURITY POSTURE: Assumed that basic security controls like input validation, output encoding, and password hashing are implemented in the core CMS. Assumed that security updates are released regularly.
  • DESIGN: Assumed a typical web application architecture with a web server, application code, and database. Assumed a cloud VM deployment scenario for detailed description. Assumed a standard CI/CD pipeline for build and release process.