threat-modeling.md

Threat Model Analysis for uvdesk/community-skeleton

Threat: Outdated Dependency Vulnerability

• Description: An attacker exploits known vulnerabilities present in outdated third-party libraries used by the community-skeleton. This can be achieved by sending crafted requests that target the vulnerable library components, potentially leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE), Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), or SQL Injection.
• Impact: System compromise, full data breach, denial of service, complete website defacement.
• Affected Component: Composer dependencies, npm/yarn dependencies (if applicable), underlying PHP libraries, JavaScript libraries.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Regularly update dependencies using composer update and npm update/yarn upgrade.
  • Implement automated dependency scanning using tools like composer audit and npm audit/yarn audit in CI/CD pipelines.
  • Actively monitor security advisories for Symfony, PHP, and all other dependencies used by the skeleton.
  • Utilize dependency management tools that provide vulnerability alerting and automated update suggestions.

Threat: Insecure Default Configuration

• Description: An attacker capitalizes on insecure default settings that are shipped with the community-skeleton and are not properly hardened during deployment. Leaving debug mode enabled in production, for example, can expose sensitive information and attack vectors.
• Impact: Information disclosure of sensitive configuration details, unauthorized access to administrative functionalities, potential system compromise through exposed debug endpoints.
• Affected Component: Application configuration files (e.g., .env, config/packages/*), default server configurations provided in documentation, default database setup instructions (if any).
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Thoroughly review and harden all default configurations before deploying to a production environment.
  • Ensure debug mode is disabled in production by setting APP_DEBUG=0 in the .env file.
  • Utilize environment variables or secure vault solutions for managing sensitive configuration parameters instead of relying on defaults.
  • Implement regular security audits of configuration settings to identify and rectify any misconfigurations.

Threat: Skeleton Core Code Vulnerability (XSS)

• Description: An attacker exploits Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities present within the community-skeleton's core codebase. This could involve injecting malicious JavaScript code into input fields or URLs that are not properly sanitized by the skeleton, leading to execution of attacker-controlled scripts in users' browsers.
• Impact: Account takeover of legitimate users, theft of sensitive data including session cookies and personal information, website defacement impacting all users, potential malware distribution through the compromised application.
• Affected Component: Default templates provided by the skeleton, core form handling components, URL routing mechanisms, any part of the skeleton responsible for rendering user-supplied data without proper output escaping.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Keep the uvdesk/community-skeleton updated to the latest version to benefit from community security patches and updates.
  • Conduct security code reviews of the skeleton's codebase, especially focusing on areas handling user input and output rendering.
  • Enforce strict output escaping for all user-generated content rendered by the application, leveraging template engine features like Twig's automatic escaping.
  • Implement and enforce a Content Security Policy (CSP) to restrict the sources from which the browser is permitted to load resources, mitigating the impact of XSS attacks.

Threat: Skeleton Core Code Vulnerability (SQL Injection)

• Description: An attacker exploits SQL Injection vulnerabilities within the community-skeleton's core codebase. This involves injecting malicious SQL code into input fields that are directly used in database queries constructed by the skeleton. Insufficient input sanitization can allow this injected SQL code to be executed by the database server.
• Impact: Critical data breach exposing the entire database content, data manipulation including unauthorized modification or deletion of records, potential database server compromise allowing for arbitrary command execution on the database system.
• Affected Component: Database interaction components within the skeleton, any part of the skeleton that dynamically constructs and executes database queries based on user-provided input.
• Risk Severity: Critical
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Ensure that the community-skeleton and its developers are strictly utilizing Object-Relational Mappers (ORMs) like Doctrine (used by Symfony) and parameterized queries for all database interactions to prevent SQL injection.
  • Thoroughly audit the skeleton's codebase for any instances of raw SQL query construction from user input and remediate them immediately.
  • Implement robust input validation and sanitization on all user-provided data before it is used in any database queries, even when using ORMs, as a defense-in-depth measure.
  • Regularly review and enforce database access controls and permissions to limit the potential damage from a successful SQL injection attack.

Threat: Abandoned Skeleton - Lack of Security Updates

• Description: The uvdesk/community-skeleton project becomes inactive and is no longer maintained by the community or original developers. Consequently, the skeleton ceases to receive security updates, leaving newly discovered vulnerabilities unpatched and applications built upon it increasingly vulnerable over time.
• Impact: Increasing risk of exploitation of known vulnerabilities as they are discovered and publicly disclosed without patches being available, long-term system compromise and data breach risk due to unaddressed security flaws.
• Affected Component: The entire uvdesk/community-skeleton codebase and all its dependencies become vulnerable over time due to lack of maintenance.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Prioritize choosing actively maintained frameworks and skeletons for application development.
  • Continuously monitor the uvdesk/community-skeleton project's activity, commit history, and community engagement to assess its maintenance status.
  • If signs of abandonment are detected, consider migrating to a more actively maintained alternative framework or helpdesk solution.
  • Implement compensating security controls such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) and Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) to provide a layer of protection against potential exploits targeting unpatched vulnerabilities in an abandoned skeleton.

Threat: Vulnerable Default Plugins/Extensions

• Description: Default or officially recommended plugins or extensions for the community-skeleton contain security vulnerabilities. Attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities in the plugins to compromise the application, similar to exploiting vulnerabilities in the core skeleton or its dependencies.
• Impact: Varies depending on the specific plugin vulnerability, ranging from information disclosure and data manipulation to system compromise and remote code execution.
• Affected Component: Default plugins, officially recommended extensions, any optional components that are promoted or bundled with the community-skeleton.
• Risk Severity: High
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Exercise caution and thoroughly evaluate the security posture of default and recommended plugins/extensions before enabling or using them in production.
  • Maintain a strict policy of keeping all plugins and extensions updated to their latest versions to benefit from security patches.
  • Preferentially use plugins and extensions from trusted sources with a proven track record of security and active maintenance.
  • Incorporate security testing, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, for all enabled plugins and extensions as part of the application's overall security assessment process.
  • Minimize the number of plugins and extensions used to reduce the overall attack surface and complexity of managing dependencies.