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BUSINESS POSTURE

This project aims to utilize the Workerman framework to build high-performance, real-time applications. The primary business priorities are achieving low latency, high concurrency, and efficient resource utilization for network-based services. The goal is to create applications that can handle a large number of concurrent connections and provide instant data delivery, potentially for use cases like real-time chat, game servers, or push notification systems.

The most important business risks associated with this project are:

  • Security vulnerabilities in the Workerman framework or in the application code built upon it, which could lead to data breaches or service disruption.
  • Performance bottlenecks or instability under high load, which could negatively impact user experience and service availability.
  • Operational complexity in managing and maintaining a real-time application infrastructure, potentially leading to increased costs and downtime.

SECURITY POSTURE

Existing security controls:

  • security control: Code reviews are likely performed as part of the software development lifecycle, although the extent and rigor are unknown. (Location: Development process)
  • security control: Version control system (Git/GitHub) is used for code management and history tracking. (Location: GitHub Repository)
  • accepted risk: Usage of open-source framework Workerman introduces potential vulnerabilities inherent in third-party software.
  • accepted risk: PHP runtime environment may have known vulnerabilities if not properly patched and configured.

Recommended security controls:

  • security control: Implement automated Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools in the CI/CD pipeline to identify potential vulnerabilities in the application code.
  • security control: Implement automated Dependency Scanning to identify vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and dependencies used by the application.
  • security control: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to proactively identify and address security weaknesses in the application and infrastructure.
  • security control: Implement Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) or Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against runtime attacks.
  • security control: Implement robust security logging and monitoring to detect and respond to security incidents.

Security requirements:

  • Authentication: Securely authenticate users or systems interacting with the application. Consider appropriate authentication mechanisms based on the application's use case (e.g., API keys, OAuth 2.0, session-based authentication).
  • Authorization: Implement fine-grained authorization controls to ensure that users or systems only have access to the resources and actions they are permitted to access. Follow the principle of least privilege.
  • Input Validation: Thoroughly validate all input data received by the application to prevent injection attacks (e.g., SQL injection, command injection, cross-site scripting). Implement input sanitization and encoding as needed.
  • Cryptography: Use strong cryptography to protect sensitive data in transit and at rest. Implement encryption for communication channels (TLS/SSL) and consider encryption for sensitive data stored in databases or caches.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

graph LR
    subgraph "Organization System"
        box1["Application built with Workerman"]
    end
    box2["End Users"]
    box3["External APIs"]
    box4["Database System"]
    box5["Monitoring System"]
    box6["Load Balancer"]
    box2 -- "Uses" --> box1
    box1 -- "Uses" --> box4
    box1 -- "Uses" --> box3
    box6 --> box1
    box1 -- "Sends Metrics" --> box5
    style box1 fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Context Diagram Elements:

  • Name: Application built with Workerman

    • Type: Software System
    • Description: The real-time application being developed using the Workerman framework. It provides core business functionalities and interacts with users and other systems.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Handle user requests and interactions.
      • Process real-time data.
      • Interact with databases for data persistence.
      • Integrate with external APIs for additional functionalities.
      • Provide metrics for monitoring.
    • Security controls:
      • Input validation and sanitization.
      • Authorization checks for all requests.
      • Secure session management.
      • Security logging and monitoring.

  • Name: End Users

    • Type: Person
    • Description: Users who interact with the application to consume its functionalities. They can be accessing the application through web browsers, mobile apps, or other clients.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Initiate requests to the application.
      • Consume data provided by the application.
    • Security controls:
      • User authentication (handled by the Application).
      • Secure communication channels (HTTPS).

  • Name: External APIs

    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Third-party APIs that the application integrates with to extend its functionality or access external data.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Provide external data or services to the application.
    • Security controls:
      • API key authentication.
      • Rate limiting.
      • Input validation on data received from APIs.

  • Name: Database System

    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Persistent storage for application data. Could be a relational database (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) or a NoSQL database depending on application requirements.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Store and retrieve application data.
      • Ensure data integrity and availability.
    • Security controls:
      • Database access control (authentication and authorization).
      • Data encryption at rest.
      • Regular backups.

  • Name: Monitoring System

    • Type: Software System
    • Description: System used to monitor the application's performance, health, and security. Examples include Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Collect and analyze application logs and metrics.
      • Provide alerts for anomalies and security events.
    • Security controls:
      • Access control to monitoring data.
      • Secure storage of logs and metrics.

  • Name: Load Balancer

    • Type: Software System
    • Description: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple instances of the application to ensure high availability and scalability.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Distribute traffic evenly.
      • Perform health checks on application instances.
      • Terminate SSL/TLS connections.
    • Security controls:
      • DDoS protection.
      • SSL/TLS termination.

C4 CONTAINER

graph LR
    subgraph "Load Balancer"
        box1["Load Balancer"]
    end
    subgraph "Web Server Container"
        box2["Web Server (Nginx/Apache)"]
    end
    subgraph "Workerman Application Server Container"
        box3["Workerman Application Server (PHP)"]
    end
    subgraph "Database Container"
        box4["Database Server"]
    end
    subgraph "Cache Container"
        box5["Cache Server (Redis/Memcached)"]
    end
    box1 --> box2
    box2 --> box3
    box3 --> box4
    box3 --> box5
    box3 --> box6["External APIs"]
    box3 --> box7["Monitoring System"]
    style box3 fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Container Diagram Elements:

  • Name: Load Balancer

    • Type: Infrastructure Container
    • Description: Hardware or software load balancer that distributes incoming HTTP/WebSocket traffic to the Web Server containers.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Traffic distribution.
      • Health checks.
      • SSL/TLS termination.
    • Security controls:
      • DDoS protection.
      • SSL/TLS configuration.
      • Access control lists.

  • Name: Web Server (Nginx/Apache)

    • Type: Web Server Container
    • Description: Web server acting as a reverse proxy, handling static content and forwarding dynamic requests to the Workerman Application Server.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Serve static content.
      • Reverse proxy to Workerman Application Server.
      • Handle SSL/TLS termination (optional, can be done at Load Balancer).
    • Security controls:
      • Web server hardening (disable unnecessary modules, configure security headers).
      • Rate limiting.
      • Input validation (for static content requests).

  • Name: Workerman Application Server (PHP)

    • Type: Application Server Container
    • Description: PHP application server running the Workerman framework and the application code. Handles real-time logic, business logic, and interacts with other containers.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Handle application logic.
      • Manage WebSocket connections.
      • Process real-time events.
      • Interact with Database and Cache servers.
      • Integrate with External APIs.
      • Send metrics to Monitoring System.
    • Security controls:
      • Input validation and sanitization.
      • Authorization checks.
      • Secure coding practices.
      • Security logging.
      • Dependency management.

  • Name: Database Server

    • Type: Database Container
    • Description: Database server (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) used for persistent data storage.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Data persistence.
      • Data retrieval.
    • Security controls:
      • Database access control.
      • Data encryption at rest.
      • Regular backups.
      • Database hardening.

  • Name: Cache Server (Redis/Memcached)

    • Type: Cache Container
    • Description: In-memory cache server (e.g., Redis, Memcached) used to improve application performance by caching frequently accessed data.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Caching frequently accessed data.
      • Reducing database load.
    • Security controls:
      • Cache access control.
      • Secure configuration.

  • Name: External APIs

    • Type: External System
    • Description: Third-party APIs consumed by the Workerman Application Server.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Provide external services and data.
    • Security controls:
      • API key management.
      • Secure communication (HTTPS).

  • Name: Monitoring System

    • Type: External System
    • Description: Monitoring system that collects and analyzes logs and metrics from the Workerman Application Server and other containers.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Application monitoring.
      • Security event detection.
    • Security controls:
      • Secure API for metrics and logs.
      • Access control to monitoring data.

DEPLOYMENT

Deployment Solution: Cloud-based deployment using container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes) on AWS (Amazon Web Services).

graph LR
    subgraph "AWS Cloud"
        subgraph "Region"
            subgraph "Availability Zone 1"
                box1["Load Balancer Instance"]
                box2["Web Server Instance"]
                box3["Workerman App Instance"]
            end
            subgraph "Availability Zone 2"
                box4["Web Server Instance"]
                box5["Workerman App Instance"]
            end
            subgraph "Availability Zone 3"
                box6["Database Instance"]
                box7["Cache Instance"]
                box8["Monitoring Instance"]
            end
        end
    end
    Internet --> box1
    box1 --> box2
    box1 --> box4
    box2 --> box3
    box4 --> box5
    box3 --> box6
    box5 --> box6
    box3 --> box7
    box5 --> box7
    box3 --> box8
    box5 --> box8
    style box3 fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style box5 fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Deployment Diagram Elements:

  • Name: Load Balancer Instance

    • Type: Infrastructure Component (AWS ELB/ALB)
    • Description: AWS Elastic Load Balancer distributing traffic across Web Server instances in multiple Availability Zones.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Traffic distribution.
      • Health checks.
      • SSL/TLS termination.
    • Security controls:
      • AWS WAF integration.
      • DDoS protection (AWS Shield).
      • Security groups.

  • Name: Web Server Instance

    • Type: Compute Instance (AWS EC2)
    • Description: EC2 instances running Web Server containers (Nginx/Apache) in multiple Availability Zones for high availability.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Serve static content.
      • Reverse proxy to Workerman App Instances.
    • Security controls:
      • Security groups.
      • Instance hardening.
      • Regular patching.

  • Name: Workerman App Instance

    • Type: Compute Instance (AWS EC2)
    • Description: EC2 instances running Workerman Application Server containers in multiple Availability Zones for high availability and scalability.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Run Workerman application.
      • Handle business logic and real-time processing.
    • Security controls:
      • Security groups.
      • Instance hardening.
      • Regular patching.
      • Container security scanning.

  • Name: Database Instance

    • Type: Managed Database Service (AWS RDS)
    • Description: AWS RDS instance for persistent data storage, deployed in a separate Availability Zone for fault tolerance.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Data persistence.
      • Data management.
    • Security controls:
      • AWS RDS security features (encryption, backups, access control).
      • Security groups.

  • Name: Cache Instance

    • Type: Managed Cache Service (AWS ElastiCache)
    • Description: AWS ElastiCache instance (Redis/Memcached) for caching, deployed in a separate Availability Zone.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Caching data.
      • Improving performance.
    • Security controls:
      • AWS ElastiCache security features (encryption, access control).
      • Security groups.

  • Name: Monitoring Instance

    • Type: Managed Monitoring Service (AWS CloudWatch, Prometheus on EC2)
    • Description: AWS CloudWatch or a self-hosted Prometheus instance for monitoring application and infrastructure metrics and logs.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Monitoring application health and performance.
      • Security monitoring and alerting.
    • Security controls:
      • AWS CloudWatch security features (access control).
      • Prometheus security configuration (authentication, authorization).
      • Security groups.

BUILD

graph LR
    subgraph "Developer Workstation"
        box1["Developer"]
    end
    subgraph "Version Control (GitHub)"
        box2["Git Repository"]
    end
    subgraph "CI/CD Pipeline (GitHub Actions)"
        box3["Build Stage"]
        box4["Test Stage"]
        box5["Security Scan Stage"]
        box6["Publish Stage"]
    end
    subgraph "Artifact Repository (Container Registry)"
        box7["Container Registry"]
    end
    box1 --> box2["Code Commit"]
    box2 --> box3["Build Trigger"]
    box3 --> box4["Run Unit Tests"]
    box4 --> box5["SAST & Dependency Scan"]
    box5 --> box6["Build Container Image"]
    box6 --> box7["Push Image"]
    style box5 fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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Build Process Description:

  1. Developer commits code changes to the Git Repository (GitHub).
  2. A CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions) is triggered by the code commit.
  3. Build Stage: Dependencies are installed, and the application is built.
  4. Test Stage: Unit tests and integration tests are executed to ensure code quality.
  5. Security Scan Stage: Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dependency Scanning are performed to identify potential vulnerabilities in the code and dependencies.
  6. Publish Stage: If tests and security scans pass, a container image of the application is built.
  7. Artifact Repository: The container image is pushed to a Container Registry (e.g., Docker Hub, AWS ECR).

Build Security Controls:

  • security control: Automated CI/CD pipeline ensures consistent and repeatable builds. (Location: GitHub Actions)
  • security control: Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is integrated into the pipeline to detect code-level vulnerabilities. (Location: Security Scan Stage)
  • security control: Dependency scanning is integrated to identify vulnerabilities in third-party libraries. (Location: Security Scan Stage)
  • security control: Container image scanning is performed to identify vulnerabilities in the base image and application dependencies within the container. (Location: Security Scan Stage - can be added)
  • security control: Secure storage of build artifacts in a private Container Registry with access control. (Location: Artifact Repository)
  • security control: Code signing or image signing can be implemented to ensure the integrity and authenticity of build artifacts. (Location: Publish Stage - can be added)

RISK ASSESSMENT

Critical business processes we are trying to protect:

  • Real-time communication and data delivery to end-users.
  • Availability and performance of the application under high load.
  • Integrity and confidentiality of application data.

Data we are trying to protect and their sensitivity:

  • User data (potentially PII depending on the application, e.g., usernames, chat messages, profile information) - Medium to High sensitivity.
  • Application data (business-specific data processed by the application) - Sensitivity depends on the application.
  • System logs and metrics (potentially containing sensitive information) - Low to Medium sensitivity.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

Questions:

  • What specific type of application is being built using Workerman? (e.g., chat application, game server, API gateway).
  • What are the specific data sensitivity requirements for the application?
  • What is the expected scale and performance requirements for the application?
  • What are the compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) if any?
  • What is the organization's risk appetite and security maturity level?

Assumptions:

  • The application being built is a generic real-time web application.
  • Data sensitivity is medium, including user PII.
  • The application is expected to handle a moderate to high load.
  • Deployment environment is cloud-based (AWS).
  • Standard security best practices are desired.
  • The organization has a moderate risk appetite and is willing to invest in security controls.