Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
119 lines (105 loc) · 13.1 KB

attack-tree.md

File metadata and controls

119 lines (105 loc) · 13.1 KB

Attack Tree Analysis for postalserver/postal

Objective: To gain unauthorized access to sensitive information (emails, user data, application secrets) and/or disrupt the email services of the application by exploiting vulnerabilities within the Postal mail server.

Attack Tree Visualization

Compromise Application via Postal Vulnerabilities [CRITICAL NODE]
├───[OR]─ Exploit Postal Web Interface Vulnerabilities [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Authentication Bypass [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Exploit Authentication Flaws (e.g., weak password policy, session hijacking, 2FA bypass if implemented poorly) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Authorization Bypass [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Elevate Privileges by exploiting flaws in role-based access control [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Stored XSS in email content, templates, or settings [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Reflected XSS in admin panels or configuration pages [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Modify Postal settings, create admin users, or send emails on behalf of legitimate users [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Access or modify resources (emails, settings) belonging to other users or organizations [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Denial of Service (DoS) via Web Interface [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Application-level DoS by overwhelming web server with requests [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Resource exhaustion by exploiting inefficient web endpoints [HIGH-RISK PATH]
├───[OR]─ Exploit Postal Service Vulnerabilities (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ SMTP Protocol Exploits [CRITICAL NODE]
│   │   ├───[OR]─ SMTP Relay Abuse (if Postal is misconfigured as an open relay) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├───[OR]─ Authentication Weaknesses in SMTP (e.g., weak password policies, insecure authentication mechanisms) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├───[OR]─ Denial of Service (DoS) via SMTP [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   │   ├─── Flooding SMTP service with connection requests or invalid commands [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ IMAP/POP3 Protocol Exploits [CRITICAL NODE]
│   │   ├───[OR]─ Authentication Weaknesses in IMAP/POP3 [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   │   ├─── Brute-force or dictionary attacks against user credentials [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├───[OR]─ Denial of Service (DoS) via IMAP/POP3 [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   │   ├─── Flooding IMAP/POP3 service with connection requests or invalid commands [HIGH-RISK PATH]
├───[OR]─ Exploit Postal Configuration Vulnerabilities [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Misconfiguration by Application Deployer [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Exposing Postal configuration files (e.g., `.env` files) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Incorrectly configured network access controls (allowing public access to admin ports) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Running Postal with insufficient resource limits, leading to DoS [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Lack of Security Updates [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Running outdated version of Postal with known vulnerabilities [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Running outdated dependencies with known vulnerabilities [HIGH-RISK PATH]
├───[OR]─ Exploit Dependencies and Third-Party Libraries [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Vulnerabilities in underlying web framework (e.g., Ruby on Rails if used, or other frameworks) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Vulnerabilities in other libraries used by Postal (e.g., libraries for email parsing, database interaction, queue management) [HIGH-RISK PATH]
├───[OR]─ Exploit Logical Vulnerabilities in Postal Application Logic [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Email Spoofing vulnerabilities within Postal itself [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Data Leakage through error messages or debug information [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   ├───[OR]─ Rate Limiting or Resource Exhaustion vulnerabilities [HIGH-RISK PATH]
│   │   ├─── Abuse features to send excessive emails, consume resources, and cause DoS [HIGH-RISK PATH]

Attack Tree Path: 1. Exploit Postal Web Interface Vulnerabilities [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:

Attack Vector: The web interface of Postal is a primary entry point for attackers. It exposes administrative functionalities and configuration options. Vulnerabilities here can lead to full control over the Postal instance and the application using it.

  • Specific Attack Types:
    • Authentication Bypass [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Exploit Authentication Flaws [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
        • Weak Password Policy: If Postal allows weak passwords, attackers can use brute-force or dictionary attacks to gain access.
        • Session Hijacking: If session management is flawed, attackers can steal or predict session tokens to impersonate legitimate users.
        • 2FA Bypass (if implemented poorly): If two-factor authentication is in place but has implementation flaws, attackers might find ways to bypass it.
    • Authorization Bypass [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Elevate Privileges [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exploiting flaws in role-based access control (RBAC) to gain higher privileges than intended. This could involve manipulating user roles, exploiting missing authorization checks, or finding loopholes in the RBAC logic.
    • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Stored XSS [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Injecting malicious JavaScript code that is stored within Postal (e.g., in email content, templates, settings) and executed when other users view the affected data.
      • Reflected XSS [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Injecting malicious JavaScript code into URLs or form inputs that is immediately reflected back to the user's browser without proper sanitization, leading to script execution.
    • Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Modify Postal settings, create admin users, send emails [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Tricking a logged-in administrator into unknowingly performing actions by submitting malicious requests from a different website or application. This can be used to change configurations, create new admin accounts, or send unauthorized emails.
    • Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Access or modify resources of other users/organizations [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exploiting predictable or guessable resource identifiers (like IDs in URLs) to access or modify resources belonging to other users or organizations without proper authorization checks.
    • Denial of Service (DoS) via Web Interface [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Application-level DoS [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Overwhelming the web server with a large number of requests, causing it to become unresponsive and denying service to legitimate users.
      • Resource exhaustion [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exploiting inefficient web endpoints or functionalities to consume excessive server resources (CPU, memory, bandwidth), leading to service degradation or failure.

Attack Tree Path: 2. Exploit Postal Service Vulnerabilities (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:

Attack Vector: Postal provides email services through SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 protocols. Vulnerabilities in the implementation or configuration of these services can be exploited to compromise the application.

  • Specific Attack Types:
    • SMTP Protocol Exploits [CRITICAL NODE]:
      • SMTP Relay Abuse [HIGH-RISK PATH]: If Postal is misconfigured as an open relay, attackers can use it to send spam or phishing emails, damaging the reputation of the application and Postal server.
      • Authentication Weaknesses in SMTP [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
        • Weak Password Policies: Similar to web interface, weak passwords for SMTP accounts can be brute-forced.
        • Insecure Authentication Mechanisms: Using outdated or insecure authentication methods for SMTP can make it easier for attackers to intercept credentials.
      • Denial of Service (DoS) via SMTP [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
        • Flooding SMTP service [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Overwhelming the SMTP service with a flood of connection requests or invalid commands, causing it to become unresponsive and disrupting email sending and receiving.
    • IMAP/POP3 Protocol Exploits [CRITICAL NODE]:
      • Authentication Weaknesses in IMAP/POP3 [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
        • Brute-force or dictionary attacks [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Attempting to guess user credentials for IMAP/POP3 accounts to gain access to emails.
      • Denial of Service (DoS) via IMAP/POP3 [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
        • Flooding IMAP/POP3 service [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Overwhelming the IMAP/POP3 service with connection requests or invalid commands, disrupting email access.

Attack Tree Path: 3. Exploit Postal Configuration Vulnerabilities [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:

Attack Vector: Misconfigurations during deployment or insecure default settings can create significant vulnerabilities.

  • Specific Attack Types:
    • Misconfiguration by Application Deployer [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Exposing configuration files [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Accidentally making configuration files (like .env files containing secrets) publicly accessible through web server misconfiguration or incorrect permissions.
      • Incorrectly configured network access controls [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Opening up admin ports or services to the public internet due to firewall or network configuration errors.
      • Running Postal with insufficient resource limits [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Deploying Postal with inadequate resources, making it vulnerable to resource exhaustion DoS attacks.
    • Lack of Security Updates [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Running outdated Postal version [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Failing to apply security updates to Postal itself, leaving known vulnerabilities exploitable.
      • Running outdated dependencies [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Using outdated versions of libraries and dependencies that Postal relies on, which may contain known vulnerabilities.

Attack Tree Path: 4. Exploit Dependencies and Third-Party Libraries [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:

Attack Vector: Postal relies on various third-party libraries and frameworks. Vulnerabilities in these dependencies can indirectly compromise Postal and the application.

  • Specific Attack Types:
    • Vulnerabilities in underlying web framework [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exploiting known vulnerabilities in the web framework Postal is built upon (e.g., Ruby on Rails, if applicable).
    • Vulnerabilities in other libraries [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exploiting vulnerabilities in other libraries used by Postal for tasks like email parsing, database interaction, queue management, etc.

Attack Tree Path: 5. Exploit Logical Vulnerabilities in Postal Application Logic [CRITICAL NODE] [HIGH-RISK PATH]:

Attack Vector: Flaws in the design or implementation logic of Postal itself can be exploited.

  • Specific Attack Types:
    • Email Spoofing vulnerabilities [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exploiting weaknesses in Postal's email handling to send emails that appear to originate from legitimate domains or users, enabling phishing or social engineering attacks.
    • Data Leakage through error messages or debug information [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exposing sensitive information (configuration details, internal paths, database information) in error messages or debug outputs, which can be valuable for attackers.
    • Rate Limiting or Resource Exhaustion vulnerabilities [HIGH-RISK PATH]:
      • Abuse features to cause DoS [HIGH-RISK PATH]: Exploiting features like email sending to send excessive emails, consuming resources and potentially causing denial of service if rate limiting is insufficient or bypassed.