Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
79 lines (67 loc) · 6.65 KB

attack-tree.md

File metadata and controls

79 lines (67 loc) · 6.65 KB

Attack Tree Analysis for railsadminteam/rails_admin

Objective: Gain Unauthorized Administrative Access (RailsAdmin) [CRITICAL]

Attack Tree Visualization

                                      Gain Unauthorized Administrative Access [CRITICAL]
                                                    (RailsAdmin)
                                                        |
          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          |                                               |                                               |
  1. Exploit RailsAdmin Vulnerabilities        2. Bypass Authentication/Authorization        3. Leverage Misconfiguration
          |                                               |                                               |
  -----------------                               -------------------------                -----------------
          |                                               |                  |                                |
        1.1                                             2.2                2.3                             3.3
        RCE                                       Weak/Default       Auth Bypass                        Exposed
     [CRITICAL]                                     Credentials        (Misconfig)                     Sensitive
                                             -> HIGH RISK -> [CRITICAL]  [CRITICAL]                      Data [CRITICAL]

Attack Tree Path: Exploit RailsAdmin Vulnerabilities -> RCE

  • Description: An attacker exploits a vulnerability in the RailsAdmin code that allows them to execute arbitrary code on the server. This is the most severe type of vulnerability.
    • Likelihood: Low (if regularly updated), Medium (if updates are delayed), High (if significantly outdated)
    • Impact: Very High (complete server compromise, data breach, data manipulation, denial of service)
    • Effort: High to Very High (finding and exploiting a 0-day is extremely difficult; exploiting a known vulnerability depends on patch availability)
    • Skill Level: Advanced to Expert
    • Detection Difficulty: Medium to Hard (requires robust logging, intrusion detection systems, and potentially specialized security expertise)
    • Mitigation:
      • Keep RailsAdmin and all its dependencies updated to the latest versions.
      • Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all user-provided data, even within RailsAdmin's custom fields or actions.
      • Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing, specifically targeting potential RCE vulnerabilities.
      • Employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to help detect and block malicious requests.
      • Use a principle of least privilege for the web server process, limiting its access to only necessary resources.

Attack Tree Path: Bypass Authentication/Authorization -> Weak/Default Credentials

  • Description: An attacker gains administrative access by guessing or using default credentials that have not been changed.
    • Likelihood: Medium (surprisingly common, especially in development, staging, or poorly maintained environments)
    • Impact: High (full administrative access, data breach, data manipulation, denial of service)
    • Effort: Very Low (brute-force or dictionary attacks are simple to execute)
    • Skill Level: Script Kiddie to Beginner
    • Detection Difficulty: Easy (repeated failed login attempts are easily detectable with basic logging)
    • Mitigation:
      • Enforce strong password policies (minimum length, complexity requirements, regular password changes).
      • Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all RailsAdmin users.
      • Never use default credentials in production environments. Change default passwords immediately after installation.
      • Monitor login attempts and lock accounts after a certain number of failed attempts.

Attack Tree Path: Bypass Authentication/Authorization -> Authentication Bypass (Misconfig)

  • Description: A configuration error in RailsAdmin (e.g., in the config/initializers/rails_admin.rb file) effectively disables authentication, allowing anyone to access the administrative interface.
    • Likelihood: Low (requires a significant and specific configuration mistake)
    • Impact: High (full administrative access, data breach, data manipulation, denial of service)
    • Effort: Low (if the misconfiguration is present, exploitation is trivial)
    • Skill Level: Beginner
    • Detection Difficulty: Easy (once the misconfiguration is discovered, it's obvious; however, finding the misconfiguration might require careful review)
    • Mitigation:
      • Thoroughly review and test the authenticate_with block in the RailsAdmin initializer. Ensure it correctly implements the intended authentication logic.
      • Use a configuration management tool to ensure consistent and secure configurations across environments.
      • Conduct regular security audits and code reviews, specifically focusing on the RailsAdmin configuration.

Attack Tree Path: Leverage Misconfiguration -> Exposed Sensitive Data

  • Description: RailsAdmin is misconfigured to display sensitive data (e.g., password hashes, API keys, database credentials) directly in the interface.
    • Likelihood: Low (requires a significant oversight in configuration)
    • Impact: High (depending on the data exposed; passwords or API keys would be Very High, leading to further compromise)
    • Effort: Very Low (simply viewing the RailsAdmin interface)
    • Skill Level: Script Kiddie
    • Detection Difficulty: Very Easy (the data is directly visible)
    • Mitigation:
      • Carefully review the RailsAdmin configuration and model configurations. Ensure that sensitive fields are not displayed.
      • Use appropriate field types (e.g., password instead of string for passwords).
      • Customize the display of fields to redact or hide sensitive information.
      • Store sensitive data securely (e.g., using environment variables, a secrets management system) and never directly in the database or code.
      • Conduct regular security audits to identify and address any exposed sensitive data.