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attack-surface.md

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Attack Surface Analysis for chroma-core/chroma

Attack Surface: 1. Unauthenticated API Endpoints

  • Description: ChromaDB, by default, exposes its API without requiring any authentication. This allows anyone with network access to interact with the ChromaDB instance and its data.
  • ChromaDB Contribution: ChromaDB's default configuration lacks built-in authentication mechanisms, leading to an open API by default.
  • Example: An attacker on the same network as the ChromaDB server can use tools like curl or a Python script to directly access ChromaDB's API endpoints (e.g., /api/collections, /api/query) and perform actions like querying, modifying, or deleting data without any authorization.
  • Impact: Critical. Complete unauthorized access to all data stored in ChromaDB, including the ability to exfiltrate, modify, or delete sensitive information. Potential for full database compromise and denial of service.
  • Risk Severity: Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Implement Authentication: Configure an authentication mechanism for ChromaDB API access. While ChromaDB might not offer native authentication, consider using a reverse proxy (like Nginx or an API Gateway) to enforce authentication (e.g., API keys, OAuth 2.0) before requests reach ChromaDB.
    • Network Segmentation: Restrict network access to the ChromaDB instance to only authorized services and users within a trusted network zone using firewalls and network access control lists. Ensure ChromaDB is not directly accessible from the public internet or untrusted networks.

Attack Surface: 2. API Input Validation Vulnerabilities (Data Injection)

  • Description: Insufficient validation of input data sent to the ChromaDB API can allow attackers to inject malicious data or commands through API parameters, potentially leading to data corruption or unexpected behavior within ChromaDB.
  • ChromaDB Contribution: ChromaDB's API processes various types of input data (document content, metadata, query parameters). Weak input validation in ChromaDB's code when handling this data can create injection vulnerabilities.
  • Example: An attacker crafts a document with malicious content or metadata that, when added to a ChromaDB collection via the API, exploits a vulnerability in ChromaDB's data processing logic. This could lead to data corruption within the vector database, unexpected errors, or potentially even resource exhaustion if the malicious input triggers inefficient processing.
  • Impact: High. Data corruption within ChromaDB, potentially leading to unreliable search results and application malfunctions. In severe cases, it could lead to denial of service or other unexpected behavior depending on the nature of the vulnerability.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Input Sanitization and Validation: Thoroughly sanitize and validate all input data on the application side before sending it to the ChromaDB API. This includes validating data types, formats, lengths, and escaping special characters that could be misinterpreted by ChromaDB.
    • Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure the application interacts with ChromaDB with the minimum necessary privileges. Avoid using overly permissive API calls if more restricted options are available.
    • Regular Security Testing: Conduct regular security testing, including fuzzing and penetration testing specifically targeting ChromaDB API endpoints with various input types to identify potential input validation vulnerabilities.

Attack Surface: 3. Data Confidentiality in Storage

  • Description: ChromaDB stores vector embeddings and associated data persistently on disk. If this storage is not adequately secured, sensitive data can be exposed to unauthorized access at the storage level.
  • ChromaDB Contribution: ChromaDB is responsible for managing and persisting data to storage. The security of this storage mechanism directly impacts the confidentiality of the data it holds.
  • Example: An attacker gains unauthorized access to the server's filesystem where ChromaDB stores its data directory. If filesystem permissions are misconfigured or encryption is not enabled, the attacker can directly read and exfiltrate sensitive data files managed by ChromaDB, bypassing any API-level access controls.
  • Impact: Critical. Direct and complete exposure of all sensitive data stored within ChromaDB. This can lead to severe privacy violations, compliance breaches, and reputational damage.
  • Risk Severity: Critical
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Filesystem Permissions: Implement strict filesystem permissions on the ChromaDB data directory to restrict access to only the ChromaDB process user and authorized administrative users. Follow the principle of least privilege.
    • Encryption at Rest: Enable encryption at rest for the storage volume or directory where ChromaDB data is stored. Utilize operating system-level encryption (e.g., LUKS, BitLocker) or cloud provider storage encryption features to protect data confidentiality even if physical storage is compromised.
    • Regular Security Audits: Regularly audit filesystem permissions and encryption configurations to ensure they remain correctly implemented and effective in protecting data confidentiality.

Attack Surface: 4. Insecure Default Configurations

  • Description: ChromaDB's default configurations, particularly regarding API access and security settings, might be insecure out-of-the-box, making deployments vulnerable if not properly hardened.
  • ChromaDB Contribution: ChromaDB's default settings directly determine the initial security posture of a deployment. Insecure defaults inherently increase the attack surface.
  • Example: Deploying ChromaDB using its default configuration, which includes unauthenticated API access and potentially permissive network settings, immediately exposes the ChromaDB instance to significant security risks. An attacker could exploit these insecure defaults to gain unauthorized access and compromise the database.
  • Impact: High. Easy exploitation of the ChromaDB instance due to readily available insecure default settings. This can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and denial of service if default security measures are insufficient.
  • Risk Severity: High
  • Mitigation Strategies:
    • Harden Configuration: Immediately review and harden ChromaDB configurations upon deployment. Disable or modify insecure default settings. Consult ChromaDB documentation and security best practices to establish a secure configuration baseline.
    • Configuration Management: Use infrastructure-as-code and configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform) to automate and enforce secure configurations consistently across all ChromaDB deployments, preventing configuration drift and ensuring adherence to security standards.
    • Security Baselines and Templates: Develop and utilize secure deployment templates and security baselines for ChromaDB that incorporate hardened configurations from the outset, minimizing the risk of deploying with insecure defaults.