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threat-modeling.md

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Threat Model Analysis for neondatabase/neon

Threat: Unauthorized Project/Branch Access

  • Threat: Unauthorized Project/Branch Access

    • Description: An attacker gains access to a Neon project or branch they shouldn't have access to, due to misconfigured roles, a compromised user account with excessive permissions, or a vulnerability in Neon's access control. The attacker can then read, modify, or delete data within that project/branch.
    • Impact: Data breach, data modification, data deletion, potential denial of service (resource exhaustion).
    • Affected Component: Neon Control Plane (authorization/authentication services), Project/Branch configuration.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Implement the principle of least privilege.
      • Regularly audit Neon project/branch permissions.
      • Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for Neon user accounts.
      • Use separate Neon projects for different environments (dev, staging, prod).
      • Leverage Neon's RBAC features.

Threat: Connection String/API Key Leakage

  • Threat: Connection String/API Key Leakage

    • Description: An attacker obtains a valid Neon connection string or API key through accidental code commits, insecure storage, a compromised developer machine, or a server misconfiguration. The attacker can then connect to the Neon database and perform actions allowed by the key's permissions.
    • Impact: Complete database compromise (read, write, delete).
    • Affected Component: Neon Compute Endpoint (authentication), Application configuration (where the string is stored).
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Never hardcode connection strings in code.
      • Use environment variables or a secure secrets management system.
      • Rotate API keys regularly.
      • Implement strict access controls on the secrets management system.
      • Monitor for leaked credentials.
      • Restrict IP addresses that can use the API key (if supported).

Threat: Compute Endpoint Exploitation

  • Threat: Compute Endpoint Exploitation

    • Description: An attacker exploits a vulnerability in the Neon compute endpoint itself (e.g., a bug in the Postgres proxy or a network misconfiguration). This could allow bypassing authentication, executing arbitrary code, or exfiltrating data.
    • Impact: Data breach, data modification, data deletion, denial of service, potential compromise of other systems.
    • Affected Component: Neon Compute Endpoint (Postgres proxy, network configuration).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Keep the Neon client library and related software updated.
      • Monitor Neon's security advisories and apply patches promptly.
      • Implement network security controls to restrict access to the compute endpoint.
      • Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF).
      • Monitor network traffic to/from the compute endpoint.

Threat: Resource Exhaustion (DoS)

  • Threat: Resource Exhaustion (DoS)

    • Description: An attacker sends many requests to the Neon compute endpoint, or consumes excessive storage, to exhaust resources and cause a denial of service. This could be a targeted attack or an unintentional consequence of a poorly designed application.
    • Impact: Denial of service, potential financial loss (if autoscaling is enabled without limits).
    • Affected Component: Neon Compute Endpoint, Storage Layer, Autoscaling mechanisms.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Implement rate limiting in the application.
      • Set appropriate compute resource limits within Neon.
      • Monitor resource usage and set alerts.
      • Use Neon's autoscaling responsibly, with limits.
      • Implement circuit breakers in the application.

Threat: Data Exfiltration via Compromised Compute

  • Threat: Data Exfiltration via Compromised Compute

    • Description: If an attacker compromises the compute endpoint, they could use it to exfiltrate data from the storage layer. Even with encryption at rest, the compute endpoint has access to decrypted data.
    • Impact: Data breach.
    • Affected Component: Neon Compute Endpoint, Storage Layer (indirectly).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Implement strong security controls on the compute endpoint (see "Compute Endpoint Exploitation").
      • Monitor network traffic for suspicious data transfers.
      • Implement data loss prevention (DLP) measures, if possible.
      • Use encryption at rest and in transit.

Threat: Neon Platform Vulnerability

  • Threat: Neon Platform Vulnerability

    • Description: A vulnerability in the Neon platform itself (control plane, compute engine, or storage management) could be exploited, leading to various negative consequences.
    • Impact: Data breach, data modification, data deletion, denial of service, potential compromise of other systems.
    • Affected Component: Varies (could be any part of the Neon platform).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Stay informed about Neon security advisories and updates.
      • Apply updates promptly.
      • Have a disaster recovery plan.
      • Regularly review Neon's security documentation.