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BUSINESS POSTURE

This project, represented by the GitHub repository https://github.com/tokio-rs/axum, is focused on providing a web application framework built with Rust and Tokio.

  • Business Priorities:

    • Provide a high-performance and efficient web framework.
    • Enable developers to build robust and scalable web applications and APIs.
    • Leverage the benefits of Rust's memory safety and performance characteristics for web development.
    • Foster a strong community around Rust web development.

  • Business Goals:

    • Become a leading web framework in the Rust ecosystem.
    • Offer a developer-friendly and productive environment for building web services.
    • Ensure stability, reliability, and security of the framework.
    • Promote adoption of Rust for backend web development.

  • Business Risks:

    • Security vulnerabilities in the framework could lead to exploitation in applications built with Axum, causing data breaches, service disruption, or reputational damage.
    • Performance bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the framework could limit the scalability and responsiveness of applications.
    • Lack of adoption or community support could hinder the framework's long-term viability and ecosystem growth.
    • Bugs or instability in the framework could lead to application failures and developer frustration.

SECURITY POSTURE

  • Security Control: Memory safety provided by Rust language, reducing vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and use-after-free. Implemented by Rust compiler.

  • Security Control: Dependency management using Cargo, allowing for controlled inclusion of external libraries. Implemented by Cargo build system.

  • Accepted Risk: Potential vulnerabilities in third-party dependencies used by Axum or applications built with Axum. Mitigation relies on dependency scanning and updates.

  • Accepted Risk: Security misconfigurations by developers using Axum, leading to insecure applications. Mitigation through documentation, examples, and security best practices guidance.

  • Recommended Security Controls:

    • Security Control: Implement automated static application security testing (SAST) on the Axum framework codebase to identify potential vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle.
    • Security Control: Integrate dependency vulnerability scanning into the development and release process to detect and address known vulnerabilities in dependencies.
    • Security Control: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing of the Axum framework to identify and remediate security weaknesses.
    • Security Control: Provide comprehensive security documentation and best practices for developers using Axum to build secure applications.
    • Security Control: Establish a clear process for reporting and responding to security vulnerabilities in the Axum framework.

  • Security Requirements:

    • Authentication: Applications built with Axum will likely need to implement authentication mechanisms to verify user identities. Axum should provide flexibility and tools to integrate with various authentication strategies (e.g., session-based, token-based, OAuth 2.0).
    • Authorization: Applications will require authorization to control access to resources based on user roles and permissions. Axum should facilitate the implementation of fine-grained authorization policies.
    • Input Validation: Robust input validation is crucial to prevent injection attacks (e.g., SQL injection, cross-site scripting). Axum should encourage and provide mechanisms for validating all user inputs.
    • Cryptography: Applications may need to use cryptography for protecting sensitive data in transit and at rest. Axum should support or integrate well with cryptographic libraries for secure communication (TLS/SSL) and data encryption.

DESIGN

C4 CONTEXT

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Organization"
        A["Web Browser"]
        B["Mobile App"]
        C["Other Services"]
    end
    D("Axum Framework")
    E["Database System"]
    F["Authentication Provider"]
    G["Logging and Monitoring"]
    A -->|HTTP Requests| D
    B -->|HTTP Requests| D
    C -->|API Calls| D
    D -->|Data Storage| E
    D -->|Authentication| F
    D -->|Logs and Metrics| G
    style D fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
Loading
  • Context Diagram Elements:
    • Element:
      • Name: Web Browser
      • Type: User
      • Description: Represents users accessing web applications built with Axum through a web browser.
      • Responsibilities: Initiating HTTP requests to interact with the Axum application. Rendering HTML and displaying web content.
      • Security controls: Browser-based security controls (e.g., Content Security Policy, Same-Origin Policy).
    • Element:
      • Name: Mobile App
      • Type: User
      • Description: Represents users accessing web applications or APIs built with Axum through a mobile application.
      • Responsibilities: Making API calls to the Axum application. Displaying data and user interface within the mobile app.
      • Security controls: Mobile app security controls (e.g., secure storage, input validation on the client side).
    • Element:
      • Name: Other Services
      • Type: System
      • Description: Represents other backend services or systems that interact with applications built using Axum via APIs.
      • Responsibilities: Consuming APIs exposed by the Axum application. Providing data or functionality to the Axum application.
      • Security controls: API authentication and authorization mechanisms. Network security controls.
    • Element:
      • Name: Axum Framework
      • Type: Software System
      • Description: The Axum web framework itself, providing the core functionality for building web applications and APIs.
      • Responsibilities: Handling HTTP requests and responses. Routing requests to appropriate handlers. Providing middleware functionality. Integrating with other Rust libraries and the ecosystem.
      • Security controls: Security features of the Rust language. Secure coding practices in framework development. Security audits and vulnerability management.
    • Element:
      • Name: Database System
      • Type: External System
      • Description: Represents a database system used by applications built with Axum to store and retrieve data.
      • Responsibilities: Persisting application data. Providing data access and querying capabilities. Ensuring data integrity and availability.
      • Security controls: Database access controls. Data encryption at rest and in transit. Database security hardening.
    • Element:
      • Name: Authentication Provider
      • Type: External System
      • Description: Represents an external service used for user authentication, such as an OAuth 2.0 provider or an identity management system.
      • Responsibilities: Verifying user credentials. Issuing authentication tokens or sessions. Managing user identities.
      • Security controls: Secure authentication protocols (e.g., OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect). Strong authentication mechanisms (e.g., multi-factor authentication).
    • Element:
      • Name: Logging and Monitoring
      • Type: External System
      • Description: Represents systems used for logging application events, monitoring performance, and detecting anomalies.
      • Responsibilities: Collecting logs and metrics from the Axum application. Providing dashboards and alerts for monitoring application health and security events.
      • Security controls: Secure logging practices. Access controls for log data. Monitoring for security threats and anomalies.

C4 CONTAINER

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Axum Application"
        A["Web Server (Axum Runtime)"]
        B["Routing"]
        C["Middleware"]
        D["Handlers"]
        E["Data Access Layer"]
    end
    F["Database System"]
    G["Authentication Provider"]
    H["Logging and Monitoring"]
    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D
    D --> E
    E --> F
    D --> G
    A --> H
    style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • Container Diagram Elements:
    • Element:
      • Name: Web Server (Axum Runtime)
      • Type: Container
      • Description: The core runtime environment provided by Axum, responsible for handling HTTP connections and managing the application lifecycle.
      • Responsibilities: Accepting incoming HTTP requests. Managing concurrency and request processing. Dispatching requests to the routing component.
      • Security controls: TLS/SSL termination for secure communication. Rate limiting and request throttling to prevent denial-of-service attacks. HTTP header security controls.
    • Element:
      • Name: Routing
      • Type: Container
      • Description: The component responsible for mapping incoming HTTP requests to specific handlers based on URL paths and HTTP methods.
      • Responsibilities: Defining routes and URL patterns. Matching incoming requests to defined routes. Dispatching requests to appropriate handlers.
      • Security controls: Protection against route injection vulnerabilities. Input validation of route parameters.
    • Element:
      • Name: Middleware
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Intercepts and processes HTTP requests and responses before they reach handlers or after handlers have processed requests. Used for cross-cutting concerns like authentication, authorization, logging, and request modification.
      • Responsibilities: Implementing authentication and authorization checks. Logging request and response details. Modifying request or response headers. Handling errors and exceptions.
      • Security controls: Secure implementation of authentication and authorization logic. Input validation and sanitization within middleware. Protection against middleware bypass vulnerabilities.
    • Element:
      • Name: Handlers
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Functions or methods that implement the application's business logic and process specific HTTP requests.
      • Responsibilities: Handling specific business logic for different routes. Processing user input and generating responses. Interacting with data access layer and external services.
      • Security controls: Input validation and sanitization within handlers. Secure coding practices to prevent vulnerabilities. Proper error handling and output encoding.
    • Element:
      • Name: Data Access Layer
      • Type: Container
      • Description: Abstracts data access operations, providing an interface for handlers to interact with the database system.
      • Responsibilities: Encapsulating database interactions. Performing data validation and sanitization before database queries. Implementing data access logic and query construction.
      • Security controls: Parameterized queries or ORM usage to prevent SQL injection. Data access control and authorization at the data layer. Secure connection to the database.

DEPLOYMENT

Deployment Solution: Docker containers orchestrated with Kubernetes on a cloud platform (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Cloud Platform (Kubernetes Cluster)"
        subgraph "Nodes"
            A["Node 1"]
            B["Node 2"]
        end
        subgraph "Pods"
            C["Axum App Pod 1"]:::container
            D["Axum App Pod 2"]:::container
        end
        E["Load Balancer"]
    end
    F["Internet"]
    F --> E
    E --> C & D
    C --> A
    D --> B
    classDef container fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • Deployment Diagram Elements:
    • Element:
      • Name: Internet
      • Type: Environment
      • Description: The public internet, representing external users accessing the application.
      • Responsibilities: Providing network connectivity for users to access the application.
      • Security controls: General internet security measures (e.g., DDoS protection at the network edge).
    • Element:
      • Name: Load Balancer
      • Type: Infrastructure
      • Description: Distributes incoming traffic across multiple instances of the Axum application pods.
      • Responsibilities: Load balancing traffic. Providing a single entry point to the application. Performing health checks on application pods.
      • Security controls: TLS/SSL termination. Web Application Firewall (WAF) integration. Rate limiting and traffic filtering.
    • Element:
      • Name: Axum App Pod 1 & 2
      • Type: Container Instance
      • Description: Docker containers running instances of the Axum application.
      • Responsibilities: Running the Axum application code. Handling HTTP requests. Processing business logic.
      • Security controls: Container image security scanning. Resource limits and isolation. Network policies to restrict container communication.
    • Element:
      • Name: Node 1 & 2
      • Type: Infrastructure
      • Description: Virtual machines or physical servers in the Kubernetes cluster that host the application pods.
      • Responsibilities: Providing compute resources for running containers. Managing container lifecycle.
      • Security controls: Operating system security hardening. Host-based intrusion detection systems. Security monitoring and logging.
    • Element:
      • Name: Cloud Platform (Kubernetes Cluster)
      • Type: Environment
      • Description: The cloud environment hosting the Kubernetes cluster and application deployment.
      • Responsibilities: Providing infrastructure and services for running Kubernetes. Managing cluster resources and scaling.
      • Security controls: Cloud provider security controls (e.g., network security groups, IAM roles). Kubernetes security configurations (e.g., RBAC, network policies).

BUILD

flowchart LR
    A["Developer"] --> B("Code Changes")
    B --> C["GitHub Repository"]
    C --> D["GitHub Actions CI"]
    D --> E{Build & Test}
    E -- Yes --> F{Security Scans (SAST, Dependency)}
    F -- Yes --> G["Container Registry"]
    G --> H["Deployment Environment"]
    E -- No --> I["Build Failure Notification"]
    F -- No --> J["Security Issue Notification"]
    style D fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
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  • Build Process Elements:
    • Element:
      • Name: Developer
      • Type: Actor
      • Description: Software developers who write and modify the Axum application code.
      • Responsibilities: Writing code, committing changes to the repository, and addressing build and security issues.
      • Security controls: Developer workstations security. Code review processes. Secure coding training.
    • Element:
      • Name: Code Changes
      • Type: Artifact
      • Description: Modifications to the application codebase made by developers.
      • Responsibilities: Representing the source code changes that trigger the build process.
      • Security controls: Version control system (Git) for tracking changes and ensuring code integrity. Code review to identify potential security issues.
    • Element:
      • Name: GitHub Repository
      • Type: System
      • Description: The Git repository hosted on GitHub that stores the application's source code.
      • Responsibilities: Version control. Code storage and management. Triggering CI/CD pipelines on code changes.
      • Security controls: Access control to the repository. Branch protection rules. Audit logging of repository activities.
    • Element:
      • Name: GitHub Actions CI
      • Type: System
      • Description: GitHub's built-in CI/CD service used to automate the build, test, and deployment process.
      • Responsibilities: Automating the build pipeline. Running tests and security scans. Building container images. Deploying application artifacts.
      • Security controls: Secure configuration of CI/CD pipelines. Secrets management for credentials and API keys. Audit logging of CI/CD activities.
    • Element:
      • Name: Build & Test
      • Type: Process
      • Description: The step in the CI/CD pipeline where the application code is compiled, built, and unit tests are executed.
      • Responsibilities: Compiling code. Running unit tests. Generating build artifacts.
      • Security controls: Build environment security. Dependency management and integrity checks. Test coverage to ensure code quality.
    • Element:
      • Name: Security Scans (SAST, Dependency)
      • Type: Process
      • Description: Automated security scans performed in the CI/CD pipeline, including Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and dependency vulnerability scanning.
      • Responsibilities: Identifying potential security vulnerabilities in the code and dependencies. Generating security scan reports.
      • Security controls: Configuration of SAST and dependency scanning tools. Integration with vulnerability management systems.
    • Element:
      • Name: Container Registry
      • Type: System
      • Description: A registry (e.g., Docker Hub, private registry) used to store and manage container images of the application.
      • Responsibilities: Storing container images. Providing access to container images for deployment.
      • Security controls: Access control to the container registry. Container image signing and verification. Vulnerability scanning of container images in the registry.
    • Element:
      • Name: Deployment Environment
      • Type: Environment
      • Description: The target environment where the application is deployed (e.g., Kubernetes cluster).
      • Responsibilities: Running the application. Providing runtime environment and resources.
      • Security controls: Deployment environment security controls as described in the Deployment section.

RISK ASSESSMENT

  • Critical Business Processes:

    • Depends on the application built with Axum. Examples include: User authentication and session management, handling sensitive user data (PII, financial information), processing transactions, providing core application functionality.

  • Data Sensitivity:

    • Depends on the application built with Axum. Examples of data types and sensitivity levels:
      • Public data (low sensitivity): Blog posts, public product information.
      • Internal data (medium sensitivity): Internal application logs, non-sensitive user activity data.
      • Confidential data (high sensitivity): User credentials, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial transaction data, proprietary business data.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

  • Questions:

    • What specific types of applications are being built using the Axum framework (e.g., e-commerce, social media, internal tools)?
    • What are the specific compliance requirements for applications built with Axum (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS)?
    • What is the organization's overall security maturity level and risk appetite?
    • Are there any specific security concerns or threat vectors that are particularly relevant to applications built with Axum?
    • What are the performance and scalability requirements for applications built with Axum?

  • Assumptions:

    • Axum is intended to be used for building a variety of web applications and APIs, ranging from simple to complex.
    • Security is a significant concern for developers and organizations using Axum.
    • Applications built with Axum will handle some level of sensitive data, requiring appropriate security measures.
    • Deployment environments for Axum applications are likely to be cloud-based and containerized.
    • Organizations using Axum are seeking a balance between performance, security, and developer productivity.