sec-design.md

BUSINESS POSTURE

• Business Priorities and Goals:
  • Provide fast and efficient search capabilities for applications and services.
  • Offer a lightweight and easily deployable search backend solution.
  • Enable schema-less data indexing for flexible data ingestion.
  • Enhance user experience by providing relevant and timely search results.
  • Support developer productivity through a simple and well-documented API.
• Business Risks:
  • Risk of data breaches if sensitive data is indexed and not properly secured.
  • Risk of service disruption if the search backend becomes unavailable, impacting dependent applications.
  • Risk of data integrity issues if indexed data is corrupted or tampered with, leading to incorrect search results.
  • Risk of performance degradation if the system is not properly scaled or optimized, affecting search speed and user experience.
  • Risk of reputational damage if security vulnerabilities are exploited, leading to data leaks or service outages.

SECURITY POSTURE

• Security Controls:
  • security control: HTTPS for API communication (assumed, standard practice for web services). Implemented in: Network configuration and application deployment.
  • security control: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for administrative API endpoints (assumed, based on common security needs for data management systems). Implemented in: Application code and configuration.
  • security control: Input validation on API requests (assumed, standard secure coding practice). Implemented in: Application code.
  • security control: Dependency scanning for known vulnerabilities in used libraries (assumed, as part of modern software development). Implemented in: Build process (if automated).
• Accepted Risks:
  • accepted risk: Lack of formal security audit by a third-party security firm.
  • accepted risk: Reliance on community contributions for vulnerability discovery and patching.
  • accepted risk: Potential for zero-day vulnerabilities in dependencies or core code.
• Recommended Security Controls:
  • security control: Implement rate limiting on API endpoints to prevent denial-of-service attacks.
  • security control: Regularly perform static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST) on the codebase.
  • security control: Implement comprehensive logging and monitoring of security-relevant events, including API access and errors.
  • security control: Consider data-at-rest encryption for sensitive indexed data.
  • security control: Implement a robust vulnerability management process, including timely patching and security updates.
• Security Requirements:
  • Authentication:
    • Requirement: Secure authentication mechanism for administrative API endpoints to control access to sensitive operations like index management and configuration.
    • Requirement: Consider API keys or tokens for authentication of applications accessing the search API.
  • Authorization:
    • Requirement: Implement fine-grained authorization controls to restrict access to specific data or operations based on user roles or application permissions.
    • Requirement: Ensure that only authorized applications or users can perform administrative tasks.
  • Input Validation:
    • Requirement: Thoroughly validate all inputs to the API to prevent injection attacks (e.g., command injection, NoSQL injection).
    • Requirement: Sanitize input data before indexing to prevent stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities if search results are displayed in a web context.
  • Cryptography:
    • Requirement: Use HTTPS for all API communication to protect data in transit.
    • Requirement: Consider encrypting sensitive data at rest if the indexed data warrants it.
    • Requirement: Ensure proper handling of cryptographic keys and secrets, avoiding hardcoding or insecure storage.

DESIGN

• C4 CONTEXT

flowchart LR
    subgraph Internet
        A["Web Application"] -- "Search Queries (HTTP)" --> B(Sonic);
        C["Mobile Application"] -- "Search Queries (HTTP)" --> B;
    end
    D["Data Source"] -- "Data Ingestion (HTTP)" --> B;
    E["Administrator"] -- "Admin API (HTTP)" --> B;
    B(Sonic) -- "Search Results (HTTP)" --> A;
    B -- "Search Results (HTTP)" --> C;
    style B fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

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• C4 CONTEXT Elements:

  • • Name: Web Application
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: A web-based application that utilizes Sonic for search functionality.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Sending search queries to Sonic API.
      • Displaying search results to users.
      • Authenticating users and managing sessions.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: User authentication and authorization.
      • security control: Input validation on user search queries before sending to Sonic.
      • security control: Output encoding of search results before displaying to prevent XSS.
  • • Name: Mobile Application
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: A mobile application that utilizes Sonic for search functionality.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Sending search queries to Sonic API.
      • Displaying search results to users.
      • User authentication and session management.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: User authentication and authorization.
      • security control: Input validation on user search queries before sending to Sonic.
      • security control: Secure storage of API keys or tokens if used for authentication.
  • • Name: Sonic
    • Type: Software System
    • Description: The Sonic search backend, responsible for indexing and searching data.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Receiving data for indexing via HTTP API.
      • Indexing data for efficient searching.
      • Processing search queries and returning relevant results.
      • Providing an administrative API for management tasks.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: HTTPS for all API endpoints.
      • security control: Role-Based Access Control for administrative API.
      • security control: Input validation on all API requests.
      • security control: Rate limiting on API endpoints.
  • • Name: Data Source
    • Type: External System
    • Description: External systems or databases that provide data to be indexed by Sonic.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Providing data to Sonic for indexing via HTTP API.
      • Ensuring data integrity and availability.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Authorization and authentication for data ingestion requests to Sonic.
      • security control: Secure transmission of data to Sonic (HTTPS).
  • • Name: Administrator
    • Type: Person
    • Description: A human administrator responsible for managing and configuring the Sonic search backend.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Configuring Sonic settings.
      • Managing indexes and collections.
      • Monitoring Sonic performance and health.
      • Managing user access to administrative functions.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Strong password policy for administrator accounts.
      • security control: Multi-factor authentication for administrator access (recommended).
      • security control: Audit logging of administrative actions.

• C4 CONTAINER

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Sonic System"
        subgraph "HTTP API Container"
            A["HTTP API"];
        end
        subgraph "Search Engine Container"
            B["Search Engine"];
        end
        subgraph "Data Storage Container"
            C["Data Storage"];
        end
        A -- "HTTP Requests/Responses" --> B;
        B -- "Data Access" --> C;
    end
    D["Web Application"] -- "HTTP API Requests" --> A;
    E["Mobile Application"] -- "HTTP API Requests" --> A;
    F["Data Source"] -- "HTTP API Requests (Ingestion)" --> A;
    G["Administrator"] -- "HTTP API Requests (Admin)" --> A;
    style "Sonic System" fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style A fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style B fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style C fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px

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• C4 CONTAINER Elements:

  • • Name: HTTP API Container
    • Type: Container
    • Description: Exposes the HTTP API for Sonic, handling requests for indexing, searching, and administration.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Receiving and validating HTTP requests.
      • Routing requests to the Search Engine or Data Storage containers.
      • Handling authentication and authorization for API requests.
      • Returning HTTP responses.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: HTTPS termination.
      • security control: Input validation and sanitization.
      • security control: Rate limiting.
      • security control: Authentication and authorization checks.
      • security control: Logging of API requests and errors.
  • • Name: Search Engine Container
    • Type: Container
    • Description: The core search engine component of Sonic, responsible for indexing and processing search queries.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Indexing data received from the HTTP API.
      • Processing search queries and retrieving relevant results from Data Storage.
      • Managing search indexes and configurations.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Secure data access to Data Storage.
      • security control: Protection against denial-of-service attacks through efficient query processing.
  • • Name: Data Storage Container
    • Type: Container
    • Description: Persists the indexed data for Sonic. This could be file-based storage or a dedicated database.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing indexed data.
      • Providing data access to the Search Engine container.
      • Ensuring data persistence and integrity.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: File system permissions or database access controls to restrict access to indexed data.
      • security control: Data-at-rest encryption (optional, depending on sensitivity).
      • security control: Regular backups for data recovery.

• DEPLOYMENT

flowchart LR
    subgraph "Deployment Environment"
        subgraph "Server 1"
            A["Sonic Instance 1"];
        end
        subgraph "Server 2"
            B["Sonic Instance 2"];
        end
        subgraph "Load Balancer"
            C["Load Balancer"];
        end
    end
    D["Web Application"] -- "Search Queries (HTTP)" --> C;
    E["Mobile Application"] -- "Search Queries (HTTP)" --> C;
    F["Data Source"] -- "Data Ingestion (HTTP)" --> C;
    G["Administrator"] -- "Admin API (HTTP)" --> C;
    C -- "HTTP Requests" --> A;
    C -- "HTTP Requests" --> B;
    style "Deployment Environment" fill:#eef,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style A fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style B fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style C fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px

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• DEPLOYMENT Elements:

  • • Name: Server 1
    • Type: Infrastructure Node (Server)
    • Description: A physical or virtual server instance hosting a Sonic instance.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Running a Sonic instance.
      • Providing compute resources for Sonic.
      • Ensuring network connectivity.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Operating system hardening.
      • security control: Firewall rules to restrict network access.
      • security control: Regular security patching.
  • • Name: Server 2
    • Type: Infrastructure Node (Server)
    • Description: Another physical or virtual server instance hosting a Sonic instance, for redundancy and scalability.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Running a Sonic instance.
      • Providing compute resources for Sonic.
      • Ensuring network connectivity.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Operating system hardening.
      • security control: Firewall rules to restrict network access.
      • security control: Regular security patching.
  • • Name: Load Balancer
    • Type: Infrastructure Node (Load Balancer)
    • Description: Distributes incoming search and admin API requests across multiple Sonic instances for high availability and scalability.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Distributing traffic to Sonic instances.
      • Performing health checks on Sonic instances.
      • Providing a single entry point for API requests.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: DDoS protection.
      • security control: SSL/TLS termination.
      • security control: Access control lists to restrict access to the load balancer itself.

• BUILD

flowchart LR
    A["Developer"] -- "Code Changes" --> B(Code Repository);
    B -- "Code Push" --> C{CI/CD System};
    C -- "Build Process" --> D["Build Artifacts"];
    D -- "Publish" --> E["Artifact Repository"];
    style B fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style C fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style D fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    style E fill:#fcf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px

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• BUILD Elements:
  • • Name: Developer
    • Type: Person
    • Description: Software developer contributing code to the Sonic project.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Writing and testing code.
      • Committing code changes to the code repository.
      • Following secure coding practices.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Secure development environment.
      • security control: Code review process.
  • • Name: Code Repository
    • Type: Software System (e.g., GitHub)
    • Description: Version control system hosting the Sonic source code.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing and managing source code.
      • Tracking code changes.
      • Providing access control to the codebase.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Access control to the repository (authentication and authorization).
      • security control: Audit logging of code changes.
      • security control: Branch protection policies.
  • • Name: CI/CD System
    • Type: Software System (e.g., GitHub Actions)
    • Description: Automated system for building, testing, and deploying Sonic.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Automating the build process.
      • Running automated tests (unit, integration, security).
      • Performing static analysis and security scans.
      • Packaging build artifacts.
      • Publishing artifacts to the artifact repository.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Secure configuration of CI/CD pipelines.
      • security control: Secret management for credentials used in the build process.
      • security control: Integration of SAST and dependency scanning tools.
  • • Name: Build Artifacts
    • Type: Data
    • Description: The output of the build process, typically executable binaries or container images.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Representing a built version of Sonic.
      • Being ready for deployment.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Integrity checks (e.g., checksums) to ensure artifacts are not tampered with.
      • security control: Signing of artifacts (optional, for enhanced supply chain security).
  • • Name: Artifact Repository
    • Type: Software System (e.g., Docker Registry, Package Registry)
    • Description: Stores and manages build artifacts for distribution and deployment.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Storing build artifacts.
      • Providing access to artifacts for deployment.
      • Versioning of artifacts.
    • Security controls:
      • security control: Access control to the artifact repository.
      • security control: Vulnerability scanning of stored artifacts (e.g., container image scanning).

RISK ASSESSMENT

• Critical Business Processes:
  • Providing search functionality to web and mobile applications, enabling users to find information quickly and efficiently.
  • Data ingestion and indexing process, ensuring that data is available for searching.
  • Administrative functions for managing and configuring the search backend.
• Data Sensitivity:
  • The sensitivity of data depends entirely on what data is indexed by Sonic. It could range from publicly available information to highly sensitive personal or business data.
  • If sensitive data is indexed, it requires appropriate security controls to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
  • Consider data types like: Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial data, confidential business documents, etc.

QUESTIONS & ASSUMPTIONS

• Questions:
  • What type of data will be indexed by Sonic in the target deployment environment? (Sensitivity level?)
  • What are the specific performance and scalability requirements for Sonic?
  • What authentication and authorization mechanisms are currently in place or planned for applications accessing Sonic?
  • Are there any specific compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) that need to be considered?
  • What is the expected deployment environment (cloud, on-premise, hybrid)?
• Assumptions:
  • BUSINESS POSTURE: The primary business goal is to provide fast and reliable search functionality to enhance user experience. Availability and data integrity are important business priorities.
  • SECURITY POSTURE: HTTPS is used for API communication. Basic input validation is implemented. Role-Based Access Control is assumed for administrative functions. No formal security audits have been conducted.
  • DESIGN: Sonic is deployed as a cluster of instances behind a load balancer for high availability. Data is persisted in a file-based storage or database. The build process involves a CI/CD system with basic automated checks.