threat-modeling.md

Threat Model Analysis for devxoul/then

Threat: Dependency Vulnerability Exploitation

• Description: An attacker exploits a critical security vulnerability present within the then library or any of its dependencies (if any were to be introduced in the future). This could involve crafting specific inputs or conditions that trigger the vulnerability when the application uses the vulnerable version of then. Exploitation could occur if the application processes untrusted data during object configuration using then, and this data interacts with the vulnerable part of the library.
• Impact: Critical. Remote Code Execution (RCE) is a potential impact if the vulnerability allows arbitrary code to be executed on the server. Other critical impacts include complete application compromise, data breaches, or full denial of service. The severity depends on the specific nature of the vulnerability.
• Affected Component: then library (core library code, potentially future dependencies).
• Risk Severity: Critical to High (depending on the nature of the vulnerability, exploitability, and potential impact).
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • Critical: Implement automated dependency vulnerability scanning in the CI/CD pipeline to immediately detect and flag vulnerable versions of then or its dependencies.
  • Critical: Establish a process for rapid patching and deployment of updated then versions when security advisories are released.
  • High: Subscribe to security advisories and vulnerability databases relevant to the programming language and ecosystem used by then.
  • High: Regularly audit application dependencies, including then, for known vulnerabilities.

Threat: Critical Misconfiguration due to Unexpected then Behavior

• Description: A subtle, unexpected bug or flaw in the then library's core implementation causes critical security settings or configurations to be applied incorrectly or to be entirely bypassed during object initialization. This could lead to a situation where security mechanisms are not functioning as intended, leaving the application vulnerable. For example, a bug in then might cause authentication or authorization settings to be ignored during the configuration of a security-sensitive object.
• Impact: High to Critical. Depending on the misconfiguration, this could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionalities, privilege escalation, or complete bypass of security controls. In the worst case, it could result in a complete compromise of the application's security posture.
• Affected Component: then library (core library code, specifically the configuration application logic).
• Risk Severity: High to Critical (depending on the criticality of the misconfiguration and the resulting security impact).
• Mitigation Strategies:
  • High: Implement robust integration and end-to-end tests that specifically verify the correct application of security configurations when using then, especially for security-sensitive objects.
  • High: Conduct thorough code reviews of all security-critical object configurations that utilize then, looking for potential unexpected behaviors or misinterpretations of the library's functionality.
  • High: In highly security-sensitive contexts, consider performing static analysis or even dynamic analysis of the then library itself to identify potential unexpected behaviors or edge cases in its implementation.
  • High: Monitor the then library's issue tracker and community forums for reports of unexpected behavior or bugs that could have security implications.