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threat-modeling.md

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Threat Model Analysis for hashicorp/vault

Threat: Insecure Vault Server Configuration

  • Description: Attacker exploits misconfigurations in Vault server settings, such as weak TLS, insecure storage backend, or exposed management interfaces.
    • Impact: Complete compromise of Vault, leading to unauthorized access to all secrets, policies, and potentially the entire infrastructure secured by Vault. Data breaches and service disruption.
    • Vault Component Affected: Vault Server Core, Listeners, Storage Backend Configuration.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Strictly follow Vault hardening guides and security best practices.
      • Enforce HTTPS listeners with strong TLS configurations.
      • Securely configure the storage backend with encryption at rest and robust access controls.
      • Implement infrastructure-as-code for consistent and auditable configurations.
      • Regularly audit Vault server configurations.

Threat: Unencrypted Vault Storage Backend

  • Description: Attacker gains access to the storage backend and finds Vault's encrypted data. While encrypted by Vault, the lack of storage backend encryption increases the risk of future decryption attempts if Vault's encryption is compromised or keys are exposed later.
    • Impact: Potential future exposure of encrypted Vault data if the storage backend is compromised and Vault's encryption is ever broken or keys are compromised.
    • Vault Component Affected: Storage Backend (e.g., Consul, etcd, file system).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Always encrypt the storage backend at rest using platform-provided encryption features.
      • Restrict storage backend access to only Vault servers.
      • Regularly audit storage backend security configurations.

Threat: Publicly Accessible Vault UI or API

  • Description: Attacker from the internet attempts to access the Vault UI or API directly, aiming to exploit vulnerabilities, brute-force authentication, or leverage default credentials.
    • Impact: Unauthorized access to Vault, potentially leading to data breaches, denial of service, or manipulation of secrets and policies.
    • Vault Component Affected: Vault UI, Vault API, Listeners.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Never expose Vault UI or API directly to the public internet.
      • Use a reverse proxy or firewall to restrict access to trusted networks only.
      • Implement strong authentication and authorization for UI/API access.
      • Monitor access logs for suspicious activity.

Threat: Weak or Default Root Token Management

  • Description: Attacker obtains the initial root token if it's not properly secured and revoked after initialization. Root token grants full administrative control.
    • Impact: Complete compromise of Vault. Attacker can access all secrets, modify policies, disable auditing, and effectively own the Vault instance.
    • Vault Component Affected: Root Token Generation, Authentication.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Securely store the initial root token only for emergency situations.
      • Immediately revoke the initial root token after initial setup and policy configuration.
      • Use restricted authentication methods for day-to-day operations.
      • Implement strong access control policies for administrative privileges.

Threat: Misconfigured Listeners (e.g., HTTP instead of HTTPS)

  • Description: Attacker performs a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack on network traffic between the application and Vault if listeners use HTTP, intercepting sensitive data like tokens and secrets.
    • Impact: Exposure of sensitive data in transit, including authentication tokens and secrets, leading to unauthorized access.
    • Vault Component Affected: Listeners.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Always use HTTPS listeners for all Vault communication.
      • Enforce TLS for all client connections.
      • Use strong TLS configurations and regularly update certificates.

Threat: Weak Authentication Methods Enabled

  • Description: Attacker exploits weak authentication methods enabled in Vault, like Userpass without MFA, through brute-force or credential stuffing attacks.
    • Impact: Unauthorized access to Vault by compromising user credentials, leading to access to secrets and potential data breaches.
    • Vault Component Affected: Authentication Backends (Userpass, etc.).
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Enforce strong authentication methods like AppRole for applications and MFA for human users.
      • Disable or restrict weak authentication methods.
      • Configure authentication backends with strong password policies and security best practices.
      • Implement account lockout policies.

Threat: Policy Bypass Vulnerabilities in Vault

  • Description: Attacker exploits a security vulnerability within Vault's policy engine to bypass configured policies and gain unauthorized access.
    • Impact: Unauthorized access to secrets and functionalities despite proper policy configuration, leading to data breaches and system compromise.
    • Vault Component Affected: Policy Engine, Authorization Logic.
    • Risk Severity: Critical
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Keep Vault server updated to the latest version to patch known vulnerabilities.
      • Subscribe to Vault security advisories and promptly apply security patches.
      • Implement a vulnerability management program for Vault.

Threat: Leaked or Stolen Authentication Tokens

  • Description: Attacker obtains valid Vault authentication tokens through leaks, theft, or insider threats, and impersonates legitimate entities to access secrets.
    • Impact: Unauthorized access to Vault and secrets by impersonating legitimate applications or users, leading to data breaches and system compromise.
    • Vault Component Affected: Authentication, Token Management.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Treat Vault tokens as highly sensitive credentials.
      • Never hardcode tokens. Use secure methods for token retrieval and storage.
      • Implement short-lived tokens and token renewal.
      • Rotate tokens regularly.
      • Monitor token usage and revoke suspicious tokens.

Threat: Secrets Expiration and Rotation Failures

  • Description: Secret rotation mechanisms fail, leading to the use of expired secrets or failure to rotate secrets regularly, increasing the window for compromise if a secret is leaked.
    • Impact: Application downtime due to expired secrets. Security vulnerabilities due to long-lived secrets not being rotated, increasing risk of compromise.
    • Vault Component Affected: Dynamic Secret Engines, Secret Rotation Mechanisms, Lease Management.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Properly configure and test secret rotation mechanisms.
      • Implement monitoring and alerting for secret expiration and rotation failures.
      • Regularly review and test secret rotation workflows.
      • Use short lease durations where appropriate.

Threat: Vault Service Downtime

  • Description: Vault service becomes unavailable due to infrastructure failures, DoS attacks, or operational errors.
    • Impact: Applications relying on Vault experience downtime or degraded functionality, leading to service disruptions and business impact.
    • Vault Component Affected: Vault Server, Infrastructure.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Deploy Vault in a highly available (HA) configuration.
      • Implement robust infrastructure monitoring and alerting.
      • Plan for disaster recovery and business continuity.
      • Implement rate limiting and DoS prevention measures.

Threat: Performance Bottlenecks in Vault

  • Description: Vault performance degrades due to insufficient resources or excessive load, impacting application performance and potentially leading to denial of service.
    • Impact: Application performance degradation, increased latency in secret retrieval, and potential denial of service if Vault becomes overloaded.
    • Vault Component Affected: Vault Server, Storage Backend, Performance.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Properly size Vault infrastructure based on expected load.
      • Monitor Vault performance metrics.
      • Optimize Vault configuration and queries.
      • Scale Vault infrastructure horizontally if needed.

Threat: Failed Vault Upgrades

  • Description: Vault upgrades are not properly planned or executed, leading to upgrade failures, data corruption, or service disruptions.
    • Impact: Vault downtime, potential data loss, and security vulnerabilities if upgrades are not applied to patch known issues.
    • Vault Component Affected: Vault Server, Upgrade Process.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Thoroughly plan and test Vault upgrades in a non-production environment.
      • Follow Vault upgrade documentation and best practices.
      • Implement backup and recovery procedures before upgrades.
      • Have rollback plans in place.

Threat: Neglecting Vault Maintenance and Patching

  • Description: Vault servers are not regularly maintained, patched, or updated with security fixes, leading to accumulation of known vulnerabilities.
    • Impact: Increased risk of exploitation of known vulnerabilities in Vault, potentially leading to data breaches and system compromise.
    • Vault Component Affected: Vault Server, Security Patching.
    • Risk Severity: High
    • Mitigation Strategies:
      • Establish a regular Vault maintenance and patching schedule.
      • Subscribe to Vault security advisories and promptly apply security patches.
      • Implement automated patching processes where possible.