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barbican security review findings
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barbican security review findings - 3.0.0.0b2/newton
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**Status**: Draft
**Release**: Newton
**Version**: 3.0.0.0b2
**Review Date**: 08/18/2016
**Review Body**: OpenStack Security Project
**Contacts**:
- PTL: Douglas Mendizábal - redrobot
- Architect: Douglas Mendizábal - redrobot
- Security Reviewer: Robert Clark - hyakuhei
- Security Reviewer: Doug Chivers - capnoday
Findings:
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1. Modification of ACLs in barbian database could compromise all secrets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: barbican has a feature that allows a tenant to grant another tenant
access to a secret. This is controlled via a tenant mapping table within the
barbican database. The implied security model of the barbican database (when
running with PCKS#11) is that all cryptographic operations are performed in
the HSM, a confidentiality or integrity breach of the database will not
directly result in secrets being compromised. However if an attacker was able
to modify the ACL mapping, they could grant a tenant access to any/all
secrets stored in the HSM. Once the mapping is manipulated the attacker could
retrieve secrets using the normal barbican API.
- Impact: All secrets stored in barbican are exposed.
- Likelihood: Medium
- Impact: High
- Overall Risk Rating: High
- Bug:
- Recommendation: Provide deployment guidance requiring strong controls
securing access to the barbican database.
2. Misconfigured HSM credential could cause DoS via HSM auto-purge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: A misconfigured or tampered barbican hardware security module (HSM)
credential could cause a denial-of-service of barbican (and potentially other
services using the HSM if it is shared), if the HSM is configured to purge
after a number of failed connection attempts.
- Impact: Denial of service to barbican, potential loss of all secrets if there
is inadequate backup, denial of service and potential loss of secrets for
other services sharing the HSM.
- Likelihood: Low
- Impact: High
- Overall Risk Rating: Medium
- Bug:
- Recommendation: Deployment guidance recommending that HSMs should not be
configured to auto-purge, unless this risk is actively managed via a security
event monitoring system. In this later case, consider adding a delay
period or auto backoff to barbican connection attempts to allow a SOC time
to respond.
3. Compromised HSM credential could cause DoS and all secrets (PKCS#11 only)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: When using PKCS#11 to connect barbican to a HSM, a compromised HSM
credential would allow an attacker to delete MKEK and HMAC keys, causing a
denial of service. If these keys were not backed up, all secrets would be
lost.
- Impact: Denial of service, loss of all secrets.
- Likelihood: Low
- Impact: High
- Overall Risk Rating: Medium
- Bug:
- Recommendation: Deployment guidance recommending that HSM credentials are
protected.
4. Compromised HSM credential lets attacker access all secrets (KMIP only)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: Although this review focusses on PKCS#11 barbican deployments, the
following KMIP finding was discovered during review and is included here for
completeness. When using KMIP to connect barbican to a HSM, a compromised HSM
credential allows an attacker to access all secrets stored in the HSM.
- Impact: Compromise of all secrets.
- Likelihood: Low
- Impact: High
- Overall Risk Rating: Medium
- Bug:
- Recommendation: Deployment guidance recommending that HSM credentials are
protected.
5. Metadata should be sanitized before rendering to avoid XSS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: Lack of sanitization of metadata could lead to cross site scripting
(XSS) vulnerabilities.
- Impact:
- Likelihood: Low
- Impact: Medium
- Overall Risk Rating: Medium
- Recommendation: Ensure future UI designers are aware of this risk and
sanitize all metadata before rendering.
6. Weak keystone credentials could result in loss of barbican users/secrets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: An integrity failure of the keystone event queue credentials could
allow an attacker to point barbican at a keystone event queue controlled by
the attacker, the attacker could then publish events triggering deletion of
all users/projects/secrets in barbican.
- Impact: Soft deletion of all users/projects/secrets in the compromised
barbican deployment. Limited impact as there is time to restore deleted
data before the cleanup process runs.
- Likelihood: Low
- Impact: Medium
- Overall Risk Rating: Low
- Bug:
- Recommendation: Strong integrity controls for keystone credentials,
monitoring to detect mass deletion.
7. Compromised keystone credentials could lead to barbican admin compromise
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: If the keystone credentials for the barbican service account (for
token validation) have barbican admin privileges then a confidentiality
failure could allow an attacker to manipulate the barbican administration
functions.
- Impact: Compromise of secrets, DOS.
- Likelihood: Medium
- Impact: High
- Overall Risk Rating: Medium
- Bug:
- Recommendation: Do not grant barbican service account admin privileges
8. Compromise of PKCS#11 MKEK/HMAC backup could cause compromise of all secrets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Risk: Loss of confidentiality of the PKCS#11 MKEK/HMAC backup could allow an
attacker to decrypt all secrets in the barbican database.
- Impact: Compromise of all secrets
- Likelihood: Low
- Impact: High
- Overall Risk Rating: Medium
- Recommendation: Provide handling and encryption recommendations for MKEK/HMAC
backups.
Recommendations:
----------------
1. Provide best practice recommendations for HSM usage and operations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Recommendation: HSM security is outside the scope of this review (because it
is an external entity), but it is critical to the security of a barbican
deployment, so best practice recommendations should be provided for HSM usage
and security.
2. Document metadata useage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Recommendation: barbican metadata is not encrpyted, but users could store
confidential data there. barbican documentation should highlight this to
users.