mirror of https://github.com/hashicorp/consul
54 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
54 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "Security Model"
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sidebar_current: "docs-internals-security"
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---
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# Security Model
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Consul relies on both a lightweight gossip mechanism and an RPC system
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to provide various features. Both of the systems have different security
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mechanisms that stem from their designs. However, the goals
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of Consuls security are to provide [confidentiality, integrity and authentication](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_security).
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The [gossip protocol](/docs/internals/gossip.html) is powered by [Serf](http://www.serfdom.io/),
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which uses a symmetric key, or shared secret, cryptosystem. There are more
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details on the security of [Serf here](http://www.serfdom.io/docs/internals/security.html).
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The RPC system supports using end-to-end TLS, with optional client authentication.
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[TLS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security) is a widely deployed asymmetric
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cryptosystem, and is the foundation of security on the Internet.
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This means Consul communication is protected against eavesdropping, tampering,
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or spoofing. This makes it possible to run Consul over untrusted networks such
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as EC2 and other shared hosting providers.
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<div class="alert alert-block alert-warning">
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<strong>Advanced Topic!</strong> This page covers the technical details of
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the security model of Consul. You don't need to know these details to
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operate and use Consul. These details are documented here for those who wish
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to learn about them without having to go spelunking through the source code.
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</div>
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## Threat Model
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The following are the various parts of our threat model:
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* Non-members getting access to data
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* Cluster state manipulation due to malicious messages
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* Fake data generation due to malicious messages
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* Tampering causing state corruption
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* Denial of Service against a node
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Additionally, we recognize that an attacker that can observe network
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traffic for an extended period of time may infer the cluster members.
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The gossip mechanism used by Consul relies on sending messages to random
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members, so an attacker can record all destinations and determine all
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members of the cluster.
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When designing security into a system you design it to fit the threat model.
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Our goal is not to protect top secret data but to provide a "reasonable"
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level of security that would require an attacker to commit a considerable
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amount of resources to defeat.
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