diff --git a/SECURITY.md b/SECURITY.md index c293b53e971..4069899d89c 100644 --- a/SECURITY.md +++ b/SECURITY.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ reporting security vulnerabilities. - [User Categories and Responsibilities](#user-categories-and-responsibilities) - [UI User Roles and Privileges](#ui-user-roles-and-privileges) - [Deployments and Computing Units](#deployments-and-computing-units) -- [What is NOT a Security Issue](#what-is-not-a-security-issue) +- [What are NOT Security Issues](#what-are-not-security-issues) - [Reporting Security Vulnerabilities](#reporting-security-vulnerabilities) ## Security Model Overview @@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ account. **Who They Are**: Individuals who interact with Texera through the web interface. -**Access Level**: Application-level access only. UI users work within the Texera platform but do not have access to: +**Access Level**: UI users interact with Texera through the web interface and do not have direct access to: - The underlying infrastructure (servers, Kubernetes cluster) - Database administration @@ -86,6 +86,8 @@ account. - Network and firewall settings - Container orchestration +**Important**: REGULAR and ADMIN users can execute arbitrary code through UDFs, which may access resources in the execution environment. Deployment managers are responsible for mitigating this risk. See [What are NOT Security Issues](#what-are-not-security-issues) for details. + **Roles**: UI users are assigned one of four roles (INACTIVE, RESTRICTED, REGULAR, ADMIN) that control their permissions within the Texera application. @@ -157,8 +159,9 @@ our [wiki](https://github.com/apache/texera/wiki/How-to-run-Texera-on-local-Kube ### Computing Unit Types Texera executes workflows on **computing units**. UI users (REGULAR and ADMIN) can execute arbitrary code (e.g., through -UDFs written in Python, R, Scala) within computing units as part of their workflows. This code is currently not -sandboxed or restricted by Texera. Deployment managers configure which types of computing units are available: +UDFs written in Python, R, Java, Scala) within computing units as part of their workflows. See [What are NOT Security Issues](#what-are-not-security-issues) for the security implications of UDF execution. + +Deployment managers configure which types of computing units are available: #### Local Computing Units @@ -174,6 +177,7 @@ Local computing units run as processes on the same machine as the Texera service **Security considerations**: - Users' workflow code executes on the host machine with limited isolation +- UDF code executes with access to resources in the host environment — see [What are NOT Security Issues](#what-are-not-security-issues) - Deployment managers must trust all REGULAR and ADMIN users - Resource exhaustion by one user can affect all users @@ -194,6 +198,7 @@ a user needs it. - Better isolation between users compared to local computing units - Kubernetes provides namespace and pod-level isolation - Resource limits prevent individual users from consuming excessive resources +- UDF code within a pod can still access resources available inside that pod's environment (e.g., environment variables, mounted secrets) - Container security and image scanning should be implemented - Deployment managers must secure the Kubernetes cluster infrastructure @@ -202,6 +207,7 @@ a user needs it. Texera's security model does NOT guarantee: - Protection against malicious code in user workflows (users can execute arbitrary code) +- Isolation of application secrets from UDF code executing within the same process or pod - Strong isolation between workflows in local computing units - Complete isolation between workflows in Kubernetes computing units within the same namespace - Protection against infrastructure-level compromises @@ -215,10 +221,16 @@ The following are **NOT considered security vulnerabilities** in Texera: ### User Code Execution -REGULAR and ADMIN users can execute arbitrary code (Python, R, Scala) within computing units. This is by design - Texera -is a data analytics platform where custom code execution is a core feature. The system currently does not sandbox user -code beyond the isolation provided by the deployment environment (local processes or Kubernetes pods). Deployment -managers should use resource limits, monitor usage, and restrict user roles appropriately. +REGULAR and ADMIN users can execute arbitrary code (Python, R, Java, Scala) within computing units through UDFs. This is by design — custom code execution is a core feature of the platform. + +UDF code may access resources available in the execution environment, including: + +- Texera's application configurations +- Environment variables of the host + +This is not considered a vulnerability. Deployment managers are expected to mitigate this risk by ensuring only trusted users are granted access to the platform. Users who are no longer trusted should have their roles adjusted to RESTRICTED, which disallows any workflow execution. + +In future Texera releases, we plan to introduce features for sandboxing UDF execution, making the UDF environment isolated with no access to system-level secrets. ### Resource Consumption @@ -262,7 +274,7 @@ lists and website. --- -**Last Updated**: November 2025 +**Last Updated**: March 2026 **Disclaimer**: This project is currently undergoing incubation at The Apache Software Foundation (ASF). Incubation is required of all newly accepted projects until a further review indicates that the infrastructure, communications, and