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diff --git a/docs/security-and-privacy-design/netdata-agent-security.md b/docs/security-and-privacy-design/netdata-agent-security.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..8cb6a9aa --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/security-and-privacy-design/netdata-agent-security.md @@ -0,0 +1,71 @@ +# Netdata Agent Security and Privacy Design + +## Security by Design + +Netdata Agent is designed with a security-first approach. Its structure ensures data safety by only exposing chart +metadata and metric values, not the raw data collected. This design principle allows Netdata to be used in environments +requiring the highest level of data isolation, such as PCI Level 1. Even though Netdata plugins connect to a user's +database server or read application log files to collect raw data, only the processed metrics are stored in Netdata +databases, sent to upstream Netdata servers, or archived to external time-series databases. + +## User Data Protection + +The Netdata Agent is programmed to safeguard user data. When collecting data, the raw data does not leave the host. All +plugins, even those running with escalated capabilities or privileges, perform a hard-coded data collection job. They do +not accept commands from Netdata, and the original application data collected do not leave the process they are +collected in, are not saved, and are not transferred to the Netdata daemon. For the “Functions” feature, the data +collection plugins offer Functions, and the user interface merely calls them back as defined by the data collector. The +Netdata Agent main process does not require any escalated capabilities or privileges from the operating system, and +neither do most of the data collecting plugins. + +## Communication and Data Encryption + +Data collection plugins communicate with the main Netdata process via ephemeral, in-memory, pipes that are inaccessible +to any other process. + +Streaming of metrics between Netdata agents requires an API key and can also be encrypted with TLS if the user +configures it. + +The Netdata agent's web API can also use TLS if configured. + +When Netdata agents are claimed to Netdata Cloud, the communication happens via MQTT over Web Sockets over TLS, and +public/private keys are used for authorizing access. These keys are exchanged during the claiming process (usually +during the provisioning of each agent). + +## Authentication + +Direct user access to the agent is not authenticated, considering that users should either use Netdata Cloud, or they +are already on the same LAN, or they have configured proper firewall policies. However, Netdata agents can be hidden +behind an authenticating web proxy if required. + +For other Netdata agents streaming metrics to an agent, authentication via API keys is required and TLS can be used if +configured. + +For Netdata Cloud accessing Netdata agents, public/private key cryptography is used and TLS is mandatory. + +## Security Vulnerability Response + +If a security vulnerability is found in the Netdata Agent, the Netdata team acknowledges and analyzes each report within +three working days, kicking off a Security Release Process. Any vulnerability information shared with the Netdata team +stays within the Netdata project and is not disseminated to other projects unless necessary for fixing the issue. The +reporter is kept updated as the security issue moves from triage to identified fix, to release planning. More +information can be found [here](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/security/policy). + +## Protection Against Common Security Threats + +The Netdata agent is resilient against common security threats such as DDoS attacks and SQL injections. For DDoS, +Netdata agent uses a fixed number of threads for processing requests, providing a cap on the resources that can be +consumed. It also automatically manages its memory to prevent overutilization. SQL injections are prevented as nothing +from the UI is passed back to the data collection plugins accessing databases. + +Additionally, the Netdata agent is running as a normal, unprivileged, operating system user (a few data collections +require escalated privileges, but these privileges are isolated to just them), every netdata process runs by default +with a nice priority to protect production applications in case the system is starving for CPU resources, and Netdata +agents are configured by default to be the first processes to be killed by the operating system in case the operating +system starves for memory resources (OS-OOM - Operating System Out Of Memory events). + +## User Customizable Security Settings + +Netdata provides users with the flexibility to customize agent security settings. Users can configure TLS across the +system, and the agent provides extensive access control lists on all its interfaces to limit access to its endpoints +based on IP. Additionally, users can configure the CPU and Memory priority of Netdata agents. |