Connector Security

At IDHub, we prioritize the security of your connector credentials, implementing rigorous measures to safeguard them. These credentials are securely stored within a Google Kubernetes container, with their values encrypted in a file to prevent unauthorized access. We utilize advanced encryption techniques and follow industry best practices to ensure that your data remains protected. Additionally, our security approach includes regular updates and assessments to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities. Below are the detailed security features we have implemented to ensure the safe storage and protection of your connector credentials.

Encryption
To encrypt a sensitive value, the following process is applied:

• Encryption key is internally derived using  the 256-bit AES encryption with Galois Counter Mode (GCM) algorithm
• Encrypt the sensitive value using the 256-bit AES encryption with Galois Counter Mode (GCM) algorithm with the derived key and a randomly generated IV. 
• Store the encrypted value securely within the application's file system

Decryption
To decrypt the encrypted value, the following process is used:

• Retrieve the encrypted value from the secure storage. 
• Decrypt the encrypted value using the 256-bit AES encryption with Galois Counter Mode (GCM) algorithm with passphrase

This approach ensures that only authorized parties with the correct passphrase can access the original sensitive data.

Encryption in Transit
To protect sensitive data during network transmission, we implement HTTPS using the SSL/TLS protocol. This includes:

• SSL/TLS Protocol: 
  • HTTPS utilizes SSL/TLS to encrypt data in transit, preventing eavesdropping and tampering. 
•  Certificate Management: 
  • We use valid SSL/TLS certificates issued by trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs) to establish secure connections. These certificates are regularly updated to maintain security.

The connector credentials is stored inside a container. We have ensured that even if one is able to breach the IDHub K8 cluster (which is extremely unlikely) , then in the next level one would also have to breach the containerization security as well.

• Reduced Attack Surface
  • Containers encapsulate applications and their dependencies, minimizing the attack surface exposed to potential threats. This isolation limits the impact of vulnerabilities within a container, as they are confined to the container itself and cannot spread to the host system or other containers.
• Consistent and Predictable Environments
  • Containers ensure a consistent and predictable  environment, making it easier to manage and secure applications. The immutable nature of container images, combined with the ability to easily rebuild and redeploy containers, reduces the risk of configuration drift and unintended changes that can introduce security vulnerabilities.
• Improved Patch Management
  • Containerization simplifies the process of applying security patches and updates. By updating the container image and redeploying the containers, we have ensured that we can quickly address known vulnerabilities without the need to manage the complete stacks.
• Separation of Concerns
  • Since containers allows us to decouple the application from the underlying  infrastructure, allowing for a clear separation of concerns. This separation reduces the attack surface and the potential for cross-contamination between different components of the system.

• Volume Abstraction
  •  Containers typically use volumes to manage persistent data storage, abstracted from the container's file system. This volume abstraction allows for better control and management of data, including the ability to encrypt, backup, and restore data independently of the container.
• Network Isolation
  • Containers are isolated at the network level, with each container having its own network namespace. This isolation helps prevent unauthorized access and lateral movement within the container environment, limiting the potential for data breaches
• Image Scanning and Vulnerability Management
  • Kubernetes (containerization platforms that we use) offer tools to scan container images for known vulnerabilities and security issues. This proactive approach helps us identify and address potential security risks before deploying containers to production environments.

• Passphrase Security
  •  The passphrases used for encryption are securely stored and not shared with unauthorized parties.
• Salt Security
  • The randomly generated salt values are essential for preventing dictionary attacks. 
• Connector Manager
  • Only Admin user (real-admin) can login to the connector manager, and access or change the the credentials secrets of the connector using IDHub’s connector manager functionality provided. The admin user credentials to login to the connector manager is secured and can’t be easily breached. if you have realm admin access, then all the KeyCloak functions are already enabled in your tenant
• KeyCloak based Security
  • In your IDHub tenant, you can access KeyCloak and configure your own authentications flows for further strengthening the security of your Connector manager credentials.
• MFA/SSO
  • You can enable MFA or password less logins via KeyCloak, so that admin user can login to the connector manager using the MFA authentication protocol that you have configured in KeyCloak for your tenant. This gives you additional layer of security, since the KeyCloak provides OTP / SSO / MFA based secure access protocols, hence the risk of password breach of admin user (for connector manager) is also mitigated

By leveraging 256-bit AES encryption with Galois Counter Mode (GCM), we provide a high level of security for storing and managing sensitive data within our containers. This approach, combined with secure network transmission using HTTPS, helps ensure the protection of confidential information against unauthorized access and potential breaches.