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Security Model📜

Big Bang implements a comprehensive, defense-in-depth security model aligned with industry standards and the DoD DevSecOps Reference Architecture. This document outlines the security principles, controls, and implementations that protect applications and data throughout the software development lifecycle.

Overview📜

Big Bang’s security model is built on zero-trust principles and implements multiple layers of security controls to ensure comprehensive protection. The platform addresses security concerns across the entire application lifecycle, from supply chain integrity through runtime protection. Much of the security functionality works out-of-the-box, while also allowing for customization to meet specific organizational requirements. Since the Big Bang team uses Big Bang, many of the security features are continuously tested and improved in real-world scenarios, and then passed on to users.

Core Security Principles📜

  • Zero Trust Architecture: Never trust, always verify
  • Defense in Depth: Multiple layered security controls
  • Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP): Minimal necessary access rights
  • Continuous Monitoring: Real-time security observability
  • Supply Chain Security: End-to-end integrity verification
  • Compliance by Design: Built-in regulatory compliance

Security Architecture📜

1. Service Mesh Security📜

Big Bang leverages Istio service mesh to provide comprehensive network security:

Mutual TLS (mTLS) - Automatic encryption of all service-to-service communication - Certificate-based authentication for service identity - Transparent encryption without application changes

Traffic Policy Enforcement - Declarative security policies for service communication - Network segmentation through service mesh controls - Traffic routing and load balancing with security considerations

Service Identity and Authentication - SPIFFE/SPIRE integration for workload identity - Service account-based authentication - JWT token validation and propagation

2. Policy Enforcement📜

Kyverno Policy Engine - Admission control for Kubernetes resources - Validation, mutation, and generation policies - Compliance policy enforcement at deployment time

Network Policies - Pod-to-pod communication controls - Namespace isolation and segmentation - Default-deny network posture

3. Runtime Security📜

Container Security - Runtime threat detection and response - Behavioral analysis and anomaly detection - Process and network monitoring

Vulnerability Management - Continuous image scanning with Twistlock/Prisma Cloud - Runtime vulnerability assessment - Automated security patching workflows

Security Monitoring - Real-time security event collection - Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) integration - Threat hunting and incident response capabilities

Pod Security Standards - Pod Security Policy enforcement - Security context validation - Privilege escalation prevention

4. Supply Chain Integrity📜

Image Security - Container image signing and verification with Cosign - WIP: Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) generation and tracking - Base image vulnerability scanning

Build Pipeline Security - Secure CI/CD pipeline implementation - Code signing and artifact attestation - Dependency scanning and management

GitOps Security - Git repository access controls and audit logging - Branch protection - Review requirements

Artifact Management - Secure container registry with Harbor - Image promotion workflows - Vulnerability remediation tracking

5. Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP)📜

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) - Granular permissions based on job functions - Regular access reviews and certification - Automated role provisioning and deprovisioning

Service Account Management - Minimal necessary permissions for workloads - Service account token security - Automated credential rotation

Network Segmentation - Micro-segmentation through network policies - Application-layer access controls - Zero-trust network architecture

6. Security Observability📜

Monitoring and Alerting - Comprehensive security metrics collection with Prometheus - Real-time security dashboards with Grafana - Automated alerting for security events

Audit Logging - Kubernetes API audit logging - Application-level audit trails - Centralized log aggregation with Elasticsearch/Fluentd

Compliance Reporting - WIP: Automated compliance reporting - Security posture dashboards - WIP: Risk reporting

WIP: Threat Detection - WIP: Behavioral analytics and machine learning - WIP: Indicators of Compromise (IoC) detection - WIP: Integration with threat intelligence feeds

Compliance and Standards Alignment📜

NIST Cybersecurity Framework📜

Big Bang implements controls aligned with NIST 800-53 and the Cybersecurity Framework:

Identify (ID) - Asset inventory and classification - Risk assessment and management - Governance and risk management processes

Protect (PR) - Access control and identity management - Data protection and privacy controls - Protective technology implementation

Detect (DE) - Continuous monitoring and detection - Security event logging and analysis - Anomaly detection and threat hunting

Respond (RS) - Incident response procedures - Automated response capabilities - Communication and coordination protocols

Recover (RC) - Recovery planning and procedures - Backup and restore capabilities - Business continuity planning

DoD DevSecOps Reference Architecture📜

Big Bang aligns with DoD DevSecOps principles:

WIP: Continuous Authority to Operate (cATO) - WIP: Automated security assessment - WIP: Continuous compliance monitoring - WIP: Risk-based security controls

DevSecOps Pipeline Security - Security testing integration throughout CI/CD - Automated vulnerability assessment - Security gates and approval workflows

Container Security - Iron Bank images - Container security standards - Runtime security monitoring

Security Control Implementation📜

Technical Controls📜

Identity and Access Management - Multi-factor authentication (MFA) - Single sign-on (SSO) with SAML/OIDC - Privileged access management (PAM)

Data Protection - Encryption at rest and in transit - Key management and rotation - Data loss prevention (DLP)

Network Security - Web application firewall (WAF) - Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS) - Network segmentation and isolation

Administrative Controls📜

Security Policies and Procedures - Information security policy framework - Security awareness training programs - Incident response procedures

Configuration Management - Security configuration baselines - Change management processes - Configuration drift detection

Vendor Management - Third-party security assessments - Supply chain risk management - Vendor security requirements

Physical Controls📜

Facility Security - Physical access controls - Environmental monitoring - Equipment protection

Security Best Practices📜

Development Security📜

  1. Secure Coding Practices
  2. Static application security testing (SAST)
  3. Dynamic application security testing (DAST)

  4. Interactive application security testing (IAST)

  5. Dependency Management

  6. Software composition analysis (SCA)
  7. License compliance verification

  8. Vulnerability remediation tracking

  9. Secret Management

  10. External Secrets Operator integration
  11. Secret rotation and lifecycle management
  12. Secret scanning and detection

Operational Security📜

  1. Continuous Monitoring
  2. Real-time security metrics
  3. Automated threat detection

  4. Security event correlation

  5. Incident Response

  6. Playbook-driven response procedures
  7. Automated containment capabilities

  8. Post-incident analysis and improvement

  9. Regular Assessment

  10. Penetration testing and red team exercises
  11. Vulnerability assessments
  12. Security control effectiveness reviews

Implementation Guidelines📜

Getting Started📜

  1. Security Baseline Configuration
  2. Enable default security policies
  3. Configure service mesh security

  4. Implement network segmentation

  5. Monitoring Setup

  6. Deploy security monitoring tools
  7. Configure alerting and notifications

  8. Establish security dashboards

  9. Compliance Configuration

  10. Enable compliance scanning
  11. Configure policy enforcement
  12. Establish reporting procedures

Advanced Security Features📜

  1. Custom Policy Development
  2. Create organization-specific policies
  3. Implement custom security controls

  4. Develop compliance automation

  5. Integration and Orchestration

  6. Connect with external security tools
  7. Implement security orchestration
  8. Automate response procedures

Conclusion📜

Big Bang’s security model provides comprehensive protection through defense-in-depth strategies, continuous monitoring, and compliance-by-design principles. By implementing these security controls and following best practices, organizations can achieve robust security posture while maintaining operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

For implementation guidance and specific security configurations, refer to the detailed documentation for each security component and the operational security procedures in the Operations section.