AES-GCM encryption implementation

[ralyodio]

📋 Product Requirements Document

PRD: AES-GCM encryption implementation

Issue: #144
Milestone: Phase 4: Security
Labels: secrets-encryption, hacktoberfest

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PRD: AES-GCM Encryption Implementation

Overview

The AES-GCM encryption implementation is a critical feature for the MeshHook project, directly contributing to our goal of offering a secure, multi-tenant workflow engine. As part of Phase 4: Security, this task focuses on enhancing the security of stored secrets by adopting AES-GCM, an authenticated encryption algorithm that provides both data confidentiality and integrity. This aligns with our commitment to multi-tenant RLS security and secrets encryption, ensuring that sensitive data is protected at rest.

Functional Requirements

1. Encryption Mechanism: Implement AES-GCM encryption for all secrets stored by MeshHook. This includes, but is not limited to, webhook secrets, access tokens, and any user-defined secrets within workflows.
2. Key Management: Implement a Key Encryption Key (KEK) management system, allowing for regular rotation of KEKs without losing access to data encrypted with previous keys.
3. API for Encryption and Decryption: Provide internal API methods for encrypting and decrypting data, ensuring these methods can be easily utilized wherever secrets management is required in the MeshHook codebase.
4. Migration Path: Develop a secure migration path for existing secrets to be encrypted with AES-GCM, ensuring zero data loss and minimal service interruption.
5. Utility Functions: Include utility functions for generating secure nonces for AES-GCM, as this is crucial for maintaining the security guarantees of AES-GCM.

Non-Functional Requirements

• Performance: The encryption and decryption operations must be optimized for performance, ensuring minimal impact on request processing times.
• Security: Adhere to best practices in cryptographic implementations, avoiding common pitfalls such as insecure nonce usage or key management flaws.
• Reliability: Ensure that the encryption system is robust, with fail-safes in place to prevent data loss or corruption.
• Maintainability: Write clear, well-documented code with an emphasis on maintainability and ease of understanding, following the project's established coding standards.

Technical Specifications

Architecture Context

MeshHook leverages a combination of SvelteKit for front-end interactions, Supabase for backend services including Postgres for data storage, and a distributed system of workers for task execution. The AES-GCM encryption feature will primarily interact with the components responsible for secrets management and storage within the Supabase Postgres database.

Implementation Approach

1. Analysis: Review the current secrets storage mechanism to identify all areas where encryption needs to be integrated.
2. Design:
   • Define a schema for storing encrypted secrets along with their nonces and associated KEK identifiers.
   • Design the KEK management system, including database schema for KEK storage and rotation logic.
3. Implementation:
   • Develop the encryption/decryption API, incorporating AES-GCM and KEK management.
   • Implement utility functions for nonce generation and secure storage of encryption metadata.
   • Integrate the encryption API into existing secrets management workflows.
   • Create a migration tool/script for encrypting existing secrets.
4. Testing: Perform thorough testing, including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests, to ensure the encryption system functions correctly across all scenarios.
5. Documentation: Update internal documentation to reflect the new encryption mechanism and provide guidelines for developers on using the encryption API.
6. Review & Deployment: Conduct a code review with the team and prepare for deployment, including planning any required downtime for secret migration.

Data Model Changes

• encrypted_secrets table:

  • id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY
  • project_id INT REFERENCES projects(id)
  • encrypted_data BYTEA
  • nonce BYTEA
  • kek_id INT REFERENCES kek(id)

• kek table:

  • id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY
  • key BYTEA
  • created_at TIMESTAMP

API Endpoints

• No new external API endpoints required for this task.
• Internal APIs for encrypt/decrypt operations will be added to the project's service layer.

Acceptance Criteria

• AES-GCM encryption implemented for all new and existing secrets.
• KEK management system operational with the ability to rotate keys without data loss.
• Migration tool/scripts developed and tested for encrypting existing secrets.
• Encryption and decryption operations meet performance benchmarks.
• All unit and integration tests pass, ensuring encryption system reliability.
• Documentation updated to include details on the encryption implementation and usage.
• Security audit completed with no major issues found.

Dependencies

• Access to the current MeshHook codebase and database schema.
• Supabase Postgres for database changes.
• Security libraries supporting AES-GCM (e.g., Node.js crypto module).

Implementation Notes

Development Guidelines

• Use Node.js' built-in crypto module for AES-GCM operations to avoid additional dependencies.
• Follow TDD principles by writing tests before implementing the encryption logic.
• Ensure that all encryption operations are asynchronous to avoid blocking the event loop.

Testing Strategy

• Implement unit tests for all new utility functions and API methods.
• Integration tests should cover the encryption and decryption workflow, including key rotation.
• Performance tests to measure the impact of encryption on processing times.

Security Considerations

• Ensure secure generation and storage of nonces for AES-GCM to prevent reuse.
• Follow best practices for key management, including secure storage and regular rotation of KEKs.
• Conduct a thorough security review of the implementation to identify potential vulnerabilities.

Monitoring & Observability

• Monitor the performance of encryption and decryption operations to identify potential bottlenecks.
• Log key rotation events and any encryption-related errors for auditability.

By adhering to this PRD, the MeshHook project will enhance its security posture through the secure management of secrets, aligning with our goal of providing a reliable, secure, and user-friendly workflow engine.

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This PRD was AI-generated using gpt-4-turbo-preview from GitHub issue #144
Generated: 2025-10-10

📎 Generated Documentation

• 📄 PRD Document: 144-aes-gcm-encryption-implementation.md
• 🎨 PlantUML Diagram: 144-aes-gcm-encryption-implementation.puml
• 🖼️ Diagram Image: 144-aes-gcm-encryption-implementation.png

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This issue body was auto-generated from the PRD. Original issue content is preserved in the PRD document.
Last updated: 2025-10-10