docs: move sandbox threat model to docs/security.md, add code reference

This commit is contained in:
damocles 2026-05-22 12:28:04 +02:00
parent a6bd4cf502
commit 6ca72074c4
3 changed files with 36 additions and 13 deletions

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@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ when you need depth on a subsystem. This file is the index.
- Operator/agent trust-boundary design:
**[docs/boundary.md](docs/boundary.md)** (`area:ops` issues
for the deployment/gateway/privsep work).
- Credential isolation + sandbox threat model:
**[docs/security.md](docs/security.md)**.
## File map

33
docs/security.md Normal file
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# Security model
## Nix builds and credential isolation (issue #240)
### Background
Agent containers bind-mount the host's `nix-daemon` socket. The host daemon may
have `sandbox-fallback = false` (strict NixOS defaults), which causes `nix build`
inside nspawn containers to fail — containers lack kernel user namespaces, so nix
cannot set up its build sandbox. `harness-base.nix` sets `sandbox-fallback = true`
so that builds fall back to unsandboxed execution rather than failing outright.
### Threat model
Unsandboxed nix builds run as `nixbld` users (non-root, typically UIDs 30001-30010).
Without sandbox isolation, a build derivation's builder script has read access to
any file in the container that the nixbld user can read.
**What is NOT exposed**:
- `/root/.claude/` — mode `0700`, owned by root. nixbld users cannot read it.
- `/state/forge-token` — written at mode `0600` by `hive-c0re/src/forge.rs`.
nixbld users cannot read it.
**Policy**: all credential files written to agent state directories MUST be mode
`0600` or stricter. Do not create world-readable secret files in agent state dirs.
### Long-term fix
The proper fix is to enable user namespaces inside nspawn containers
(`--private-users=inherit` in `EXTRA_NSPAWN_FLAGS`) so nix can set up its real
sandbox and `sandbox-fallback` becomes a true last resort. This requires verifying
bind-mount compatibility with user namespace UID mapping and is tracked as a TODO.

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# fail inside the container. Enable sandbox-fallback so builds that
# can't set up the sandbox (no user-namespaces in nspawn) fall back
# to unsandboxed local builds rather than failing outright.
#
# Security note (issue #240): unsandboxed builds run as `nixbld` users
# (non-root) and can read any world-readable file in the container.
# Mitigations in place:
# - /root/.claude (claude session) is mode 700, root-owned - nixbld
# users cannot access it.
# - /state/forge-token (Forgejo API token) is written at mode 0600 by
# hive-c0re/src/forge.rs - nixbld users cannot access it.
# All future credential files written to agent state dirs MUST be mode
# 0600 or stricter. Do NOT create world-readable secret files.
# Long-term fix: enable user namespaces in nspawn containers
# (--private-users=inherit) so the nix sandbox actually works and
# sandbox-fallback becomes a true last resort.
# Security implications: see docs/security.md.
nix.settings.sandbox-fallback = true;
# `claude-code` is unfree. Each per-agent container's nixosConfiguration