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HBASE-30130 Add a security-model section to the website#8170

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apurtell:HBASE-30130
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HBASE-30130 Add a security-model section to the website#8170
apurtell wants to merge 1 commit intoapache:masterfrom
apurtell:HBASE-30130

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@apurtell
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Add a "Security Model" page to the Apache HBase website, following the ASF Security Team's recommendation for projects to document their security assumptions.

The page defines HBase's trust boundaries, explains that HBase's default unauthenticated configuration is intended only for development and testing, and clarifies security expectations for gateway services, coprocessors, web UIs, and transport encryption. It enumerates what constitutes a valid vulnerability versus what does not, providing clear guidance for operators, security researchers, and the ASF Security Team when triaging incoming reports.

@apurtell apurtell requested a review from PDavid April 29, 2026 20:17
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@raboof raboof left a comment

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looks good, added a few comments!


## Reporting Security Vulnerabilities

To report an undisclosed, sensitive security vulnerability in Apache HBase, please preferentially send your report to the private mailing list [private@hbase.apache.org](mailto:private@hbase.apache.org). You may also report security vulnerabilities to the Apache Software Foundation's security team privately via email at [security@apache.org](mailto:security@apache.org). Please do not use JIRA or any public channel for security reports.
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Please do not ask people to report vulnerabilities to private@hbase.apache.org, but ask them to email security@apache.org.

If you're ready to receive reports 'directly', you can request a project security list (https://security.apache.org/resources/#project-specific-security-lists)


## What Is Considered a Vulnerability

The following categories of issues are considered valid security vulnerabilities and should be reported to [private@hbase.apache.org](mailto:private@hbase.apache.org) or [security@apache.org](mailto:security.apache.org):
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(same here)

Comment on lines +95 to +96
- **Authorization bypass**: An authenticated user performing operations beyond their granted ACL permissions.
- **Privilege escalation**: An authenticated user with limited permissions gaining administrative or superuser capabilities.
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isn't that kind of the same?

- **Access requiring operator-level cluster configuration changes**: Issues that require modifying `hbase-site.xml` or other server configuration files require host-level access, which is outside the HBase security boundary.
- **Information disclosure via administrative interfaces on trusted networks**: Version information, configuration details, or metrics visible in the web UIs when accessed from within the trusted network.
- **Exposure of services on untrusted networks**: Placing HBase services directly on the public internet without firewalls or VPN is an operator misconfiguration, not a vulnerability.

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Some more things to put in either of the above lists:

  • Are logs intended to be safe to expose to users with read-only authorization, or may they contain credentials?
  • Is it a problem when an unauthenticated user can easily determine the deployed version?
  • Is it OK if an attacker can discover what usernames are valid for the system?

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