This document outlines the security model, known vulnerabilities, and security practices for Manta.

Manta implements multiple layers of security:

1. Input Validation: All user inputs are validated through JSON schema
2. Sandboxing: Shell commands run with restricted permissions
3. Allowlists: Explicit allowlists for paths and commands
4. Rate Limiting: Per-user request throttling
5. Authentication: Pairing codes for new users

• Crate: rsa v0.9.10
• Severity: Medium (5.9)
• Issue: Potential key recovery through timing sidechannels
• Status: No fixed upgrade available (upstream dependency via sqlx-mysql)
• Impact: Manta uses SQLite, not MySQL, so this vulnerability is not exploitable in Manta deployments
• Mitigation: We don't use RSA for cryptographic operations in Manta

• Crate: sqlx v0.7.4
• Severity: High
• Issue: Binary Protocol Misinterpretation caused by Truncating or Overflowing Casts
• Status: Upgrade to >=0.8.1 required
• Impact: Affects SQLite protocol handling
• Mitigation: We recommend:
  • Regular database backups
  • Input validation on all database queries
  • Monitoring for unusual database behavior

The following dependencies are unmaintained but don't have known security vulnerabilities:

1. paste (RUSTSEC-2024-0436) - Used by sqlx-core
2. proc-macro-error (RUSTSEC-2024-0370) - Used by teloxide
3. rustls-pemfile v1.0.4 (RUSTSEC-2025-0134) - Used by reqwest

These are transitive dependencies and will be updated when upstream crates release updates.

Manta's SecurityValidator detects and blocks path traversal attempts:

// Blocked patterns:
- "../"              - Directory traversal
- "..\\"             - Windows traversal
- "~/.."             - Home directory escape
- "/.."              - Root escape
- "%2e%2e%2f"        - URL-encoded traversal
- "%252e%252e%252f"  - Double URL-encoded
- "//"               - Double slash

The following characters are blocked in shell commands:

• ; - Command separator
• & - Background process
• | - Pipe
• $ - Variable substitution
• ` - Command substitution
• $( - Command substitution
• ${ - Variable expansion

Sensitive configuration should use environment variables:

provider:
  api_key: "${OPENAI_API_KEY}"  # Never hardcode secrets

Default sandbox settings:

security:
  sandbox:
    enabled: true
    allowed_commands: ["ls", "cat", "grep", "curl"]
    forbidden_paths: ["/etc/passwd", "~/.ssh/*"]
    timeout_seconds: 30

• All HTTP clients use rustls-tls (native Rust TLS, not OpenSSL)
• Certificate validation is enabled by default
• No option to disable TLS verification in production

Web tools support domain allowlisting/blocklisting:

tools:
  web:
    blocked_domains: ["localhost", "127.0.0.1", "10.*", "192.168.*"]

1. Run as non-root user

   useradd -r -s /bin/false manta

2. Use read-only filesystem where possible

   --read-only --tmpfs /tmp
   

3. Limit network access

   • Only expose necessary ports
   • Use internal networks for database connections

4. Enable rate limiting

   security:
     rate_limits:
       requests_per_minute: 30

1. Never commit secrets to version control
2. Use environment variables or secret management systems
3. Rotate API keys regularly
4. Use different keys for different environments

Monitor for:

• Unusual API request patterns
• Path traversal attempts in logs
• Rate limit violations
• Failed authentication attempts

Before deploying Manta:

• Changed default API keys
• Configured allowlists appropriately
• Enabled sandbox mode
• Set up rate limiting
• Configured log rotation
• Running as non-root user
• Firewall rules configured
• Regular backups scheduled
• Monitoring alerts configured

If you discover a security vulnerability:

1. DO NOT open a public issue
2. Email security concerns to: security@example.com
3. Include:
   • Description of the vulnerability
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Possible impact
   • Suggested fix (if any)

We will respond within 48 hours and work on a fix.

• Critical vulnerabilities: Fix within 7 days
• High severity: Fix within 30 days
• Medium/Low severity: Fix in next scheduled release
• Dependency updates: Monthly review

• RustSec Advisory Database
• OWASP Top 10
• CIS Docker Benchmark