Aembit in your threat model

Aembit addresses the unique security challenges of managing access between workloads in modern, distributed environments. This section explains the threat modeling approach, the types of threats considered, and how Aembit’s controls mitigate those threats.

Deployment model

Aembit uses a hybrid deployment model that balances centralized control with distributed enforcement:

: Managed SaaS control plane operated by Aembit for policy management, authorization decisions, and audit logging.
: Policy enforcement components deployed in your infrastructure as containers, sidecars, or proxies, depending on your integration pattern.

This model provides centralized policy management while keeping credential brokering close to your workloads for performance and security.

For detailed deployment patterns and architecture, see Software Architecture.

Threat modeling methodology

Aembit uses a structured, risk-based threat modeling process that systematically identifies, categorizes, and prioritizes potential security threats. This process follows these steps:

Identify Assets: Workloads, credentials, policies, audit logs.
Enumerate Threats: Unauthorized access, credential theft, supply chain attacks, insider threats, data exfiltration.
Assess Risks: Evaluate likelihood and impact.
Define Mitigations: Implement controls and monitoring.

Key threat categories and mitigations

Threat Category	Example Scenario	Aembit Mitigation
Unauthorized Access	Compromised workload attempts access	Policy-based access control, identity verification
Credential Theft	Stolen API keys or tokens	Short-lived credentials, secure brokering, audit logs
Supply Chain Attacks	Malicious code in dependencies	Signed container images, policy enforcement
Insider Threats	Privileged user abuses access	RBAC, audit logging, separation of duties
Data Exfiltration	Sensitive data sent to unauthorized destination	Policy restrictions, monitoring, alerting

How Aembit fits into your threat model

Aembit acts as a control point for workload-to-resource access, providing:

Centralized Policy Enforcement: Centrally managed, auditable policies govern all access.
Identity Federation: Integrates with cloud and on-prem identity providers to verify workload identities.
Credential Brokering: Issues , reducing the risk of long-lived secrets.
Comprehensive Auditing: Aembit logs all access requests and policy decisions for compliance and forensics.

Threat surfaces and controls

The following diagram illustrates how Aembit mediates all workload access, enforcing policy, and logging events. Aembit denies and logs unauthorized attempts.

Threat model overview showing how Aembit mediates workload access, enforces policy, logs events, and denies unauthorized attempts from attackers

Component definitions

The preceding diagram shows how Aembit components interact:

Aembit Cloud - Managed SaaS control plane for policy management, credential brokering, and audit logging. Operated by Aembit.
Aembit Edge - Policy enforcement components deployed in your environment (as containers, sidecars, or proxies). Managed by you.
- Your databases, APIs, or services requiring access control.
- Your applications or services requesting access to protected resources.
Audit Logs - Centralized event logs stored in Aembit Cloud for compliance and monitoring.

Security implementation overview

Authentication and authorization

Policy Model: Policy-based access control with
Identity Verification: OAuth 2.0/OIDC protocols
Policy Enforcement: Distributed enforcement via Aembit Edge

Credential management

Ephemeral Credentials: Short-lived credentials with configurable
Just-in-Time Issuance: Credentials issued only when needed, never stored in application code
Automatic Rotation: Supported for compatible

Encryption and data protection

Data in Transit: TLS 1.2 or higher for all communications
Data at Rest: AES-256 encryption for stored data
Key Management: Centralized key management in Aembit Cloud

Audit and monitoring

Centralized Logging: All access requests logged to Aembit Cloud
SIEM Integration: Export logs to external SIEM systems
Compliance Support: Audit trail for regulatory requirements

Detailed security information

For detailed cryptographic specifications, key management procedures, enterprise security commitments, incident response processes, and SLA details, contact Aembit support.

Customer responsibilities

While Aembit provides robust controls, customers are responsible for:

Securing their own workloads and environments.
Configuring access policies appropriately.
Monitoring audit logs and responding to alerts.

Threat model scope

In scope: threats Aembit addresses

Aembit’s threat model focuses on workload-to-resource access and identity:

Credential Exposure and Theft - Stolen API keys, leaked secrets, compromised credentials
Policy Enforcement - Unauthorized access, privilege escalation, access policy violations
Identity Verification - Workload impersonation, spoofing, man-in-the-middle attacks
Access Auditing - Visibility into access patterns, compliance monitoring, forensics

Out of scope: complementary controls

Aembit addresses workload identity and access control. You remain responsible for:

Network Security - DDoS protection, packet filtering, network segmentation
Application Security - SQL injection, XSS, input validation, secure coding practices
Endpoint Security - Host hardening, malware protection, patch management
Physical Security - Data center security, hardware protection

Additional security information

For Aembit’s compliance certifications and framework mappings, see Security Compliance.

For operational security commitments, SLA details, incident response procedures, and enterprise security specifications, contact Aembit support.