docs: add threat model document

THREAT_MODEL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+# OpenTelemetry JS Threat Model
+
+This document describes the threat model for the OpenTelemetry JavaScript
+projects, including [opentelemetry-js](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-js)
+and [opentelemetry-js-contrib](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-js-contrib).
+Its purpose is to define what the project considers a security vulnerability and
+what falls outside that scope, helping security researchers, maintainers, and
+users set clear expectations.
+
+## Trusted Elements
+
+In the OpenTelemetry JS threat model, the following elements are considered
+**trusted**. Vulnerabilities that require the compromise of these trusted
+elements are outside the scope of this threat model.
+
+- **Application code and its inputs to OpenTelemetry APIs** — Everything passed
+  to SDK and API packages (span names, attribute values, metric measurements,
+  log bodies, etc.) is trusted input. It is the application developer's
+  responsibility to sanitize data before passing it to OpenTelemetry APIs.
+
+- **Environment variables** — `OTEL_*` environment variables and any other
+  environment variables used for configuration are trusted. Scenarios that
+  require an attacker to control environment variables are out of scope.
+
+- **The operating system and runtime** — The underlying OS, the runtime,
+  and browser environments are trusted.
+
+- **Export destinations** — The configured collector or backend endpoints are
+  trusted. Users should not export telemetry to untrusted destinations, as
+  telemetry data discloses information about the application. Responses received
+  from export destinations (response headers, error messages, etc.) are also
+  trusted.
+
+- **Instrumented libraries** — For instrumentations, the third-party library
+  being instrumented (e.g., `express`, `pg`, `redis`) is trusted. If that
+  library has a vulnerability, it is not an OpenTelemetry vulnerability.
+
+- **Build environment and development tooling** — Build scripts, CI/CD
+  pipelines, and development tools operate in a trusted environment.
+
+## What Constitutes a Vulnerability
+
+### SDK and API Packages
+
+A vulnerability exists in SDK or API packages if untrusted data that passes
+*through* OpenTelemetry (not application-provided inputs) can cause:
+
+- Loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data protected through
+  the correct use of OpenTelemetry APIs.
+- Crashes or unrecoverable errors in the application.
+- Unbounded degradation of runtime performance.
+
+### Propagators (Context Extraction)
+
+Propagators parse context from headers that originate from untrusted network
+sources (e.g., `traceparent`, `tracestate`, `baggage`). A vulnerability exists
+if untrusted propagation headers can cause:
+
+- Crashes or unrecoverable errors.
+- Unbounded resource consumption (e.g., regular expression denial of service on
+  header parsing).
+- Injection of data that bypasses expected validation or escaping.
+
+### Instrumentations
+
+Instrumentations process data from potentially untrusted inbound network
+connections (HTTP headers, URLs, gRPC metadata, etc.). A vulnerability exists if
+untrusted inbound data can cause:
+
+- Crashes that would **not** have occurred without the instrumentation installed.
+- Unbounded resource consumption (e.g., infinite loops generating spans) that
+  goes beyond reasonable instrumentation overhead and would not otherwise occur
+  in the uninstrumented application.
+- Disclosure of sensitive data that the instrumented library itself would not
+  expose.
+
+### Denial of Service (DoS)
+
+For a behavior to be considered a DoS vulnerability, the proof of concept must
+demonstrate:
+
+- The API is being correctly used and is stable/documented.
+- The behavior is directly exploitable by an untrusted source without requiring
+  application mistakes.
+- [Asymmetric resource consumption](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/405.html):
+  the attacker expends significantly fewer resources than the target consumes.
+- The behavior goes beyond expected instrumentation or SDK overhead.
+
+## What Does NOT Constitute a Vulnerability
+
+### Malicious Application Code
+
+Application code is trusted. Any scenario that requires malicious first-party
+code or malicious dependencies is not a vulnerability in OpenTelemetry.
+
+### Unsanitized Application Inputs
+
+OpenTelemetry trusts the inputs provided to it by application code. Scenarios
+that require control over values passed to OpenTelemetry APIs (e.g., prototype
+pollution via attribute values) are not considered vulnerabilities. It is the
+application's responsibility to sanitize inputs.
+
+### Misuse of APIs
+
+Any usage of OpenTelemetry APIs that does not adhere to the contract laid out by
+their TypeScript types and documentation is not covered by this threat model.
+Scenarios that rely on passing incorrect types, calling internal or undocumented
+APIs, or otherwise violating the API contract are not considered vulnerabilities.
+
+### Resource Exhaustion from Export Destinations
+
+If a configured collector or backend sends responses large enough to impact
+performance, this is not a vulnerability. Export destinations are trusted.
+
+### Environment Variable Manipulation
+
+Since environment variables are trusted, scenarios requiring attacker control of
+environment variables are out of scope.
+
+### Instrumentation Overhead
+
+Additional CPU and memory consumption from instrumentations within reasonable
+limits is expected behavior. Pushing an application over resource limits due to
+the expected cost of instrumentation is not a vulnerability.
+
+### Vulnerabilities in Instrumented Libraries
+
+Bugs or vulnerabilities in the libraries being instrumented (e.g., `express`,
+`pg`, `redis`) are not OpenTelemetry vulnerabilities. Only *new* attack surface
+introduced by the instrumentation is in scope.
+
+### Crashes That Would Occur Without Instrumentation
+
+If an inbound request would crash the application regardless of whether an
+instrumentation is installed, the crash is not an OpenTelemetry vulnerability.
+
+### Dependency Vulnerabilities
+
+Vulnerabilities reported in third-party dependencies are not automatically
+considered vulnerabilities in OpenTelemetry JS:
+
+- If the vulnerable code path in the dependency is **not exercised** by
+  OpenTelemetry, the report is not accepted.
+- If the vulnerable code path **is** exercised but the dependency is specified as
+  a version range that includes the fixed version, an expedited release will not
+  be issued. Users can resolve the issue by re-generating their `package-lock.json`
+  (or equivalent lock file) to pick up the patched dependency version.
+- An expedited release may be considered only when the vulnerable code path is
+  exercised by OpenTelemetry **and** the dependency is pinned or constrained to a
+  range that does not include the fix.
+
+### Build System Attacks
+
+Attacks requiring control of the build environment (e.g., command injection via
+build tool environment variables, path hijacking in build directories) are out of
+scope. The build environment is trusted.