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Security Policy for API Module

This document outlines security procedures and policies for the API module.

Reporting a Vulnerability​

If you discover a security vulnerability within this module, please report it to us as soon as possible. We take all security reports seriously.

DO NOT report security vulnerabilities through public GitHub issues.

Instead, please email security@codomyrmex.dev with the subject line: "SECURITY Vulnerability Report: API Module - [Brief Description]".

Please include the following information in your report:

  • A description of the vulnerability and its potential impact.
  • Steps to reproduce the vulnerability, including any specific configurations or conditions required.
  • Any proof-of-concept code or examples.
  • The version(s) of the module affected.
  • Your name and contact information (optional).

We aim to acknowledge receipt of your vulnerability report within 2-3 business days and will work with you to understand and remediate the issue. We may request additional information if needed.

Public disclosure of the vulnerability will be coordinated with you after the vulnerability has been fixed and an update is available, or after a reasonable period if a fix is not immediately possible.

Security Updates​

Security patches and updates for this module will be documented in the module changelog and released as part of regular version updates. Critical vulnerabilities may warrant out-of-band releases.

Scope​

This security policy applies only to the API module within the Codomyrmex project. For project-wide security concerns, please refer to the main project's security policy or contact the core project maintainers.

Security Considerations for API Module​

Input Validation​

  • Request Validation: All incoming requests must be validated against expected schemas.
  • Data Sanitization: User input is sanitized to prevent injection attacks.
  • Content-Type Enforcement: Only accept expected content types (application/json, etc.).

Authentication & Authorization​

  • API Key Authentication: Secure API key validation for service-to-service communication.
  • Token-Based Auth: JWT or similar token-based authentication for user requests.
  • Rate Limiting: Prevent abuse through configurable rate limits.
  • CORS Configuration: Strict Cross-Origin Resource Sharing policies.

Common Vulnerabilities Mitigated​

  1. Injection Attacks: Input validation and parameterized queries.
  2. Broken Authentication: Secure token handling and session management.
  3. Sensitive Data Exposure: TLS encryption, secure headers, data masking.
  4. XML External Entities (XXE): Disabled external entity processing.
  5. Broken Access Control: Role-based access control (RBAC) enforcement.
  6. Security Misconfiguration: Secure defaults and configuration validation.
  7. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Output encoding and Content Security Policy.
  8. Insecure Deserialization: Type checking and schema validation.

API Security Headers​

The following security headers should be configured:

  • Strict-Transport-Security: Enforce HTTPS
  • Content-Security-Policy: Prevent XSS
  • X-Content-Type-Options: Prevent MIME sniffing
  • X-Frame-Options: Prevent clickjacking
  • X-XSS-Protection: XSS filter (legacy browsers)

Best Practices for Using This Module​

  • Always use the latest stable version of the module.
  • Enable TLS/HTTPS for all API communications.
  • Implement proper authentication and authorization.
  • Use rate limiting to prevent abuse.
  • Validate and sanitize all input data.
  • Log security events for monitoring and auditing.
  • Keep API documentation up-to-date and accurate.
  • Use API versioning to manage breaking changes.
  • Implement proper error handling that doesn't leak sensitive information.
  • Follow the principle of least privilege when configuring access or permissions.
  • Regularly review configurations and logs for suspicious activity.

Secure Configuration​

# Example secure API configuration
import os

from codomyrmex.api import APIKeyAuthenticator, TokenBucketLimiter

# Configure with authentication (keys come from the environment, never source)
auth = APIKeyAuthenticator(header_name="X-API-Key")
auth.register_key(os.environ["SERVICE_API_KEY"], identity="reporting-service", scopes=["read"])

# Rate-limit each authenticated caller
limiter = TokenBucketLimiter(capacity=100, refill_rate=10)

def handle(request: dict) -> dict:
    result = auth.authenticate(request)
    if not result.authenticated:
        # Log error without exposing sensitive details
        logger.warning(f"Authentication failed: {result.error}")
        return {"status": 401}
    if not limiter.acquire(result.identity).allowed:
        return {"status": 429}
    return {"status": 200}

Security Audit Checklist​

  • All endpoints require authentication
  • Input validation is implemented for all parameters
  • Rate limiting is configured and tested
  • HTTPS is enforced (no HTTP endpoints)
  • Security headers are properly configured
  • API keys and tokens are stored securely
  • Error responses don't leak sensitive information
  • Logging captures security-relevant events
  • CORS is configured appropriately
  • API versioning is implemented

Thank you for helping keep Codomyrmex and the API module secure.