This document outlines the security measures implemented in theOrb-web application.

The following security enhancements have been implemented to protect against common web vulnerabilities:

1. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Protection
2. Security Headers
3. Input Validation and Sanitization
4. Proper Error Handling
5. Environment Configuration
6. CORS Configuration
7. Rate Limiting (Coming Soon)
8. Secure Dependencies

File: static/js/sanitize.js

A comprehensive sanitization library that provides:

• HTML escaping for user-generated content
• URL validation to prevent javascript: and data: URIs
• Input validation with configurable constraints
• Safe DOM manipulation methods

Usage Example:

// Escape HTML special characters
const safe = Sanitizer.escapeHTML(userInput);

// Validate input
const validated = Sanitizer.validateInput(input, {
    maxLength: 100,
    minLength: 3,
    pattern: /^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$/,
    fieldName: 'Username'
});

// Safely set text content
Sanitizer.setTextContent(element, userText);

File: security_utils.py

Input validation utilities with strict type checking and pattern matching.

Usage Example:

from security_utils import InputValidator

# Validate username
username = InputValidator.validate_username(raw_username)

# Validate email
email = InputValidator.validate_email(raw_email)

# Validate collection name
collection_name = InputValidator.validate_collection_name(raw_name)

File: security_middleware.py

Implements comprehensive security headers equivalent to helmet.js:

• Content-Security-Policy (CSP): Prevents unauthorized script execution
• X-Frame-Options: Prevents clickjacking attacks
• X-Content-Type-Options: Prevents MIME-type sniffing
• X-XSS-Protection: Enables browser XSS filtering
• Referrer-Policy: Controls referrer information
• Permissions-Policy: Restricts browser feature access

For production environments, uncomment the Strict-Transport-Security header in security_middleware.py:

response.headers['Strict-Transport-Security'] = 'max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains'

Usernames:

• 3-50 characters
• Letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores only

Emails:

• Valid email format
• Maximum 100 characters

Passwords:

• Minimum 8 characters
• Must contain letters and numbers
• Maximum 128 characters

Collection Names:

• 1-100 characters
• Alphanumeric with spaces, hyphens, underscores, periods

from security_utils import InputValidator

try:
    # Validate user input
    username = InputValidator.validate_username(request.form.get('username'))
    email = InputValidator.validate_email(request.form.get('email'))
    password = InputValidator.validate_password(request.form.get('password'))

except ValueError as e:
    return jsonify({'error': str(e)}), 400

try {
    // Validate before submission
    const username = Sanitizer.validateInput(input, {
        maxLength: 50,
        minLength: 3,
        fieldName: 'Username'
    });

    if (!Sanitizer.isValidEmail(email)) {
        throw new Error('Invalid email format');
    }

} catch (error) {
    displayError(error.message);
}

File: security_middleware.py - setup_error_handlers()

Implements global error handlers for:

• 400 Bad Request
• 401 Unauthorized
• 403 Forbidden
• 404 Not Found
• 413 Request Too Large
• 429 Too Many Requests
• 500 Internal Server Error

File: app.py - setup_logging()

• Rotating file handler (10MB per file, 10 backups)
• Console output for development
• Structured log format with timestamps
• Separate logs directory

from security_utils import log_security_event

log_security_event('suspicious_login', {
    'username': username,
    'reason': 'Multiple failed attempts'
})

File: .env.example

All sensitive configuration is stored in environment variables:

# Security
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,https://yourdomain.com
MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH=52428800

# Database
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///orb.db
MYSQL_PASSWORD=secure-password

# API Keys
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key

1. Copy .env.example to .env:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Update all placeholder values with your actual configuration

3. IMPORTANT: Never commit .env file to version control

4. In production, use a strong SECRET_KEY:

   python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))"

File: app.py

Properly configured CORS with:

• Allowed origins from environment variable
• Specific HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS)
• Controlled headers (Content-Type, Authorization)
• Credentials support
• Pre-flight cache (1 hour)

cors_origins = os.environ.get('ALLOWED_ORIGINS', 'http://localhost:3000').split(',')
CORS(app,
     origins=cors_origins,
     methods=['GET', 'POST', 'PUT', 'DELETE', 'OPTIONS'],
     allow_headers=['Content-Type', 'Authorization'],
     supports_credentials=True,
     max_age=3600)

File: security_middleware.py - setup_request_validation()

• Content-Type validation for POST/PUT requests
• Content-Length validation (prevents large payload attacks)
• Automatic rejection of oversized requests

Set max content length in environment:

MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH=52428800  # 50MB

Flask>=2.3.0
Flask-SQLAlchemy>=3.0.0
Flask-CORS>=4.0.0
Flask-Login>=0.6.3
Flask-Limiter>=3.5.0
Werkzeug>=3.0.0
email-validator>=2.1.0

Run these commands regularly:

# Check for known vulnerabilities
pip install safety
safety check

# Update dependencies
pip install --upgrade -r requirements.txt

# Audit dependencies
pip-audit

1. Always use .env file for sensitive configuration
2. Never hardcode API keys or passwords
3. Test with BYPASS_AUTH=false to ensure proper authentication
4. Use strong, unique passwords for test accounts

1. Set FLASK_ENV=production
2. Use HTTPS (enable HSTS header)
3. Generate strong SECRET_KEY
4. Configure proper ALLOWED_ORIGINS
5. Enable rate limiting (see below)
6. Regular security audits
7. Keep dependencies updated
8. Monitor logs for suspicious activity

Add rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks:

from flask_limiter import Limiter
from flask_limiter.util import get_remote_address

limiter = Limiter(
    app=app,
    key_func=get_remote_address,
    default_limits=["200 per day", "50 per hour"],
    storage_uri="memory://"
)

# Protect login endpoint
@bp.route('/login', methods=['POST'])
@limiter.limit("5 per minute")
def login():
    # ...

If you discover a security vulnerability, please email: security@example.com

Do not open public issues for security vulnerabilities.

• XSS Protection (client and server-side)
• Security Headers
• Input Validation
• Error Handling and Logging
• Environment Configuration
• CORS Configuration
• Request Validation
• Dependency Updates
• Rate Limiting (recommended)
• HTTPS/TLS (production only)
• Security Audits
• Penetration Testing

• OWASP Top 10
• Flask Security Best Practices
• Python Security Best Practices

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details