HeliosDB-Lite Security Policy¶
Version 1.0 Effective Date: 2024-01-01 Last Review: 2026-01-24
1. Purpose¶
This Security Policy establishes the security requirements, controls, and procedures for HeliosDB-Lite to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and systems.
2. Scope¶
This policy applies to: - All HeliosDB-Lite source code and binaries - All deployment environments (development, staging, production) - All users, contributors, and administrators - All data processed by HeliosDB-Lite
3. Security Principles¶
3.1 Defense in Depth¶
Multiple layers of security controls are implemented:
- Network Layer: TLS 1.3 encryption for all communications
- Application Layer: Authentication, authorization, input validation
- Data Layer: Encryption at rest (TDE/ZKE), row-level security
- Infrastructure Layer: Secure configuration, hardening
3.2 Least Privilege¶
- Users receive minimum permissions required for their role
- Row-level security (RLS) enforces data access restrictions
- Administrative functions require explicit privilege grants
3.3 Secure by Default¶
- Encryption enabled by default
- Strong authentication required
- Secure defaults for all configuration options
4. Data Classification¶
| Classification | Description | Handling Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Open source code, documentation | Standard handling |
| Internal | Configuration, operational data | Access controls required |
| Confidential | Customer data, credentials | Encryption required |
| Restricted | Encryption keys, secrets | HSM/KMS required |
5. Access Control¶
5.1 Authentication Requirements¶
| Authentication Method | Use Case | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Password + SCRAM-256 | Interactive users | High |
| JWT (RS256/ES256) | API/service access | High |
| mTLS | Server-to-server | Very High |
| API Keys | Legacy/simple access | Medium |
5.2 Password Policy¶
- Minimum length: 12 characters
- Complexity: Uppercase, lowercase, number, special character
- History: Cannot reuse last 10 passwords
- Expiration: 90 days (configurable)
- Lockout: 5 failed attempts, 30-minute lockout
5.3 Authorization¶
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for system access
- Row-Level Security (RLS) for data access
- Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) for fine-grained policies
6. Encryption¶
6.1 Data at Rest¶
| Layer | Algorithm | Key Management |
|---|---|---|
| TDE | AES-256-GCM | Server-managed (KeyManager) |
| ZKE | AES-256-GCM | Client-managed |
| Field-Level | AES-256-GCM | Per-field keys |
6.2 Data in Transit¶
- TLS 1.3 required for all connections
- Minimum cipher suite: TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
- Certificate validation enforced
- HSTS enabled for web interfaces
6.3 Key Management¶
- Keys stored in secure memory (zeroized on drop)
- Key rotation supported with zero downtime
- Key derivation: Argon2id (standard) or PBKDF2 (FIPS)
- HSM/KMS integration for enterprise deployments
7. Secure Development¶
7.1 Secure Coding Standards¶
- OWASP Top 10 prevention
- Input validation on all user data
- Output encoding for all responses
- Parameterized queries (SQL injection prevention)
- No
unwrap()in production code
7.2 Code Review Requirements¶
- All changes require peer review
- Security-sensitive changes require security team review
- Automated security scanning (Clippy, cargo-audit)
7.3 Dependency Management¶
- Regular dependency updates
- Vulnerability scanning on all dependencies
- License compliance verification
- No GPL-licensed dependencies
8. Vulnerability Management¶
8.1 Vulnerability Reporting¶
Report security vulnerabilities to: security@heliosdb.io
Do NOT report vulnerabilities through: - Public GitHub issues - Social media - Mailing lists
8.2 Response Timeline¶
| Severity | Response Time | Patch Time |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 4 hours | 24 hours |
| High | 24 hours | 7 days |
| Medium | 72 hours | 30 days |
| Low | 1 week | 90 days |
8.3 Disclosure Policy¶
- 90-day coordinated disclosure window
- Credit given to reporters (if desired)
- Public advisory after patch release
9. Incident Response¶
See: INCIDENT_RESPONSE.md
9.1 Incident Classification¶
| Severity | Description | Response |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | Data breach, system compromise | Immediate (24/7) |
| P2 | Service outage, security bypass | 1 hour |
| P3 | Degraded security, partial outage | 4 hours |
| P4 | Minor security issue | Next business day |
10. Audit and Monitoring¶
10.1 Logging Requirements¶
All security-relevant events must be logged: - Authentication attempts (success/failure) - Authorization decisions - Data access (read/write/delete) - Administrative actions - Configuration changes
10.2 Log Retention¶
| Log Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Security events | 1 year |
| Access logs | 90 days |
| Audit logs | 7 years |
| Debug logs | 30 days |
10.3 Monitoring¶
- Real-time alerting for security events
- Anomaly detection for access patterns
- Regular log review and analysis
11. Business Continuity¶
See: DISASTER_RECOVERY.md
11.1 Recovery Objectives¶
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| RTO (Recovery Time Objective) | < 5 minutes |
| RPO (Recovery Point Objective) | < 1 hour |
| Availability | 99.9% |
12. Compliance¶
12.1 Regulatory Compliance¶
- GDPR: Data protection and privacy controls
- SOC 2: Trust services criteria
- FIPS 140-3: Cryptographic module validation (optional)
12.2 Compliance Evidence¶
- Automated compliance reporting
- Audit trail maintenance
- Regular compliance assessments
13. Training and Awareness¶
13.1 Security Training¶
- Annual security awareness training
- Role-specific security training
- Incident response drills
13.2 Documentation¶
- Security documentation maintained and current
- Runbooks for common security procedures
- Incident response playbooks
14. Policy Review¶
14.1 Review Cycle¶
- Annual policy review
- Review after significant incidents
- Review after major system changes
14.2 Change Management¶
- All policy changes require security team approval
- Changes communicated to affected parties
- Version control maintained
15. Enforcement¶
Violations of this policy may result in: - Revocation of access - Removal of contributions - Legal action (if applicable)
Contact¶
- Security Team: security@heliosdb.io
- Compliance: compliance@heliosdb.io
- Emergency: security-emergency@heliosdb.io