nginx-defender is an enterprise-grade Web Application Firewall (WAF) and network security solution designed with security-first principles. This document outlines our security policies, vulnerability reporting procedures, and security best practices for deployment and usage.

We provide security updates for the following versions:

1. Multi-Backend Firewall Support

   • iptables (Linux)
   • nftables (Linux)
   • pfctl (BSD/macOS)
   • fail2ban integration
   • Custom rule management

2. Machine Learning Threat Detection

   • Behavioral analysis engine
   • Anomaly detection algorithms
   • Real-time threat scoring
   • Adaptive learning capabilities

3. Advanced Rate Limiting

   • Token bucket algorithms
   • Sliding window counters
   • IP-based and endpoint-based limits
   • Geographic rate limiting

4. Real-time Monitoring

   • WebSocket-based dashboards
   • Prometheus metrics integration
   • Custom alerting rules
   • Log aggregation and analysis

• Role-based access control (RBAC)
• API key authentication
• JWT token validation
• IP-based access restrictions

• Encrypted configuration storage
• Secure inter-service communication
• Log data anonymization
• PII detection and redaction

• TLS 1.3 enforcement
• Certificate pinning
• DDoS protection mechanisms
• Geographic blocking capabilities

Do NOT create public GitHub issues for security vulnerabilities.

Instead, please report security vulnerabilities through one of the following channels:

1. GitHub Security Advisories (Preferred)

   • Navigate to the "Security" tab in our repository
   • Click "Report a vulnerability"
   • Provide detailed information about the vulnerability

2. Email (Alternative)

   • Send an encrypted email to: [email protected]
   • Use our PGP key: [Key ID: 0x1234567890ABCDEF]
   • Include reproduction steps and impact assessment

3. Security Bug Bounty

   • Report through our HackerOne program: https://hackerone.com/nginx-defender
   • Eligible for monetary rewards based on severity

When reporting a security vulnerability, please include:

• Description: Clear description of the vulnerability
• Steps to Reproduce: Detailed reproduction steps
• Impact Assessment: Potential security impact and affected components
• Proof of Concept: Working exploit code (if applicable)
• Affected Versions: Specific versions affected
• Suggested Fix: Proposed remediation (if available)

• Initial Response: Within 24 hours of report
• Vulnerability Assessment: Within 72 hours
• Fix Development: 7-14 days (depending on severity)
• Security Advisory: Published with patch release
• Public Disclosure: 90 days after patch availability

# Secure configuration example
server:
  tls:
    enabled: true
    cert_file: "/etc/ssl/certs/nginx-defender.crt"
    key_file: "/etc/ssl/private/nginx-defender.key"
    min_version: "1.3"
  
firewall:
  backend: "nftables"
  default_action: "drop"
  whitelist:
    - "10.0.0.0/8"
    - "172.16.0.0/12"
    - "192.168.0.0/16"
  
rate_limiting:
  global_limit: 1000
  per_ip_limit: 100
  burst_allowance: 50
  
ml:
  threat_threshold: 0.8
  learning_mode: false
  model_validation: true

# Security-hardened container deployment
FROM scratch
COPY --from=builder /app/nginx-defender /nginx-defender
USER 65534:65534
EXPOSE 8080/tcp
ENTRYPOINT ["/nginx-defender"]

apiVersion: v1
kind: SecurityContext
metadata:
  name: nginx-defender-security
spec:
  runAsNonRoot: true
  runAsUser: 65534
  runAsGroup: 65534
  readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
  allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
  capabilities:
    drop:
      - ALL
    add:
      - NET_ADMIN  # Required for firewall operations

# Use environment variables for secrets
export NGINX_DEFENDER_API_KEY="$(cat /etc/secrets/api-key)"
export NGINX_DEFENDER_DB_PASSWORD="$(cat /etc/secrets/db-password)"

# Or use volume mounts for configuration
docker run -v /secure/config:/config nginx-defender

# Network policy for Kubernetes
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: NetworkPolicy
metadata:
  name: nginx-defender-netpol
spec:
  podSelector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nginx-defender
  policyTypes:
  - Ingress
  - Egress
  ingress:
  - from:
    - namespaceSelector:
        matchLabels:
          name: monitoring
    ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 9090

• Enable audit logging for all security events
• Use structured logging (JSON format)
• Implement log rotation and retention policies
• Set up centralized log aggregation
• Monitor for security-related log patterns

# Prometheus alerting rules
groups:
- name: nginx-defender.security
  rules:
  - alert: HighThreatDetection
    expr: nginx_defender_threats_detected_total > 100
    for: 5m
    labels:
      severity: warning
    annotations:
      summary: "High number of threats detected"
      
  - alert: FirewallRuleExhaustion
    expr: nginx_defender_firewall_rules_total > 10000
    for: 1m
    labels:
      severity: critical
    annotations:
      summary: "Firewall rule limit approaching"

• Regular configuration backups
• Firewall rule state snapshots
• ML model checkpoints
• Disaster recovery procedures
• Testing backup restoration

The project includes comprehensive security testing:

// Security-focused test examples
func TestSecurityIsolation(t *testing.T) {
    // Use secure test environment
    ts := NewTestSuite(t)
    defer ts.Cleanup()
    
    // Generate cryptographically secure test IPs
    testIP := generateSecureTestIP(t)
    validateTestIP(t, testIP)
    
    // Test with security metadata
    metadata := map[string]string{
        "test_type": "security_validation",
        "safe_mode": "true",
    }
    
    // Verify security controls
    assert.True(t, isPrivateIP(testIP), "Only private IPs in tests")
}

1. Penetration Testing

   • Regular third-party security assessments
   • OWASP Top 10 vulnerability testing
   • Network penetration testing
   • Social engineering assessments

2. Code Security Reviews

   • Static application security testing (SAST)
   • Dynamic application security testing (DAST)
   • Dependency vulnerability scanning
   • Secret detection in code

3. Infrastructure Security

   • Container security scanning
   • Kubernetes security posture
   • Network security validation
   • Configuration security review

1. Detection and Analysis

   • Monitor security alerts and logs
   • Analyze potential security events
   • Determine incident classification
   • Document all findings

2. Containment and Eradication

   • Isolate affected systems
   • Apply emergency patches
   • Remove malicious components
   • Update security controls

3. Recovery and Lessons Learned

   • Restore normal operations
   • Monitor for recurring issues
   • Update security procedures
   • Share lessons learned

• Security Team: [email protected]
• Incident Response: [email protected]
• Emergency Hotline: +1-555-SECURITY

• ISO 27001: Information Security Management
• SOC 2 Type II: Security and Availability
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework: Implementation
• OWASP ASVS: Application Security Verification

• GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation
• HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• PCI DSS: Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
• FedRAMP: Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program

• Security Architecture Guide
• Threat Modeling Report
• Security Configuration Guide
• Incident Response Playbook

• Security Scanner Integration
• SIEM Integration Guide
• Vulnerability Management
• Security Metrics Dashboard

• Security Training Materials
• Security Best Practices
• Secure Development Guidelines
• Security Awareness Program

Last Updated: December 2024
Version: 2.0
Contact: [email protected]

For the latest security updates and advisories, please visit our Security Advisory page.