---
title: "HeliosDB-Lite Security Policy"
---

# HeliosDB-Lite Security Policy

**Version 1.0**
**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:

1. **Network Layer**: TLS 1.3 encryption for all communications
2. **Application Layer**: Authentication, authorization, input validation
3. **Data Layer**: Encryption at rest (TDE; ZKE planned), row-level security
4. **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 (HS256) | API/service access | High |
| mTLS (planned) | 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 |
| ZKE (planned) | 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 (static analysis, 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.com**

Do NOT report vulnerabilities through:
- Public issue trackers or forums
- 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](https://www.heliosdb.com/docs/lite/enterprise/disaster_recovery/)

### 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.com
- **Compliance**: security@heliosdb.com
- **Emergency**: security@heliosdb.com