Security Features and Compliance

Security Overview

GuardAxion SSO Portal implements enterprise-grade security features to protect your organization's authentication infrastructure.

Authentication Security

Password Security

Password Hashing:

• Uses bcrypt or Argon2 (PASSWORD_DEFAULT)
• Unique salt per password
• Computationally expensive (prevents brute force)
• Automatically upgraded to newer algorithms

Password Policies:

• Minimum 8 characters
• Complexity requirements
• No common passwords
• Password history (prevents reuse)

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

TOTP-Based Authentication:

• Time-based One-Time Passwords
• Industry standard (RFC 6238)
• Compatible with Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.
• 30-second time window
• Backup codes for recovery

MFA Features:

• Optional or required per tenant
• Per-user enforcement
• Admin override capability
• Audit trail for MFA events

Session Security

Secure Session Management

Session Cookie Configuration:

'httponly' => true,    // Prevents JavaScript access
'secure' => true,      // HTTPS only (production)
'samesite' => 'Lax'   // CSRF protection

Session Features:

• Automatic expiration
• Session regeneration on login
• Logout destroys session
• Concurrent session limits (optional)

CSRF Protection

Cross-Site Request Forgery Prevention:

• Unique token per session
• Token validation on all POST requests
• Uses cryptographically secure random generation
• Timing-attack resistant validation

Protected Actions:

• Login
• Password changes
• Profile updates
• MFA setup/disable
• All administrative actions

Rate Limiting

Login Rate Limiting

Protection Against Brute Force:

• 5 failed attempts per 5 minutes
• Tracked by IP + email combination
• Automatic reset on successful login
• Prevents credential stuffing attacks

Implementation:

• Database-backed tracking
• Automatic cleanup of old records
• Configurable thresholds
• Separate limits for admin portals

Network Security

Security Headers

HTTP Security Headers Applied:

X-Frame-Options: DENY
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block
Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
Content-Security-Policy: [restrictive policy]
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000

Protection Against:

• Clickjacking
• MIME-type sniffing
• XSS attacks
• Information leakage
• MITM attacks (with HSTS)

HTTPS/TLS

Transport Security:

• TLS 1.2+ required
• Strong cipher suites only
• Perfect forward secrecy
• HSTS preload recommended

Data Protection

SQL Injection Prevention

Database Security:

• PDO with prepared statements
• Parameterized queries only
• No dynamic SQL construction
• Input validation and sanitization

XSS Prevention

Cross-Site Scripting Protection:

• Output encoding (htmlspecialchars)
• Content Security Policy
• Input validation
• Context-aware escaping

Data Encryption

Sensitive Data:

• Passwords: bcrypt/Argon2 hashed
• Secrets: Environment variables
• Tokens: JWT signed with HMAC
• Database: Encrypted at rest (recommended)

OAuth 2.0 Security

Token Security

JWT Implementation:

• HS256 signing algorithm
• Unique secrets per application
• Configurable expiration
• Refresh token support

Token Best Practices:

• Short-lived access tokens (1 hour)
• Longer-lived refresh tokens (30 days)
• Token rotation on use
• Revocation capability

Authorization Code Flow

Secure OAuth Flow:

• Authorization code grant type
• State parameter (CSRF protection)
• PKCE support for public clients
• Redirect URI validation

Security Measures:

• Exact redirect URI matching
• Single-use authorization codes
• Code expiration (10 minutes)
• Client authentication required

Audit and Logging

Audit Trail

Logged Events:

• User authentication (success/failure)
• Password changes
• MFA setup/disable
• Role changes
• Application access
• Configuration changes
• Admin actions

Audit Log Features:

• Immutable records
• Timestamps (UTC)
• IP address tracking
• User agent logging
• Searchable and filterable
• Export capability

Security Monitoring

Automated Detection:

• Failed login patterns
• Unusual access times
• Geographic anomalies
• Privilege escalation attempts
• Rate limit violations

Compliance Features

GDPR Compliance

Data Protection:

• User data minimization
• Right to access (data export)
• Right to deletion (account removal)
• Data portability
• Consent management
• Privacy by design

Implementation:

• Audit logs for data access
• User profile export
• Account deletion capability
• Data retention policies

SOC 2 Controls

Security Controls:

• Access control (RBAC)
• Authentication logging
• Encryption in transit
• Session management
• Change management (audit logs)
• Monitoring and alerting

HIPAA Considerations

If Handling PHI:

• End-to-end encryption
• Access logging
• User authentication
• Session timeouts
• Audit trails
• BAA compliance

Multi-Tenant Security

Tenant Isolation

Data Separation:

• Database-level isolation
• Tenant-specific queries
• No cross-tenant data access
• Isolated audit logs

Security Boundaries:

• Separate applications per tenant
• Isolated user directories
• Tenant-specific settings
• Independent MFA configuration

Administrative Security

Super Admin Access

Privileged Access:

• Separate authentication
• Additional MFA required
• Enhanced audit logging
• IP restrictions (recommended)

Capabilities:

• Tenant management
• Super admin management
• System-wide settings
• Cross-tenant analytics

Role-Based Access Control

Roles:

• User: Standard access
• Administrator: Tenant admin
• Super Administrator: System admin

Permissions:

• Principle of least privilege
• Role-based authorization
• Granular permissions
• Audit all privileged actions

Security Best Practices

For Administrators

• Enable MFA for all admins
• Regular access reviews
• Monitor audit logs
• Rotate application secrets
• Keep software updated
• Use strong passwords
• Limit super admin accounts
• Document security procedures

For Users

• Enable MFA
• Use unique passwords
• Never share credentials
• Log out when finished
• Report suspicious activity
• Keep recovery codes safe
• Use password manager

For Developers

• Never commit secrets to git
• Use environment variables
• Validate all input
• Sanitize all output
• Implement error handling
• Follow OWASP guidelines
• Regular security testing

Incident Response

Security Incident Procedure

1. Detect: Monitor logs for anomalies
2. Contain: Disable affected accounts
3. Investigate: Review audit logs
4. Remediate: Fix vulnerability
5. Report: Document incident
6. Prevent: Update security measures

Breach Notification

If breach occurs:

• Notify affected users
• Document timeline
• Report to authorities (if required)
• Implement corrective actions
• Update security procedures

Security Maintenance

Regular Tasks

Daily:

• Monitor audit logs
• Check failed login attempts
• Review security alerts

Weekly:

• Review user access
• Check for suspicious activity
• Verify backup integrity

Monthly:

• Access review
• Security patch application
• Penetration testing (recommended)

Quarterly:

• Full security audit
• Policy review
• User training
• Documentation update

Security Updates

• Apply security patches promptly
• Test updates in staging first
• Monitor for new vulnerabilities
• Subscribe to security advisories
• Maintain update documentation

Reporting Security Issues

How to Report

If you discover a security vulnerability:

1. Do not publicly disclose
2. Contact security team immediately
3. Provide detailed description
4. Include steps to reproduce
5. Allow time for patch development

Responsible Disclosure

• Report privately to security team
• Allow 90 days for remediation
• Coordinate public disclosure
• Receive acknowledgment (if desired)