The AdventureNexus team takes security seriously. We appreciate the security community's efforts to responsibly disclose vulnerabilities and we are committed to working with security researchers to resolve any issues that may arise.

We provide security updates for the following versions of AdventureNexus:

Note: Only the latest major version receives security updates. We recommend keeping your installation up to date.

If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it privately using one of the methods below:

1. GitHub Security Advisory (Recommended)

   • Go to our Security Advisories page
   • Click "Report a vulnerability"
   • Fill out the form with detailed information

2. Email Report

   • Send details to: security@adventurenexus.com
   • Use PGP key if available: [Public Key Link]
   • Include "SECURITY" in the subject line

Please provide the following information to help us understand and reproduce the issue:

**Vulnerability Type:** (e.g., XSS, SQL Injection, Authentication Bypass)
**Affected Component:** (e.g., Frontend, API, Authentication)
**Severity:** (Critical/High/Medium/Low)
**Description:** Brief description of the vulnerability
**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3

**Expected Behavior:** What should happen
**Actual Behavior:** What actually happens
**Impact:** Potential security impact
**Proof of Concept:** (Screenshots, code snippets, etc.)
**Suggested Fix:** (Optional) Your recommendations
**Environment:**
- OS: 
- Browser: 
- Version: 
- Other relevant details:

We are committed to responding quickly to security reports:

• 🔴 Critical: Immediate threat to user data or system integrity
• 🟠 High: Significant security risk requiring urgent attention
• 🟡 Medium: Moderate security risk with reasonable timeline
• 🟢 Low: Minor security concern with flexible timeline

• 🔐 Authentication: Clerk-based secure authentication
• 🛡️ Authorization: Role-based access control (RBAC)
• 🔒 Data Encryption: HTTPS/TLS for all communications
• 📊 Input Validation: Server-side validation for all inputs
• 🚫 SQL Injection Prevention: Parameterized queries with Mongoose
• 🔍 Dependency Scanning: Automated vulnerability scanning
• 📝 Audit Logging: Security event logging and monitoring

We regularly update our dependencies and use automated tools to detect vulnerabilities:

# Frontend security auditing
npm audit --audit-level high

# Backend security scanning  
npm audit fix --force

• Environment variables for sensitive configuration
• Secure session management
• CORS properly configured
• Rate limiting on API endpoints
• Input sanitization and validation

1. 🔒 Never commit secrets (API keys, passwords, tokens)
2. ✅ Validate all inputs on both client and server side
3. 🛡️ Use parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection
4. 🔐 Implement proper authentication for protected routes
5. 📝 Log security events for monitoring and incident response

// ✅ Good: Proper input validation
app.post('/api/users', validate(userSchema), async (req, res) => {
  // Validated input processing
});

// ❌ Bad: No validation
app.post('/api/users', async (req, res) => {
  // Direct processing without validation
});

Always use environment variables for sensitive data:

# ✅ Good
DATABASE_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/adventurenexus
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key

# ❌ Bad - Never hardcode in source
const dbUrl = "mongodb://localhost:27017/adventurenexus";

1. Acknowledgment: We will acknowledge your report within 24 hours
2. Investigation: We will investigate and validate the reported issue
3. Communication: We will keep you informed of our progress
4. Resolution: We will work to resolve the issue promptly
5. Recognition: With your permission, we will acknowledge your contribution

We follow responsible disclosure practices:

• 30 days minimum before any public disclosure
• 90 days maximum timeline for resolution
• Mutual agreement on disclosure timing
• Security advisory published after fix is deployed

• Bug Bounty: Currently not available (volunteer project)
• Hall of Fame: Recognition for responsible disclosure
• Direct Contact: security@adventurenexus.com

• Security Updates: Subscribe to our releases for security patches
• Best Practices: Follow our deployment security guidelines
• Incident Response: Report suspicious activity immediately

# 1. Keep dependencies updated
npm audit fix

# 2. Use HTTPS only
# Configure reverse proxy (nginx/apache) with SSL

# 3. Secure environment variables  
# Use tools like docker-secrets or HashiCorp Vault

# 4. Enable security headers
# Configure CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, etc.

# 5. Regular backups
# Automated encrypted backups of user data

• Use MongoDB Atlas for managed security
• Enable authentication and authorization
• Use connection string with authentication
• Regular security patches and updates
• Network security (VPC, firewall rules)

1. Immediate Actions:

   • Assess scope and impact
   • Contain the issue if possible
   • Document all findings

2. Communication:

   • Internal team notification
   • User notification if data is involved
   • Regulatory compliance if required

3. Resolution:

   • Deploy security fixes
   • Verify fix effectiveness
   • Post-incident review

We support responsible disclosure and will not pursue legal action against security researchers who:

• Follow our disclosure guidelines
• Act in good faith
• Do not violate privacy or destroy data
• Do not disrupt our services

We are committed to protecting the privacy of security researchers and will:

• Keep your identity confidential unless you request otherwise
• Not share your personal information with third parties
• Only use your report information to address the security issue

• Security Team: security@adventurenexus.com
• General Contact: hello@adventurenexus.com
• Emergency: For critical issues, include "URGENT SECURITY" in subject

Last Updated: January 2025
Version: 1.0

Thank you for helping keep AdventureNexus and our users safe! 🛡️

This SECURITY.md file provides comprehensive security guidelines for your AdventureNexus project, covering vulnerability reporting, security measures, and best practices for both contributors and users.[2][6][7]