1. Password Hashing

   • Passwords are hashed using bcryptjs before storage
   • Salt rounds: Default (10 rounds)

2. JWT Authentication

   • Tokens stored in HTTP-only cookies (prevents XSS attacks)
   • SameSite: 'strict' (CSRF protection)
   • Secure flag enabled in production

3. Docker Security

   • Containers bound to 127.0.0.1 (localhost only)
   • Resource limits enforced (512MB RAM, 0.256 CPU)
   • Auto-remove enabled (containers cleaned up on exit)

4. Input Validation

   • Email format validation
   • Required field validation
   • Password confirmation matching

5. Error Handling

   • Generic error messages for internal errors (prevents information leakage)
   • Structured error responses

Status: Not Implemented

Impact:

• Frontend from different origin cannot communicate with backend
• In development, this blocks local frontend development
• In production, this will block S3+CloudFront frontend

Risk Level: High

Recommendation:

// Install: npm install cors @types/cors
import cors from 'cors';

app.use(cors({
  origin: process.env.FRONTEND_URL || 'http://localhost:5173',
  credentials: true,
  methods: ['GET', 'POST', 'PATCH', 'DELETE'],
  allowedHeaders: ['Content-Type', 'Authorization']
}));

Action Required: Add CORS middleware before production deployment.

Status: Not Implemented (error type exists but no middleware)

Impact:

• Brute Force Attacks: Unlimited login attempts
• DDoS: No protection against request flooding
• Resource Exhaustion: Unlimited CTF instance creation
• Automated Flag Submission: Unlimited flag attempts

Risk Level: Critical

Recommendation:

// Install: npm install express-rate-limit
import rateLimit from 'express-rate-limit';

// General API rate limit
const apiLimiter = rateLimit({
  windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
  max: 100, // 100 requests per window
  message: 'Too many requests from this IP, please try again later.'
});

// Authentication rate limit (stricter)
const authLimiter = rateLimit({
  windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
  max: 5, // 5 requests per window
  message: 'Too many authentication attempts, please try again later.'
});

// CTF instance creation rate limit
const instanceLimiter = rateLimit({
  windowMs: 60 * 60 * 1000, // 1 hour
  max: 3, // 3 instances per hour
  message: 'Too many instance creation attempts, please try again later.'
});

// Apply to routes
app.use('/api/v1', apiLimiter);
app.use('/api/v1/login', authLimiter);
app.use('/api/v1/signup', authLimiter);
app.use('/api/v1/ctfs/:id/instances', instanceLimiter);

Recommended Limits:

• Authentication endpoints: 5 requests per 15 minutes per IP
• CTF instance creation: 3 requests per hour per user
• Flag submission: 10 requests per minute per user
• General API: 100 requests per 15 minutes per IP

Action Required: Implement rate limiting before production deployment.

Status: Exposed until AWS migration

Current State:

• Database connection string stored in environment variables
• No firewall protection (unless manually configured)
• Direct database access if credentials are leaked
• No encryption at rest (unless MongoDB Atlas is used)

Risk Level: Critical

Current Mitigation:

1. Use strong, unique database passwords
2. Restrict MongoDB network access to application server IP only
3. Use MongoDB authentication (username/password)
4. Regularly rotate database credentials
5. Monitor database access logs
6. Never commit .env files to version control

Post-AWS Migration:

1. Use AWS Secrets Manager for connection strings
2. Implement VPC for database isolation
3. Use security groups to restrict access
4. Enable encryption at rest
5. Use IAM roles instead of credentials where possible
6. Enable MongoDB audit logging

Action Required:

• Implement immediate mitigations
• Plan AWS migration with proper security architecture

Status: Partial

Current: Basic validation exists Recommended: Add input sanitization library (e.g., validator, sanitize-html)

Status: Not applicable (using MongoDB)

Note: MongoDB is NoSQL, but still validate all inputs to prevent NoSQL injection.

Status: Partial

Current: HTTP-only cookies prevent XSS token theft Recommended:

• Sanitize all user inputs
• Use Content Security Policy (CSP) headers
• Escape output in frontend

Status: Implemented

Current: SameSite='strict' cookies provide CSRF protection

Status: Implemented

Current: JWT tokens with expiration (7 days) Recommended: Consider shorter expiration times for production

Status: Basic

Current: Console logging with [INFO], [ERROR], [WARN] tags Recommended:

• Implement structured logging (e.g., Winston, Pino)
• Log to external service (e.g., CloudWatch, Datadog)
• Monitor for suspicious patterns
• Set up alerts for failed authentication attempts

Status: Environment variables only

Current: Secrets in .env file Recommended:

• Use AWS Secrets Manager (production)
• Use HashiCorp Vault (alternative)
• Never commit secrets to version control

Status: Not configured (development only)

Current: HTTP only Required for Production:

• SSL/TLS certificates (Let's Encrypt or AWS Certificate Manager)
• Force HTTPS redirects
• HSTS headers

Status: Manual

Recommended:

• Regular dependency updates
• Use npm audit to check for vulnerabilities
• Consider Snyk or Dependabot for automated scanning

Status: Basic

Current: Resource limits, localhost binding Recommended:

• Use minimal base images
• Scan images for vulnerabilities
• Implement container image signing
• Use read-only filesystems where possible

Before production deployment, ensure:

• CORS middleware configured
• Rate limiting implemented on all endpoints
• Database credentials in AWS Secrets Manager
• HTTPS/TLS configured
• Input sanitization added
• Structured logging implemented
• Monitoring and alerting set up
• Dependency vulnerabilities resolved
• Security headers configured (CSP, HSTS, etc.)
• Database firewall rules configured
• Regular security audits scheduled
• Incident response plan documented

If a security breach is suspected:

1. Immediate Actions:

   • Rotate all credentials (database, JWT secret, API keys)
   • Review access logs
   • Check for unauthorized access
   • Isolate affected systems if necessary

2. Investigation:

   • Review application logs
   • Check database access logs
   • Review Docker container logs
   • Identify attack vector

3. Remediation:

   • Patch vulnerabilities
   • Update security measures
   • Notify affected users (if required)
   • Document lessons learned

4. Prevention:

   • Implement missing security measures
   • Update security documentation
   • Conduct security review

1. Principle of Least Privilege: Grant minimum necessary permissions
2. Defense in Depth: Multiple layers of security
3. Regular Updates: Keep dependencies and systems updated
4. Security by Design: Consider security from the start
5. Regular Audits: Periodic security reviews
6. Incident Preparedness: Have a response plan ready
7. User Education: Educate users about security
8. Monitoring: Continuous monitoring for threats