We take security seriously and provide security updates for the following versions:

As an AI-driven academic research tool, Prisma handles sensitive academic data and must maintain high security standards:

• Research Data: Protect confidentiality of research content and user data
• Academic Content: Respect copyright and licensing of processed literature
• User Information: Safeguard user credentials and personal information
• API Keys: Secure third-party service credentials and access tokens

• Authentication: Implement secure authentication mechanisms
• Authorization: Follow principle of least privilege
• Data Transmission: Use encryption for data in transit
• Data Storage: Implement appropriate encryption for sensitive data at rest
• Input Validation: Validate and sanitize all user inputs
• Dependency Management: Keep dependencies updated and scan for vulnerabilities

Please report security vulnerabilities if you discover:

• Authentication/Authorization Issues: Bypass or escalation vulnerabilities
• Data Exposure: Unintended access to research data or user information
• Injection Vulnerabilities: SQL, command, or script injection possibilities
• Cryptographic Issues: Weak encryption or key management problems
• API Security Issues: Vulnerabilities in API endpoints or access controls
• Dependency Vulnerabilities: Security issues in third-party dependencies
• Academic Data Leakage: Unintended exposure of copyrighted academic content
• User Privacy Issues: Violations of user privacy or data protection

🔒 For Security Issues - DO NOT use public GitHub issues

1. Email (Preferred): Send details to security@[domain] (to be updated when available)
2. Private Vulnerability Disclosure: Use GitHub's private vulnerability reporting feature
3. Encrypted Communication: PGP key available on request for sensitive reports

Please include:

• Vulnerability Description: Clear description of the security issue
• Impact Assessment: Potential impact and affected components
• Reproduction Steps: Detailed steps to reproduce the vulnerability
• Proof of Concept: Code or screenshots demonstrating the issue (if safe)
• Suggested Fix: If you have ideas for addressing the issue
• Disclosure Timeline: Your preferred timeline for public disclosure

• Security Team: security@[domain] (to be established)
• Project Lead: @CServinL
• Emergency Contact: urgent-security@[domain] (to be established)

• Initial Response: Within 2 business days
• Confirmation: Within 5 business days after initial assessment
• Status Updates: Weekly updates during investigation

• Critical Issues: Immediate investigation (24-48 hours)
• High Severity: Investigation within 1 week
• Medium/Low Severity: Investigation within 2-4 weeks

1. Vulnerability Validation: Confirm and assess the security issue
2. Impact Analysis: Determine scope and potential impact
3. Fix Development: Develop and test security patches
4. Security Review: Independent security review of the fix
5. Release Planning: Coordinate release of security updates
6. Public Disclosure: Coordinate responsible disclosure

• Input Validation: Always validate and sanitize user inputs
• Output Encoding: Properly encode outputs to prevent injection attacks
• Authentication: Use strong authentication mechanisms
• Session Management: Implement secure session handling
• Error Handling: Avoid revealing sensitive information in error messages
• Logging: Log security events without exposing sensitive data

• Regular Updates: Keep all dependencies up to date
• Vulnerability Scanning: Regularly scan for known vulnerabilities
• License Compliance: Ensure all dependencies meet security requirements
• Minimal Dependencies: Use only necessary dependencies

• Rate Limiting: Implement appropriate rate limiting
• Access Controls: Enforce proper authorization checks
• Input Validation: Validate all API inputs
• Secure Communication: Use HTTPS for all API communications
• Token Management: Securely handle authentication tokens

• Strong Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords
• Two-Factor Authentication: Enable 2FA when available
• Access Reviews: Regularly review account access and permissions
• Secure Storage: Store credentials securely

• Sensitive Data: Be cautious with sensitive research data
• Access Controls: Use appropriate access controls for shared data
• Backup Security: Ensure backups are properly secured
• Data Retention: Follow appropriate data retention policies

• Input Sanitization: All inputs are validated and sanitized
• Secure Processing: Research data is processed securely
• Output Filtering: Outputs are filtered to prevent data leakage
• Audit Logging: Security events are logged for monitoring

• Multi-Factor Authentication: Support for MFA where applicable
• Role-Based Access: Implement appropriate role-based access controls
• Session Security: Secure session management
• API Security: Secure API authentication and authorization

• Network Security: Secure network communications
• Host Security: Secure host configurations
• Container Security: Secure containerization when applicable
• Cloud Security: Follow cloud security best practices

• FERPA: Comply with educational privacy requirements where applicable
• Institutional Policies: Align with academic institutional security policies
• Research Ethics: Maintain ethical research data handling

• GDPR: Comply with European data protection regulations
• CCPA: Comply with California privacy regulations
• Regional Requirements: Adapt to local data protection requirements

• OWASP: Follow OWASP security guidelines
• NIST: Align with NIST cybersecurity frameworks
• ISO 27001: Consider ISO 27001 security management principles

• Dependency Scanning: Automated vulnerability scanning of dependencies
• Code Analysis: Static application security testing (SAST)
• Dynamic Testing: Regular dynamic application security testing (DAST)
• Container Scanning: Security scanning of container images

• Code Reviews: Security-focused code reviews for critical components
• Architecture Reviews: Regular security architecture reviews
• Penetration Testing: Periodic penetration testing
• Compliance Audits: Regular compliance and security audits

• Security Lead: Primary security contact
• Technical Lead: Technical incident response
• Communication Lead: External communication coordination
• Legal Counsel: Legal and compliance guidance

1. Detection: Identify potential security incidents
2. Assessment: Evaluate severity and impact
3. Containment: Contain the security incident
4. Investigation: Investigate root cause and scope
5. Eradication: Remove threats and vulnerabilities
6. Recovery: Restore normal operations
7. Lessons Learned: Document and improve processes

• Security Patches: Released as soon as possible for critical issues
• Regular Updates: Bundled with regular releases for non-critical issues
• Emergency Updates: Immediate updates for critical vulnerabilities
• Communication: Clear communication about security updates

• GitHub Releases: Security updates noted in release notes
• Security Advisories: GitHub security advisories for significant issues
• Mailing List: Security notification mailing list (to be established)
• Documentation: Updated security documentation

• Dependency Scanning: GitHub Dependabot, Snyk, or similar
• Code Analysis: CodeQL, SonarQube, or similar
• Security Testing: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, or similar
• Monitoring: Security monitoring and logging tools

• OWASP: OWASP security guidelines and best practices
• NIST: NIST cybersecurity framework and guidelines
• Academic Security: Academic data security best practices
• Research Ethics: Research data handling and ethics guidelines

For non-security issues, please use the normal GitHub issue process.

For security-related questions or concerns:

• Email: security@[domain] (to be established)
• GitHub: @CServinL (Project Lead)
• Documentation: This security policy and related documentation

Last Updated: September 14, 2025
Next Review: March 14, 2026
Version: 1.0