# Security Policy
## Overview
Caxton is a multi-agent orchestration platform that prioritizes security through WebAssembly isolation, FIPA protocol validation, and comprehensive observability. This document outlines our security practices, vulnerability reporting procedures, and security guarantees.
## Security Architecture
### WebAssembly Isolation
Caxton uses WebAssembly (WASM) as a fundamental security boundary:
- **Memory Isolation**: Each agent runs in a separate WASM instance with isolated linear memory
- **Resource Limits**: Configurable memory and CPU time limits prevent resource exhaustion
- **System Call Restrictions**: WASM sandbox prevents direct system access
- **Capability-Based Security**: Agents can only access explicitly granted capabilities
```rust
// Example: Strict isolation configuration for production
IsolationConfig::strict() {
memory_limit_bytes: Some(16 * 1024 * 1024), // 16MB
cpu_time_limit_ms: Some(1000), // 1 second
network_access: false,
filesystem_access: false,
}
```
### FIPA Message Security
All inter-agent communication uses validated FIPA messages:
- **Message Validation**: All messages are parsed and validated before processing
- **Conversation Tracking**: Deterministic conversation IDs prevent replay attacks
- **Content Sanitization**: Message content is sanitized based on content type
- **Size Limits**: Messages have configurable size limits to prevent DoS attacks
### Observability-First Security
- **Structured Logging**: All security events are logged with structured data
- **Distributed Tracing**: Security-relevant operations are traced end-to-end
- **Metrics Collection**: Security metrics are collected and monitored
- **Audit Trail**: Complete audit trail of all agent interactions
## Security Guarantees
### Agent Isolation
1. **Memory Safety**: Agents cannot access each other's memory or host system memory
2. **Resource Limits**: Agents cannot consume more resources than allocated
3. **System Boundaries**: Agents cannot make unauthorized system calls
4. **Network Isolation**: Agents cannot make unauthorized network connections
### Message Security
1. **Validation**: All messages are validated against FIPA protocol standards
2. **Integrity**: Message integrity is maintained through the entire processing pipeline
3. **Authentication**: Message senders are authenticated through agent lifecycle management
4. **Non-repudiation**: All messages are logged with sender identification
### Platform Security
1. **Least Privilege**: Components run with minimal required privileges
2. **Defense in Depth**: Multiple security layers prevent single points of failure
3. **Fail-Safe Defaults**: Secure defaults are used throughout the system
4. **Security Monitoring**: Continuous monitoring detects security anomalies
## Threat Model
### In Scope
- Malicious WASM modules
- Resource exhaustion attacks
- Message injection/tampering
- Privilege escalation attempts
- Information disclosure
- Denial of service attacks
### Out of Scope
- Physical security of host systems
- Network infrastructure security
- Operating system vulnerabilities
- Third-party service vulnerabilities
## Security Controls
### Development Security
- **Secure Coding**: Rust memory safety prevents common vulnerability classes
- **Dependency Management**: All dependencies are audited for known vulnerabilities
- **Static Analysis**: Code is analyzed with Clippy and additional security lints
- **Testing**: Comprehensive security testing including fuzzing and property-based tests
### Build Security
- **Reproducible Builds**: Container images are built reproducibly with SBOMs
- **Supply Chain Security**: All dependencies are verified and pinned
- **Container Hardening**: Containers run as non-root with minimal attack surface
- **Image Scanning**: Container images are scanned for vulnerabilities
### Runtime Security
- **Resource Monitoring**: Runtime resource usage is monitored and limited
- **Network Policies**: Strict network policies limit communication
- **Security Contexts**: Containers run with restrictive security contexts
- **Audit Logging**: All security-relevant events are logged and monitored
## Vulnerability Management
### Supported Versions
We provide security updates for the following versions:
| 0.1.x | :white_check_mark: |
| < 0.1 | :x: |
### Reporting Security Vulnerabilities
**Please do not report security vulnerabilities through public GitHub issues.**
Instead, please report them by emailing security@caxton.dev or through GitHub's private vulnerability reporting feature.
When reporting a vulnerability, please include:
- Description of the vulnerability
- Steps to reproduce (if applicable)
- Potential impact assessment
- Suggested remediation (if any)
### Response Timeline
- **Acknowledgment**: Within 24 hours
- **Initial Assessment**: Within 72 hours
- **Detailed Response**: Within 1 week
- **Fix Timeline**: Varies by severity (see below)
### Severity Classification
#### Critical (Fix within 24 hours)
- Remote code execution
- Authentication bypass
- Data exfiltration
- Complete system compromise
#### High (Fix within 1 week)
- Privilege escalation
- Denial of service
- Information disclosure
- Security control bypass
#### Medium (Fix within 1 month)
- Less severe information disclosure
- Limited privilege escalation
- Security feature weakness
#### Low (Fix in next release)
- Security hardening opportunities
- Defense-in-depth improvements
- Minor information leaks
### Security Update Process
1. **Validation**: Vulnerability is validated and assessed
2. **Fix Development**: Security fix is developed and tested
3. **Security Review**: Fix undergoes security review
4. **Release Preparation**: Release notes and advisories are prepared
5. **Coordinated Disclosure**: Fix is released with security advisory
6. **Post-Release**: Monitoring for successful deployment
## Security Testing
### Automated Testing
Our CI/CD pipeline includes:
- **Security Audit**: `cargo audit` checks for known vulnerabilities
- **Dependency Scanning**: Automated dependency vulnerability scanning
- **Static Analysis**: Security-focused static analysis tools
- **Container Scanning**: Vulnerability scanning of container images
- **Fuzzing**: Automated fuzzing of critical security components
### Manual Testing
Regular manual security testing includes:
- **Penetration Testing**: External security assessments
- **Code Review**: Security-focused code reviews
- **Threat Modeling**: Regular threat model updates
- **Incident Response**: Tabletop exercises and response testing
### Bug Bounty Program
We are planning to launch a bug bounty program. Details will be announced on our security page.
## Security Configuration
### Production Deployment
For production deployments, ensure:
```yaml
# Kubernetes security context
securityContext:
runAsNonRoot: true
runAsUser: 65534
readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
capabilities:
drop: ["ALL"]
```
```rust
// Caxton security configuration
CaxtonConfig {
wasm_isolation: IsolationConfig::strict(),
fipa_validation: true,
security_audit_logs: true,
resource_limits: ResourceLimits::production(),
observability: ObservabilityConfig::security_focused(),
}
```
### Environment Variables
Security-related environment variables:
- `CAXTON_WASM_ISOLATION=strict`: Enable strict WASM isolation
- `CAXTON_FIPA_VALIDATION=enabled`: Enable FIPA message validation
- `CAXTON_SECURITY_AUDIT=enabled`: Enable security audit logging
- `CAXTON_LOG_LEVEL=info`: Set appropriate logging level
## Compliance
### Standards Compliance
Caxton strives to comply with:
- **NIST Cybersecurity Framework**: Risk-based security approach
- **OWASP Top 10**: Protection against common web application vulnerabilities
- **CWE/SANS**: Common weakness enumeration practices
- **ISO 27001**: Information security management best practices
### Security Certifications
We are working toward:
- SOC 2 Type II certification
- Common Criteria evaluation
- FIPS 140-2 compliance for cryptographic components
## Security Resources
### Documentation
- [Architecture Decision Records](/_adrs/): Security-related architectural decisions
- [WebAssembly Isolation ADR](/_adrs/0002-webassembly-for-agent-isolation.md)
- [FIPA Messaging Protocol ADR](/_adrs/0003-fipa-messaging-protocol.md)
- [Observability Architecture ADR](/_adrs/0001-observability-first-architecture.md)
### Security Tools
Recommended security tools for development:
```bash
# Install security tooling
cargo install cargo-audit cargo-deny cargo-geiger
cargo install --locked cargo-fuzz
# Run security checks
cargo audit # Check for vulnerabilities
cargo deny check # Validate dependencies
cargo geiger # Detect unsafe code
cargo fuzz --help # Fuzzing framework
```
### Security Contacts
- **Security Team**: security@caxton.dev
- **Incident Response**: incident@caxton.dev
- **General Inquiries**: info@caxton.dev
## Changelog
### Security Updates
All security updates are documented in our [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) with the `[SECURITY]` tag.
Recent security improvements:
- **v0.1.0**: Initial security architecture implementation
- **v0.1.0**: WebAssembly isolation boundaries
- **v0.1.0**: FIPA message validation framework
- **v0.1.0**: Comprehensive security testing suite
---
For the latest security information, please visit our [security page](https://caxton.dev/security) or subscribe to our security announcements.
