# Security Policy
## 🔒 Security Overview
ClockHash-256 is a cryptographic hash function designed for high-security blockchain applications. This document outlines our security policies, vulnerability disclosure process, and security considerations.
## 🚨 Reporting Vulnerabilities
If you discover a security vulnerability in ClockHash-256, please help us by reporting it responsibly.
### 📧 Contact Information
**Please DO NOT report security vulnerabilities through public GitHub issues.**
Instead, please report security vulnerabilities by emailing:
- **security@clockinchain.com**
### 📝 Disclosure Process
1. **Report**: Send details of the vulnerability to the security email above
2. **Acknowledgment**: You will receive acknowledgment within 48 hours
3. **Investigation**: We will investigate and provide regular updates (at least weekly)
4. **Fix**: We will work on a fix and coordinate disclosure timing
5. **Public Disclosure**: We will publish details after the fix is deployed
### 📋 What to Include in Your Report
Please include the following information:
- Description of the vulnerability
- Steps to reproduce the issue
- Potential impact and severity
- Any suggested fixes or mitigations
- Your contact information for follow-up
### 🎯 Response Timeline
- **Initial Response**: Within 48 hours
- **Vulnerability Assessment**: Within 1 week
- **Fix Development**: Depends on severity (critical: 1-2 weeks, high: 2-4 weeks)
- **Public Disclosure**: After fix deployment and testing
## 🛡️ Security Considerations
### Cryptographic Security
ClockHash-256 provides:
- **256-bit security level** against preimage and collision attacks
- **Domain separation** to prevent cross-domain collision attacks
- **Constant-time operations** to resist timing attacks
- **Memory safety** guaranteed by Rust's ownership system
### Known Limitations
- **AVX-512 Detection**: May cause SIGILL on systems claiming AVX-512 support but with faulty implementations
- **Side Channels**: While constant-time, cache timing attacks may be possible on some architectures
- **Quantum Resistance**: Provides no protection against quantum attacks (follows SHA-256 security model)
### Security Audit
This implementation has undergone a comprehensive security audit. See [SECURITY_AUDIT_REPORT.md](SECURITY_AUDIT_REPORT.md) for details.
## 🔧 Security Best Practices
### For Users
1. **Keep Updated**: Use the latest version of ClockHash-256
2. **Domain Separation**: Always use appropriate domain tags for different use cases
3. **Input Validation**: Validate all inputs before hashing
4. **Secure Randomness**: Use cryptographically secure random number generators for salts/keys
### For Contributors
1. **Code Review**: All cryptographic changes require security review
2. **Testing**: Maintain comprehensive test coverage including security properties
3. **Dependencies**: Minimize external dependencies, especially cryptographic ones
4. **Documentation**: Document security implications of all changes
## 📊 Security Monitoring
### Automated Security Checks
We run automated security checks on every commit:
- **cargo audit**: Scans for known vulnerable dependencies
- **cargo clippy**: Static analysis for common security issues
- **Property-based testing**: Tests cryptographic properties
- **Fuzz testing**: Discovers edge cases and potential vulnerabilities
### Manual Security Reviews
- Security review required for all cryptographic changes
- Annual security audit recommended
- Dependency updates reviewed for security implications
### Automated Security Review System
ClockHash-256 implements automated annual security reviews to ensure continuous security validation:
#### Annual Review Automation
- **Automatic Issue Creation**: GitHub issues are automatically created annually (January 1st) to track security reviews
- **Review Reminders**: Scheduled workflows ensure reviews are not missed
- **Status Tracking**: Security review progress is tracked in `SECURITY_REVIEW_TRACKING.md`
- **Comprehensive Checklist**: Automated checklists ensure all security aspects are covered
#### Security Review Tools
- **Security Review Helper**: `tools/security-review-helper.sh` script for conducting reviews
- **Continuous Fuzzing**: Automated fuzz testing runs weekly and on every PR
- **Dependency Monitoring**: Automated vulnerability scanning via `cargo audit`
- **Issue Templates**: Standardized security review issue templates
#### Review Schedule
- **Annual Reviews**: January 1st of each year
- **Target Completion**: March 31st of each year
- **Emergency Reviews**: Triggered for critical security findings or major changes
To conduct a security review, use:
\`\`\`bash
./tools/security-review-helper.sh
\`\`\`
## 🏷️ Vulnerability Classification
We use the following severity levels:
- **Critical**: Complete bypass of security guarantees, remote code execution
- **High**: Significant security impact, data exposure, denial of service
- **Medium**: Limited security impact, partial information disclosure
- **Low**: Minimal security impact, cosmetic issues
## 📞 Contact
For security-related questions or concerns:
- **Email**: security@clockinchain.com
- **PGP Key**: Available upon request for encrypted communications
## 🙏 Recognition
We appreciate security researchers who help keep ClockHash-256 secure. With your permission, we'll acknowledge your contribution in our security advisories.