Security Analysis¶

This document provides a comprehensive security analysis of CodeViewX, covering potential security risks, implemented security measures, and best practices for secure usage and deployment.

Security Overview¶

CodeViewX is an AI-powered documentation generation tool that processes source code files and interacts with external AI services. The system handles sensitive information including source code content, API keys, and file system access, making security a critical consideration.

Threat Model¶

CodeViewX faces several categories of security threats:

1. Data Exposure: Unintentional exposure of sensitive source code or API credentials
2. Code Injection: Malicious input affecting system behavior
3. Resource Exhaustion: Denial of service through resource consumption
4. Privilege Escalation: Unauthorized access to system resources
5. Network Security: Insecure communication with external services
6. Supply Chain Security: Security of dependencies and third-party components

Security Architecture¶

Defense in Depth Approach¶

CodeViewX implements multiple layers of security controls:

graph TB
    subgraph "Security Layers"
        INPUT[Input Validation]
        AUTH[Authentication & Authorization]
        EXEC[Secure Execution]
        NETWORK[Network Security]
        DATA[Data Protection]
        MONITOR[Monitoring & Logging]
    end

    USER[User Input] --> INPUT
    INPUT --> AUTH
    AUTH --> EXEC
    EXEC --> NETWORK
    NETWORK --> DATA
    DATA --> MONITOR

    subgraph "Security Controls"
        VALIDATE[Input Sanitization]
        ISOLATE[Process Isolation]
        ENCRYPT[Encryption]
        AUDIT[Audit Logging]
        ACCESS[Access Control]
    end

    INPUT --> VALIDATE
    EXEC --> ISOLATE
    NETWORK --> ENCRYPT
    MONITOR --> AUDIT
    AUTH --> ACCESS

Security Measures Implemented¶

1. Input Validation and Sanitization¶

File Path Validation¶

# codeviewx/tools/filesystem.py
import os
import pathlib

def validate_file_path(file_path: str, allowed_directories: list = None) -> str:
    """
    Validate file paths to prevent directory traversal attacks

    Args:
        file_path: User-provided file path
        allowed_directories: List of allowed base directories

    Returns:
        Validated absolute path

    Raises:
        ValueError: If path is invalid or potentially malicious
    """
    try:
        # Convert to absolute path
        abs_path = os.path.abspath(file_path)

        # Check for path traversal attempts
        if '..' in file_path or file_path.startswith('/'):
            raise ValueError("Path traversal detected")

        # Validate against allowed directories if specified
        if allowed_directories:
            if not any(abs_path.startswith(os.path.abspath(allowed_dir)) 
                      for allowed_dir in allowed_directories):
                raise ValueError("Access denied: path outside allowed directories")

        return abs_path

    except (OSError, ValueError) as e:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid file path: {e}")

def write_real_file(file_path: str, content: str) -> str:
    """Secure file writing with path validation"""
    try:
        # Validate path before writing
        validated_path = validate_file_path(file_path)

        # Create directory structure safely
        directory = os.path.dirname(validated_path)
        if directory and not os.path.exists(directory):
            os.makedirs(directory, mode=0o755, exist_ok=True)

        # Write with restricted permissions
        with open(validated_path, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
            f.write(content)

        # Set secure file permissions
        os.chmod(validated_path, 0o644)

        return f"✅ Successfully wrote file: {validated_path}"

    except Exception as e:
        return f"❌ Security error: {str(e)}"

Command Injection Prevention¶

# codeviewx/tools/command.py
import shlex
import subprocess
from typing import List

def secure_execute_command(command: str, working_dir: str = None) -> str:
    """
    Execute commands securely without shell injection

    Args:
        command: Command string to execute
        working_dir: Working directory for command execution

    Returns:
        Command output or error message
    """
    try:
        # Parse command safely to prevent injection
        if not isinstance(command, str):
            raise ValueError("Command must be a string")

        # Block dangerous commands
        dangerous_commands = [
            'rm -rf', 'sudo', 'chmod 777', 'chown', 
            'wget', 'curl', 'nc', 'netcat', 'ssh'
        ]

        for dangerous in dangerous_commands:
            if dangerous in command.lower():
                raise ValueError(f"Dangerous command blocked: {dangerous}")

        # Parse command safely
        args = shlex.split(command)

        # Execute with restricted permissions
        result = subprocess.run(
            args,
            cwd=working_dir,
            capture_output=True,
            text=True,
            timeout=30,  # Prevent hanging
            check=False
        )

        if result.returncode != 0:
            return f"❌ Command failed: {result.stderr}"

        return result.stdout

    except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
        return "❌ Command timed out after 30 seconds"
    except Exception as e:
        return f"❌ Security error: {str(e)}"

2. API Key Management¶

Secure API Key Handling¶

# codeviewx/security/api_keys.py
import os
import keyring
from typing import Optional

class SecureAPIKeyManager:
    """Secure API key management with system keyring integration"""

    def __init__(self, service_name: str = "codeviewx"):
        self.service_name = service_name

    def get_api_key(self, provider: str) -> Optional[str]:
        """
        Retrieve API key from secure storage

        Priority order:
        1. Environment variable (for CI/CD)
        2. System keyring (for user workstations)
        3. Configuration file (deprecated, with warnings)
        """
        # Check environment variable first
        env_key = os.getenv(f"{provider.upper()}_API_KEY")
        if env_key:
            return self._validate_api_key(env_key, provider)

        # Check system keyring
        try:
            stored_key = keyring.get_password(self.service_name, provider)
            if stored_key:
                return self._validate_api_key(stored_key, provider)
        except Exception:
            pass

        return None

    def _validate_api_key(self, api_key: str, provider: str) -> str:
        """Validate API key format"""
        if not api_key or len(api_key) < 10:
            raise ValueError(f"Invalid API key format for {provider}")

        # Mask for logging
        masked_key = f"{api_key[:8]}...{api_key[-4:]}"
        return api_key

    def store_api_key(self, provider: str, api_key: str) -> bool:
        """Store API key in system keyring"""
        try:
            keyring.set_password(self.service_name, provider, api_key)
            return True
        except Exception:
            return False

# Usage in generator.py
from .security.api_keys import SecureAPIKeyManager

api_manager = SecureAPIKeyManager()
anthropic_key = api_manager.get_api_key("anthropic")
if not anthropic_key:
    raise ValueError("Anthropic API key not found. Please set ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN environment variable.")

3. Network Security¶

Secure HTTP Communication¶

# codeviewx/security/network.py
import ssl
import certifi
from typing import Dict, Any
import requests

class SecureHTTPClient:
    """Secure HTTP client with certificate validation and timeouts"""

    def __init__(self):
        self.session = requests.Session()

        # Configure secure defaults
        self.session.verify = certifi.where()

        # Set secure headers
        self.session.headers.update({
            'User-Agent': 'CodeViewX/0.2.0',
            'Accept': 'application/json',
            'Accept-Encoding': 'gzip, deflate'
        })

    def secure_request(self, method: str, url: str, **kwargs) -> Dict[str, Any]:
        """Make secure HTTP request with validation"""
        try:
            # Validate URL
            if not url.startswith(('https://', 'http://')):
                raise ValueError("Only HTTP/HTTPS URLs are allowed")

            # Set security defaults
            kwargs.setdefault('timeout', 30)
            kwargs.setdefault('allow_redirects', False)

            # Make request
            response = self.session.request(method, url, **kwargs)

            # Validate response
            if response.status_code >= 400:
                raise requests.HTTPError(f"HTTP {response.status_code}: {response.text}")

            return {
                'status_code': response.status_code,
                'data': response.json() if response.content else None,
                'headers': dict(response.headers)
            }

        except requests.RequestException as e:
            raise Exception(f"Network security error: {e}")

4. File System Security¶

Access Control and Permissions¶

# codeviewx/security/filesystem.py
import os
import stat
import pwd
import grp
from pathlib import Path

class SecureFileSystem:
    """Secure file system operations with access control"""

    def __init__(self, allowed_base_paths: List[str] = None):
        self.allowed_base_paths = allowed_base_paths or [os.getcwd()]

    def validate_path(self, path: str) -> Path:
        """Validate path is within allowed boundaries"""
        try:
            abs_path = Path(path).resolve()

            # Check against allowed base paths
            for base_path in self.allowed_base_paths:
                base = Path(base_path).resolve()
                if abs_path.is_relative_to(base):
                    return abs_path

            raise PermissionError(f"Access denied: {path} outside allowed directories")

        except Exception as e:
            raise PermissionError(f"Path validation failed: {e}")

    def secure_read(self, path: str) -> str:
        """Secure file reading with permission checks"""
        validated_path = self.validate_path(path)

        # Check file permissions
        if not os.access(validated_path, os.R_OK):
            raise PermissionError(f"No read permission: {validated_path}")

        # Check file size to prevent memory exhaustion
        file_size = validated_path.stat().st_size
        max_size = 10 * 1024 * 1024  # 10MB limit

        if file_size > max_size:
            raise ValueError(f"File too large: {file_size} bytes")

        try:
            with open(validated_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
                return f.read()
        except UnicodeDecodeError:
            raise ValueError("File is not valid UTF-8 text")

    def secure_write(self, path: str, content: str) -> None:
        """Secure file writing with safe permissions"""
        validated_path = self.validate_path(path)

        # Create parent directories with safe permissions
        validated_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True, mode=0o755)

        # Write with temporary file for atomic operation
        temp_path = validated_path.with_suffix('.tmp')

        try:
            with open(temp_path, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
                f.write(content)

            # Set secure permissions
            temp_path.chmod(0o644)

            # Atomic rename
            temp_path.rename(validated_path)

        except Exception:
            # Cleanup on failure
            if temp_path.exists():
                temp_path.unlink()
            raise

Security Risk Assessment¶

High Risk Areas¶

Risk Area	Description	Mitigation	Status
API Key Exposure	API keys in logs or environment	Secure storage, masking in logs	✅ Mitigated
Command Injection	Malicious command execution	Input validation, allowlist	✅ Mitigated
Path Traversal	Access to unauthorized files	Path validation, sandboxing	✅ Mitigated
Resource Exhaustion	Large file/memory consumption	Size limits, timeouts	✅ Mitigated
Network Security	Insecure HTTP communication	TLS, certificate validation	✅ Mitigated
Supply Chain	Vulnerable dependencies	Dependency scanning, updates	⚠️ Partial

Medium Risk Areas¶

Risk Area	Description	Mitigation	Status
Information Disclosure	Sensitive data in error messages	Sanitized error messages	✅ Mitigated
Denial of Service	Resource exhaustion attacks	Rate limiting, timeouts	⚠️ Partial
Audit Logging	Insufficient security event logging	Comprehensive logging	✅ Mitigated
Privilege Escalation	Running with elevated privileges	Drop privileges	✅ Mitigated

Low Risk Areas¶

Risk Area	Description	Mitigation	Status
Temporary Files	Insecure temporary file handling	Secure temp directory	✅ Mitigated
Cryptographic Storage	Weak encryption algorithms	Strong cryptography	✅ Mitigated
Session Management	Insecure session handling	Secure session practices	N/A (no sessions)

Security Best Practices¶

For Users¶

1. API Key Security: ```bash # Use environment variables, not command line arguments export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="your-key-here" codeviewx --working-dir ./project

# Never include API keys in git repositories echo "*.key" >> .gitignore echo ".env" >> .gitignore ```

1. File System Permissions: ```bash # Run with minimal required permissions codeviewx --working-dir ./project

# Avoid running as root # Don't: sudo codeviewx ```

1. Network Security: ```bash # Verify HTTPS certificates are used curl -I https://api.anthropic.com

# Use corporate proxy when required export https_proxy=your-proxy-url ```

For Developers¶

1. Secure Coding Practices: ```python # Always validate inputs def process_user_input(user_input: str): if not user_input or len(user_input) > 1000: raise ValueError("Invalid input")

   # Sanitize and process sanitized = sanitize_input(user_input) return process_sanitized(sanitized) ```

2. Error Handling: python # Don't expose sensitive information in errors try: result = risky_operation() except Exception as e: logger.error(f"Operation failed: {type(e).__name__}") raise OperationFailedError("Internal error occurred")

3. Logging Security: python # Mask sensitive information in logs def log_api_call(api_key: str, endpoint: str): masked_key = f"{api_key[:8]}...{api_key[-4:]}" logger.info(f"API call to {endpoint} with key {masked_key}")

For Deployment¶

1. Container Security: ```dockerfile # Use non-root user FROM python:3.10-slim RUN useradd -m -u 1000 codeviewx USER codeviewx

# Copy only necessary files COPY requirements.txt . RUN pip install -r requirements.txt

COPY . . CMD ["python", "-m", "codeviewx"] ```

1. Kubernetes Security: ```yaml apiVersion: v1 kind: Pod spec: securityContext: runAsNonRoot: true runAsUser: 1000 fsGroup: 1000 containers:
   • name: codeviewx securityContext: allowPrivilegeEscalation: false readOnlyRootFilesystem: true volumeMounts:
   • name: tmp mountPath: /tmp volumes:
   • name: tmp emptyDir: {} ```

Vulnerability Management¶

Dependency Scanning¶

# Use safety to check for known vulnerabilities
pip install safety
safety check

# Use bandit for security linting
pip install bandit
bandit -r codeviewx/

# Use semgrep for advanced security scanning
pip install semgrep
semgrep --config=auto codeviewx/

Security Testing¶

# tests/test_security.py
import pytest
from codeviewx.security.filesystem import SecureFileSystem
from codeviewx.security.api_keys import SecureAPIKeyManager

class TestSecurity:
    def test_path_traversal_prevention(self):
        """Test that path traversal attacks are prevented"""
        fs = SecureFileSystem(allowed_base_paths=["/safe/path"])

        with pytest.raises(PermissionError):
            fs.validate_path("../../../etc/passwd")

        with pytest.raises(PermissionError):
            fs.validate_path("/safe/path/../../../etc/passwd")

    def test_api_key_masking(self):
        """Test that API keys are properly masked in logs"""
        manager = SecureAPIKeyManager()

        # Test key validation
        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
            manager._validate_api_key("short", "anthropic")

        # Test key masking
        masked = manager._validate_api_key("sk-ant-api03-1234567890abcdef", "anthropic")
        assert masked == "sk-ant-api0...cdef"

    def test_command_injection_prevention(self):
        """Test that command injection is prevented"""
        from codeviewx.tools.command import secure_execute_command

        # Test dangerous commands are blocked
        result = secure_execute_command("rm -rf /")
        assert "Dangerous command blocked" in result

        # Test shell injection attempts
        result = secure_execute_command("echo hello; rm -rf /")
        assert "Security error" in result

Security Monitoring¶

Logging Strategy¶

# codeviewx/security/logging.py
import logging
import json
from datetime import datetime

class SecurityLogger:
    """Security event logging"""

    def __init__(self):
        self.logger = logging.getLogger('codeviewx.security')
        handler = logging.FileHandler('security.log')
        formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')
        handler.setFormatter(formatter)
        self.logger.addHandler(handler)
        self.logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)

    def log_security_event(self, event_type: str, details: dict, severity: str = "INFO"):
        """Log security event with structured data"""
        event = {
            'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
            'event_type': event_type,
            'severity': severity,
            'details': details
        }

        self.logger.info(json.dumps(event))

    def log_file_access(self, file_path: str, user: str = None, success: bool = True):
        """Log file access attempts"""
        self.log_security_event(
            'file_access',
            {
                'file_path': file_path,
                'user': user,
                'success': success
            },
            'INFO' if success else 'WARNING'
        )

    def log_api_usage(self, provider: str, endpoint: str, success: bool = True):
        """Log API usage"""
        self.log_security_event(
            'api_usage',
            {
                'provider': provider,
                'endpoint': endpoint,
                'success': success
            },
            'INFO' if success else 'ERROR'
        )

Alerting¶

# codeviewx/security/alerting.py
import smtplib
from email.mime.text import MimeText

class SecurityAlertManager:
    """Security alert management"""

    def __init__(self, smtp_config: dict = None):
        self.smtp_config = smtp_config

    def send_security_alert(self, subject: str, message: str, severity: str = "MEDIUM"):
        """Send security alert via email"""
        if not self.smtp_config:
            return

        msg = MimeText(f"""
Security Alert - {severity}

{message}

Timestamp: {datetime.now().isoformat()}
        """)

        msg['Subject'] = f"[SECURITY-{severity}] {subject}"
        msg['From'] = self.smtp_config['from']
        msg['To'] = self.smtp_config['to']

        try:
            with smtplib.SMTP(self.smtp_config['host'], self.smtp_config['port']) as server:
                if self.smtp_config.get('use_tls'):
                    server.starttls()
                if self.smtp_config.get('username'):
                    server.login(self.smtp_config['username'], self.smtp_config['password'])
                server.send_message(msg)
        except Exception as e:
            logging.error(f"Failed to send security alert: {e}")

Compliance Considerations¶

Data Privacy¶

• GDPR Compliance: Minimal data collection, secure processing, right to deletion
• Data Residency: Processing occurs within user-controlled environments
• Data Minimization: Only necessary data is processed and transmitted

Security Standards¶

• OWASP Top 10: Addressed major web application security risks
• CIS Controls: Implemented security controls for system hardening
• NIST Framework: Alignment with cybersecurity framework

Security Checklist¶

Pre-Deployment Checklist¶

• [ ] API keys stored securely (environment variables or keyring)
• [ ] File permissions set correctly (644 for files, 755 for directories)
• [ ] Input validation implemented for all user inputs
• [ ] Error messages don't expose sensitive information
• [ ] TLS enabled for all network communications
• [ ] Dependencies scanned for vulnerabilities
• [ ] Security testing completed
• [ ] Logging and monitoring configured
• [ ] Rate limiting implemented where applicable
• [ ] Container/VM security hardening completed

Operational Checklist¶

• [ ] Regular security updates applied
• [ ] Security logs reviewed regularly
• [ ] API keys rotated periodically
• [ ] Security incidents reported and addressed
• [ ] Periodic security assessments conducted
• [ ] Backup and recovery procedures tested
• [ ] Access rights reviewed and updated
• [ ] Security training completed for team members

This comprehensive security analysis ensures CodeViewX maintains strong security posture while providing powerful documentation generation capabilities. Regular security reviews and updates are essential to maintain security effectiveness.