[SECURITY] Security Headers and Enhanced CORS Configuration

[HaxoLabs]

Security Issue Type

• Security Enhancement Request

Severity Level

• High (Should be addressed soon)

Affected Components

• API endpoints
• Configuration
• Infrastructure

Description

Implement comprehensive security headers and enhanced CORS configuration to protect DBX API from common web security vulnerabilities and ensure proper cross-origin request handling.

Steps to Reproduce (if applicable)

Current security headers are minimal:

1. Make request to any DBX endpoint
2. Inspect response headers
3. Notice missing security headers
4. Observe basic CORS configuration

Potential Impact

Without proper security headers, DBX is vulnerable to:

• Clickjacking attacks
• MIME type confusion
• Cross-site scripting (XSS)
• Insecure transport
• Cross-origin attacks

Environment Details

• Deployment: All environments
• Configuration: Default security configuration

Suggested Solution

Implement comprehensive security middleware with:

1. Security Headers:

   • X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
   • X-Frame-Options: DENY
   • X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block
   • Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
   • Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
   • Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'

2. Enhanced CORS:

   • Configurable origin allowlist
   • Proper preflight handling
   • Credential support configuration
   • Method and header restrictions

3. Configuration:

   • Environment-based security policy configuration
   • Development vs production security profiles
   • Configurable CORS policies per deployment

Implementation Details

• Create api/src/middleware/security.rs
• Add security configuration to api/src/config.rs
• Implement CORS allowlist via environment variables
• Add security header tests
• Update documentation with security configuration

Acceptance Criteria

• All recommended security headers present in responses
• Configurable CORS allowlist via environment variables
• Development vs production security profiles
• Proper preflight request handling
• Security header validation tests
• CORS configuration tests
• Documentation updated with security best practices
• Performance impact <0.5ms per request
• Configurable security policies
• Integration with existing middleware stack

Additional Context

Security headers are essential for production deployment and regulatory compliance.

Disclosure Timeline

Public enhancement - no sensitive security information disclosed.

Checklist

• I have not publicly disclosed this security issue
• I have provided sufficient detail for investigation
• I understand this may require private communication
• I have considered the potential impact of this issue