Matey (m8e) is an enterprise-grade Kubernetes-native MCP server orchestrator designed with security as a foundational principle. This document outlines our security practices, vulnerability reporting process, and security guidelines.

We provide security updates for the following versions:

• OAuth 2.1 Implementation: Complete OAuth 2.1 compliance with PKCE support
• JWT Token Management: Secure token generation, validation, and revocation
• RBAC Integration: Kubernetes-native Role-Based Access Control
• API Key Authentication: Fallback authentication method with scope validation
• Middleware Chains: Layered security with configurable authentication policies

• Security Contexts: Non-root user execution, dropped capabilities, read-only filesystems
• RBAC Policies: Least-privilege ServiceAccounts and ClusterRoles
• Network Policies: Service mesh integration with ingress/egress controls
• Pod Security Standards: Compliance with Kubernetes Pod Security Standards
• Image Security: Multi-stage builds, vulnerability scanning, minimal base images

• Encryption in Transit: TLS/SSL for all network communications
• Secrets Management: Integration with Kubernetes Secrets and external secret stores
• Audit Logging: Comprehensive event tracking with tamper-evident logs
• Data Isolation: Namespace-based multi-tenancy with resource quotas

• Dependency Scanning: Automated vulnerability checks for all dependencies
• Image Scanning: Container image vulnerability assessment
• Signed Releases: Cryptographically signed release artifacts
• SBOM Generation: Software Bill of Materials for transparency

We employ multiple automated security scanning tools:

• gosec: Go-specific security vulnerability scanner
• golangci-lint: Comprehensive code quality and security linting
• semgrep: Pattern-based static analysis for security issues

• govulncheck: Official Go vulnerability database integration
• nancy: OSS Index dependency vulnerability scanning
• Dependabot: Automated dependency updates with security patches

• Trivy: Container image vulnerability and misconfiguration scanning
• Docker Scout: Docker image security analysis
• Snyk: Third-party security vulnerability scanning

• Kubernetes CIS Benchmarks: Security configuration validation
• Network Policy Validation: Traffic flow security analysis
• RBAC Analysis: Permission escalation detection

We take security vulnerabilities seriously. If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly:

DO NOT create public GitHub issues for security vulnerabilities.

Instead, please email us at: [email protected]

Include the following information:

• Description of the vulnerability
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Potential impact assessment
• Any suggested fixes or mitigations
• Your contact information for follow-up

• Initial Response: Within 24 hours of report
• Vulnerability Assessment: Within 72 hours
• Fix Development: Within 7-14 days depending on severity
• Patch Release: Critical issues within 24-48 hours
• Public Disclosure: 30 days after patch release (coordinated disclosure)

While we don't currently have a formal bug bounty program, we recognize and appreciate security researchers who help improve Matey's security:

• Hall of Fame: Public recognition for responsible disclosure
• Swag & Merchandise: Matey branded items for valid reports
• Early Access: Preview access to new features and releases
• Direct Communication: Access to development team for collaboration

# Use security contexts
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
spec:
  securityContext:
    runAsNonRoot: true
    runAsUser: 1000
    fsGroup: 2000
  containers:
  - name: matey
    securityContext:
      allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
      readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
      capabilities:
        drop:
        - ALL
EOF

# Apply network policies
kubectl apply -f charts/matey/templates/network-policy.yaml

# Use TLS for all communications
export MATEY_TLS_ENABLED=true
export MATEY_TLS_CERT_FILE=/etc/certs/tls.crt
export MATEY_TLS_KEY_FILE=/etc/certs/tls.key

# Use Kubernetes secrets
kubectl create secret generic matey-secrets \
  --from-literal=api-key="$(openssl rand -base64 32)" \
  --from-literal=jwt-secret="$(openssl rand -base64 64)"

# Or use external secret management
helm install external-secrets external-secrets/external-secrets

# Set resource limits
resources:
  limits:
    cpu: 500m
    memory: 512Mi
  requests:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 128Mi

1. Input Validation: Always validate and sanitize user inputs
2. Error Handling: Don't expose sensitive information in error messages
3. Logging: Avoid logging sensitive data (passwords, tokens, keys)
4. Dependencies: Keep dependencies updated and scan for vulnerabilities
5. Authentication: Use strong authentication mechanisms and secure session management

# Install pre-commit hooks
pre-commit install

# Run security scans
make security-scan

# Check for secrets
git secrets --scan

# Lint for security issues
golangci-lint run --enable gosec

• No hardcoded secrets or credentials
• Proper input validation and sanitization
• Secure error handling without information disclosure
• RBAC permissions follow least-privilege principle
• TLS/encryption used for sensitive data transmission
• Dependencies are up-to-date and vulnerability-free
• Security tests cover the new functionality

• CIS Kubernetes Benchmark: Container and Kubernetes security guidelines
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework: Risk management and security controls
• OWASP Top 10: Web application security best practices
• SOC 2 Type II: Security, availability, and confidentiality controls

• GDPR: Data protection and privacy regulations (EU)
• SOX: Financial reporting controls and data integrity
• HIPAA: Healthcare data protection (with additional configuration)
• PCI DSS: Payment card industry security standards

# Example Prometheus alerts
groups:
- name: matey-security
  rules:
  - alert: UnauthorizedAccess
    expr: increase(matey_auth_failures_total[5m]) > 10
    for: 2m
    labels:
      severity: critical
    annotations:
      summary: "High number of authentication failures"

  - alert: SuspiciousActivity
    expr: increase(matey_api_requests_total{status=~"4..|5.."}[10m]) > 100
    for: 5m
    labels:
      severity: warning
    annotations:
      summary: "High number of HTTP errors"

# Security-focused log queries
kubectl logs -l app=matey | grep -E "(failed|error|unauthorized|forbidden)"

# Audit log analysis
jq '.verb == "create" and .objectRef.resource == "secrets"' audit.log

• Security Lead: Primary security contact and incident commander
• Development Team: Technical analysis and fix implementation
• DevOps Team: Infrastructure and deployment response
• Communications: External communication and user notifications

1. Detection: Automated monitoring alerts or external reports
2. Assessment: Severity analysis and impact determination
3. Containment: Immediate steps to limit exposure
4. Investigation: Root cause analysis and evidence collection
5. Remediation: Fix development and deployment
6. Recovery: Service restoration and monitoring
7. Lessons Learned: Post-incident review and improvements

• Internal: Slack channel #security-incidents
• External: Security advisory via GitHub and email
• Users: Status page updates and migration guidance
• Community: Public disclosure after fixes are available

• Security Team: [email protected]
• General Support: [email protected]
• Project Maintainer: @phildougherty
• Security Advisory: Watch this repository for security advisories

• OWASP Kubernetes Security Cheat Sheet
• CIS Kubernetes Benchmark
• Kubernetes Security Best Practices
• Go Security Guidelines

Last Updated: December 2024
Next Review: March 2025