π‘οΈ Hack23 AB β Security Headers Implementation
π Technical Security Controls
π― Implementing defense-in-depth for client-side applications
**π Document Owner:** CEO | **π Version:** 1.0 | **π
Last Updated:** 2025-11-10 (UTC)
**π Review Cycle:** Quarterly | **β° Next Review:** 2026-02-10
---
# Security Headers Implementation
## Overview
This document explains the security headers implemented to address vulnerabilities identified in the ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) full scan, in compliance with [Hack23 AB's ISMS](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC) [Secure Development Policy](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/Secure_Development_Policy.md).
## Background
GitHub Pages does not support custom HTTP headers, so security controls must be implemented through HTML meta tags with `http-equiv` attributes. While not as robust as HTTP headers, these meta tags provide meaningful security improvements for client-side rendered applications.
This implementation aligns with:
- **[Secure Development Policy](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/Secure_Development_Policy.md)** - Security testing and DAST requirements
- **[Information Security Policy](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/Information_Security_Policy.md)** - Security controls implementation
## Implemented Security Headers
### 1. Content Security Policy (CSP)
**Meta Tag:**
```html
```
**Purpose:** Restricts the sources from which various types of content can be loaded.
**Directives Explained:**
- `default-src 'self'` - Only load resources from same origin by default
- `script-src 'self'` - Only execute scripts from same origin
- `style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'` - Allow same-origin styles and inline styles (required by React)
- `img-src 'self' data: blob:` - Allow images from same origin, data URIs, and blob URLs (required by Three.js)
- `font-src 'self'` - Only load fonts from same origin
- `connect-src 'self'` - Only allow connections to same origin
- `media-src 'self' blob:` - Allow media from same origin and blob URLs (required by audio)
- `worker-src 'self' blob:` - Allow web workers from same origin and blob URLs
- `frame-ancestors 'none'` - Prevent page from being embedded in frames (clickjacking protection)
- `base-uri 'self'` - Restrict base tag URLs to same origin
- `form-action 'self'` - Restrict form submission targets to same origin
**ZAP Issues Addressed:**
- β
Content Security Policy (CSP) Header Not Set [10038]
- β
CSP: Failure to Define Directive with No Fallback [10055]
- β
CSP: style-src unsafe-inline [10055] (acceptable for React applications)
### 2. X-Frame-Options
**Meta Tag:**
```html
```
**Purpose:** Prevents the page from being displayed in a frame, iframe, embed, or object tag.
**ZAP Issues Addressed:**
- β
Missing Anti-clickjacking Header [10020]
### 3. X-Content-Type-Options
**Meta Tag:**
```html
```
**Purpose:** Prevents browsers from MIME-sniffing responses, reducing exposure to drive-by download attacks.
**ZAP Issues Addressed:**
- β
X-Content-Type-Options Header Missing [10021]
### 4. Referrer Policy
**Meta Tag:**
```html
```
**Purpose:** Controls how much referrer information is included with requests.
**Policy Explained:**
- Same-origin requests: Full URL sent as referrer
- Cross-origin HTTPS requests: Only origin sent as referrer
- HTTPSβHTTP requests: No referrer sent
### 5. X-XSS-Protection
**Meta Tag:**
```html
```
**Purpose:** Enables the Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) filter built into most browsers.
**Note:** Modern browsers have deprecated this header in favor of CSP, but it's included for older browser support.
### 6. Permissions Policy
**Meta Tag:**
```html
```
**Purpose:** Controls which browser features and APIs can be used in the document.
**Features Disabled:**
- Geolocation API
- Microphone access
- Camera access
- Payment Request API
- USB device access
- Magnetometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
### 7. Cross-Origin Policies
**Meta Tags:**
```html
```
**Purpose:** Mitigates Spectre-style attacks by isolating the browsing context.
**Policies Explained:**
- `Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy: same-origin` - Isolates the browsing context to same-origin documents only
- `Cross-Origin-Resource-Policy: same-origin` - Prevents other origins from reading the resource
**ZAP Issues Addressed:**
- β
Insufficient Site Isolation Against Spectre Vulnerability [90004]
## ZAP Issues Not Fully Addressable via Meta Tags
### Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS)
**Issue:** Strict-Transport-Security Header Not Set [10035]
**Status:** β οΈ Partially Addressed
**Explanation:** The `Strict-Transport-Security` header cannot be set via meta tags. However:
1. GitHub Pages serves all content over HTTPS by default
2. GitHub Pages automatically redirects HTTP requests to HTTPS
3. The security benefit is largely achieved through GitHub's infrastructure
**Recommendation:** This is acceptable for GitHub Pages deployments as the infrastructure enforces HTTPS.
### CORS Misconfiguration
**Issue:** CORS Misconfiguration [40040]
**Status:** β οΈ Infrastructure Level
**Explanation:** CORS headers must be set by the server and cannot be controlled via HTML meta tags. For GitHub Pages:
1. GitHub Pages sets appropriate CORS headers
2. All resources are served from the same origin
3. No cross-origin resource sharing is required for this application
**Recommendation:** No action needed as the application doesn't require CORS.
## Testing
All security headers are validated by automated tests in `src/test/security-headers.test.ts`:
- β
11 security header tests
- β
Validates presence of all meta tags
- β
Verifies correct content values
- β
Ensures React and Three.js compatibility
## Verification
To verify the security headers are present:
1. **Build the application:**
```bash
npm run build
```
2. **Check the output:**
```bash
cat dist/index.html | grep "http-equiv"
```
3. **Run security tests:**
```bash
npm run test -- src/test/security-headers.test.ts
```
## Browser Compatibility
Meta tags with `http-equiv` are supported by:
- β
Chrome/Edge (all modern versions)
- β
Firefox (all modern versions)
- β
Safari (all modern versions)
- β
Mobile browsers
**Note:** While not as strong as HTTP headers, these meta tags provide meaningful security improvements for browsers that respect them.
## Future Improvements
If migrating from GitHub Pages to a platform with HTTP header support (e.g., Netlify, Vercel):
1. Convert meta tags to HTTP headers
2. Add `Strict-Transport-Security` header with appropriate max-age
3. Consider adding `Content-Security-Policy-Report-Only` for monitoring
4. Implement proper CORS configuration if needed
---
## π Related Documents
### Internal Documentation
- π [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) - Security policy and vulnerability reporting
- π [ISMS Policy Mapping](docs/ISMS_POLICY_MAPPING.md) - Feature-to-policy mapping
- π [README.md](README.md) - Project overview
### ISMS-PUBLIC Policies
- π [Information Security Policy](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/Information_Security_Policy.md) - Overall security governance
- π οΈ [Secure Development Policy](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/Secure_Development_Policy.md) - SDLC and security testing requirements
- π [Vulnerability Management](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/Vulnerability_Management.md) - Security vulnerability handling
- π·οΈ [Classification Framework](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/CLASSIFICATION.md) - CIA triad and impact levels
### External References
- [MDN: Content Security Policy](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/CSP)
- [OWASP: Clickjacking Defense](https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/Clickjacking_Defense_Cheat_Sheet.html)
- [OWASP: Security Headers](https://owasp.org/www-project-secure-headers/)
- [ZAP Scanning Rules](https://www.zaproxy.org/docs/alerts/)
---
**π Document Control:**
**β
Approved by:** James Pether SΓΆrling, CEO
**π€ Distribution:** Public
**π·οΈ Classification:** [](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/CLASSIFICATION.md#confidentiality-levels)
**π
Effective Date:** 2025-11-10
**β° Next Review:** 2026-02-10
**π― Framework Compliance:** [](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/CLASSIFICATION.md) [](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/CLASSIFICATION.md) [](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/CLASSIFICATION.md) [](https://github.com/Hack23/ISMS-PUBLIC/blob/main/CLASSIFICATION.md)