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Security Best Practices

This document outlines essential security best practices for implementing and maintaining the MCP-GitLab integration.

Authentication & Authorization

Personal Access Tokens

Best Practices: - Use tokens with minimal required scopes - Set expiration dates on all tokens - Rotate tokens regularly (every 90 days) - Store tokens securely (never in code)

Bash
# Create token with minimal scopes
# Required scopes: api, read_user, read_repository

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Implementation: - Enable MFA on all GitLab accounts - Use hardware keys when possible - Implement backup authentication methods - Regular MFA device audits

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

YAML
# Example RBAC configuration
roles:
  developer:
    permissions:
      - read:projects
      - create:issues
      - update:merge_requests

  maintainer:
    permissions:
      - read:projects
      - write:projects
      - manage:pipelines

  admin:
    permissions:
      - "*"

Network Security

TLS/SSL Configuration

Requirements: - TLS 1.3 minimum - Valid SSL certificates - Certificate pinning for API calls - Regular certificate rotation

Nginx Configuration File
# Nginx configuration example
ssl_protocols TLSv1.3;
ssl_ciphers ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA512:DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA512;
ssl_prefer_server_ciphers off;
ssl_session_cache shared:SSL:10m;

Firewall Rules

Recommended Rules:

Bash
# Allow only necessary ports
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT

# Block unnecessary outbound traffic
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 25 -j DROP

VPN Access

Implementation: - Require VPN for administrative access - Use certificate-based VPN authentication - Implement split-tunneling carefully - Monitor VPN access logs

Data Protection

Encryption at Rest

Database Encryption:

YAML
# Example database encryption
database:
  encryption:
    algorithm: AES-256-GCM
    key_rotation: 90d
    backup_encryption: true

File System Encryption:

Bash
# Enable filesystem encryption
cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdb
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb encrypted_volume

Encryption in Transit

API Communications: - All API calls over HTTPS - Certificate validation enabled - HTTP Public Key Pinning (HPKP)

JavaScript
// Example secure HTTP client configuration
const https = require('https');
const agent = new https.Agent({
  rejectUnauthorized: true,
  checkServerIdentity: (host, cert) => {
    // Implement certificate pinning
  }
});

Data Classification

Classification Description Handling
Public Open source code Standard protection
Internal Business logic Access control required
Confidential API keys, tokens Encryption required
Restricted Personal data Special handling required

API Security

Rate Limiting

YAML
# Rate limiting configuration
rate_limits:
  global:
    requests_per_minute: 1000
  per_user:
    requests_per_minute: 100
  per_ip:
    requests_per_minute: 60

Input Validation

Implementation:

JavaScript
// Input sanitization example
const validator = require('validator');

function validateInput(input) {
  // Sanitize HTML
  const clean = validator.escape(input);

  // Validate length
  if (clean.length > 1000) {
    throw new Error('Input too long');
  }

  // Check for SQL injection patterns
  const sqlPattern = /(\b(SELECT|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP)\b)/i;
  if (sqlPattern.test(clean)) {
    throw new Error('Invalid input detected');
  }

  return clean;
}

API Key Management

Best Practices: - Generate cryptographically strong keys - Implement key rotation policies - Use different keys per environment - Monitor key usage patterns

Bash
# Generate secure API key
openssl rand -hex 32

# Store in secure key vault
vault kv put secret/gitlab-mcp api_key="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"

Container Security

Image Scanning

Docker
# Multi-stage build for security
FROM node:18-alpine as builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production

FROM node:18-alpine as runtime
RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S nodejs
RUN adduser -S nodejs -u 1001
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --chown=nodejs:nodejs . .
USER nodejs

Runtime Security

YAML
# Docker Compose security configuration
version: '3.8'
services:
  mcp-gitlab:
    image: iwakitakuma/gitlab-mcp:latest
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    cap_drop:
      - ALL
    cap_add:
      - NET_BIND_SERVICE
    read_only: true
    tmpfs:
      - /tmp
      - /var/run

Vulnerability Scanning

Bash
# Regular vulnerability scanning
trivy image iwakitakuma/gitlab-mcp:latest
docker scout quickview

Monitoring & Logging

Security Event Logging

YAML
# Logging configuration
logging:
  security_events:
    - authentication_failures
    - authorization_failures
    - suspicious_activities
    - configuration_changes

  formats:
    security: json
    audit: structured

  retention:
    security_logs: 2y
    audit_logs: 7y

Intrusion Detection

Implementation:

Bash
# Install and configure AIDE
aide --init
aide --check

# Set up file integrity monitoring
echo "/opt/mcp-gitlab f+p+u+g+s+m+c+md5+sha1" >> /etc/aide/aide.conf

Anomaly Detection

Metrics to Monitor: - Unusual API call patterns - Failed authentication attempts - Privilege escalations - Data access anomalies

Incident Response

Response Plan

  1. Detection (0-15 minutes)
  2. Automated alert triggers
  3. Security team notification

  4. Initial assessment

  5. Containment (15-60 minutes)

  6. Isolate affected systems
  7. Preserve evidence

  8. Implement temporary fixes

  9. Investigation (1-24 hours)

  10. Forensic analysis
  11. Root cause identification

  12. Impact assessment

  13. Recovery (24-72 hours)

  14. System restoration
  15. Security patch deployment

  16. Service validation

  17. Post-Incident (1-2 weeks)

  18. Lessons learned
  19. Process improvements
  20. Documentation updates

Playbooks

Security Incident Playbook:

YAML
incident_types:
  data_breach:
    priority: critical
    response_team:
      - security_lead
      - legal_counsel
      - communications

  api_compromise:
    priority: high
    response_team:
      - security_engineer
      - platform_engineer

  ddos_attack:
    priority: medium
    response_team:
      - network_engineer
      - security_engineer

Compliance & Auditing

Audit Trail

Required Events: - User authentication/authorization - Data access and modifications - Configuration changes - Administrative actions

JSON
{
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "event_type": "data_access",
  "user_id": "user123",
  "resource": "/api/v4/projects/456",
  "action": "read",
  "ip_address": "192.168.1.100",
  "user_agent": "MCP-Client/1.0"
}

Compliance Frameworks

GDPR Compliance: - Data minimization - Purpose limitation - User consent management - Right to erasure implementation

SOC 2 Type II: - Security controls documentation - Availability monitoring - Processing integrity verification - Confidentiality measures

Regular Security Tasks

Daily Tasks

  • Monitor security alerts
  • Review access logs
  • Check system health
  • Validate backups

Weekly Tasks

  • Security patch assessment
  • Access review
  • Vulnerability scan
  • Incident review

Monthly Tasks

  • Security policy review
  • Access audit
  • Penetration testing
  • Training updates

Quarterly Tasks

  • Risk assessment
  • Compliance audit
  • Disaster recovery test
  • Security awareness training

Security Tools

Vulnerability Management: - Nessus or OpenVAS - OWASP ZAP - Trivy for container scanning

Monitoring & SIEM: - Splunk or ELK Stack - Prometheus + Grafana - OSSEC HIDS

Identity & Access: - HashiCorp Vault - Auth0 or Okta - LDAP/Active Directory

Emergency Procedures

Security Breach Response

Bash
#!/bin/bash
# Emergency security response script

# 1. Isolate affected systems
iptables -A INPUT -j DROP
iptables -A OUTPUT -j DROP

# 2. Preserve evidence
dd if=/dev/sda of=/backup/forensic_image.dd

# 3. Notify security team
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text":"Security breach detected"}' \
  https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/WEBHOOK/URL

# 4. Kill suspicious processes
pkill -f suspicious_process

Contact Information

Security Team: - Emergency Hotline: +1-800-SECURITY - Email: security@company.com - Slack: #security-incidents

External Contacts: - Law Enforcement: Local authorities - Legal Counsel: legal@company.com - Insurance: Cyber liability provider

Security Checklist

Pre-Deployment

  • Security requirements defined
  • Threat model completed
  • Security controls implemented
  • Penetration testing performed
  • Security documentation updated

Post-Deployment

  • Monitoring configured
  • Incident response tested
  • Team training completed
  • Compliance verified
  • Regular audits scheduled

Resources