If you discover a security vulnerability in this project, please report it responsibly:

1. DO NOT open a public issue
2. Email the maintainer directly with details
3. Allow reasonable time for a fix before public disclosure

NEVER commit sensitive data to version control:

• ✅ Use .env file for all secrets
• ✅ Keep .env in .gitignore
• ✅ Use .env.example as a template (without real values)
• ❌ Never hardcode passwords, API keys, or secrets in code

Example .env structure:

SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
DEBUG=True
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-email-password

Generate a strong Django secret key:

from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key
print(get_random_secret_key())

• Minimum 50 characters
• Use random, unpredictable values
• Rotate regularly (especially after suspected compromise)
• Never reuse across environments

For Admin/User Accounts:

• Minimum 8 characters (enforced by Django validators)
• Mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols
• Avoid common passwords (Django checks against common password list)
• Use password managers for strong, unique passwords

Password Hashing:

• System uses Argon2 (if installed) or PBKDF2
• Passwords are never stored in plain text
• Password reset uses secure token-based system

Development:

• SQLite is fine for development
• Keep db.sqlite3 in .gitignore
• Never commit database files with real user data

Production:

• Use PostgreSQL or MySQL
• Enable SSL/TLS for database connections
• Use strong database passwords
• Restrict database access to application server only
• Regular backups with encryption

Update config/settings.py or .env:

DEBUG=False
SECRET_KEY=<new-production-secret-key>
ALLOWED_HOSTS=yourdomain.com,www.yourdomain.com

• REQUIRED for production
• Obtain SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt is free)
• Configure web server (Nginx/Apache) for HTTPS
• Enable HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security)

The following settings are automatically enabled when DEBUG=False:

SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = True
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE = True
CSRF_COOKIE_SECURE = True
SECURE_HSTS_SECONDS = 31536000

Already configured in config/settings.py:

• X-Frame-Options: DENY - Prevents clickjacking
• X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff - Prevents MIME sniffing
• X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block - XSS protection
• Referrer-Policy: same-origin - Controls referrer information

• Enabled by default on all forms
• Use {% csrf_token %} in all POST forms
• AJAX requests must include CSRF token

Current configuration:

SESSION_COOKIE_AGE = 3600 # 1 hour
SESSION_COOKIE_HTTPONLY = True # Prevent JavaScript access
SESSION_COOKIE_SAMESITE = 'Lax' # CSRF protection

For production, sessions are secure (HTTPS only).

Gmail Configuration:

• Enable 2-Factor Authentication
• Use App Passwords (not your main password)
• Never commit email credentials

SendGrid/Other SMTP:

• Use API keys instead of passwords where possible
• Rotate API keys regularly
• Monitor for unauthorized usage

If implementing file uploads:

• Validate file types and extensions
• Limit file sizes
• Scan for malware
• Store uploads outside web root
• Use unique, random filenames

The system includes basic rate limiting middleware:

• Login attempts are limited
• Account lockout after failed attempts
• Protects against brute force attacks

• Always use Django ORM (never raw SQL)
• If raw SQL is necessary, use parameterized queries
• Never concatenate user input into SQL

Good:

User.objects.filter(email=user_email)

Bad:

cursor.execute(f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE email='{user_email}'")

• Django auto-escapes template variables
• Use |safe filter only for trusted content
• Sanitize user input before display

• Admin: Full access
• Manager: Business operations
• User: Limited access
• Viewer: Read-only

Enforce permissions in views:

from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
from apps.accounts.decorators import role_required
@login_required
@role_required(['Admin', 'Manager'])
def sensitive_view(request):
 # Only Admin and Manager can access
 pass

• Validate all user input
• Use Django forms for automatic validation
• Sanitize data before processing

• Never expose stack traces to users (set DEBUG=False)
• Log errors securely
• Use custom error pages (400, 403, 404, 500)

• Log security events (failed logins, permission denials)
• Protect log files (don't commit to version control)
• Rotate logs regularly

• Keep Django and packages updated
• Run pip list --outdated regularly
• Monitor security advisories
• Use pip-audit to check for vulnerabilities:

pip install pip-audit
pip-audit

Before deploying to production:

• DEBUG=False in production
• Strong, unique SECRET_KEY
• ALLOWED_HOSTS configured correctly
• HTTPS/SSL enabled
• Database using PostgreSQL with strong password
• Email configured with secure credentials
• Static files collected (python manage.py collectstatic)
• Media files stored securely
• Backups configured and tested
• Monitoring and logging enabled
• Security headers verified
• Dependencies updated
• .env file secured (not in version control)
• Admin scripts with hardcoded passwords removed
• Rate limiting configured
• Error pages customized (no debug info)

• Review access logs for suspicious activity
• Check for failed login attempts

• Update dependencies
• Review user accounts and permissions
• Test backup restoration

• Security audit
• Rotate secrets and API keys
• Review and update security policies

❌ Bad:

admin_password = 'admin123'
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'mypassword'

✅ Good:

admin_password = os.getenv('ADMIN_PASSWORD')
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = os.getenv('EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD')

❌ Bad:

DEBUG = True # In production

✅ Good:

DEBUG = os.getenv('DEBUG', 'False') == 'True'

❌ Bad:

• admin/admin
• password123
• 12345678

✅ Good:

• Use password generators
• Minimum 12 characters for admin accounts
• Mix of character types

❌ Bad:

• Committing .env to GitHub
• Hardcoding SECRET_KEY in settings.py
• Sharing secrets in chat/email

✅ Good:

• Use environment variables
• Use secret management tools
• Rotate keys regularly

• Django Security Documentation
• OWASP Top 10
• Django Security Releases
• Python Security Advisories

If a security breach occurs:

1. Immediate Actions:

   • Take affected systems offline if necessary
   • Change all passwords and secrets
   • Review access logs

2. Investigation:

   • Determine scope of breach
   • Identify vulnerability
   • Document timeline

3. Remediation:

   • Fix vulnerability
   • Update security measures
   • Notify affected users (if applicable)

4. Post-Incident:

   • Update security policies
   • Implement additional safeguards
   • Train team on lessons learned

For security concerns, please contact the project maintainer.

Remember: Security is everyone's responsibility! 🔒