Security Patterns

Security Patterns Skill

Enforce zero-trust security across frontend and backend.

When to Use

Automatically activate when:

• Implementing authentication/authorization
• Handling tokens or sessions
• Writing API endpoints
• Storing sensitive data

Zero Trust Principles

Never Trust, Always Verify, Least Privilege

1. Every request is authenticated
2. Every action is authorized
3. Minimal permissions granted
4. All data encrypted at rest and in transit
5. Complete audit trail

Frontend Security (Angular)

Token Storage — Memory ONLY

// ✅ CORRECT - Store in memory
@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class AuthService {
  private accessToken = signal<string | null>(null);
  private refreshToken = signal<string | null>(null);

  setTokens(access: string, refresh: string) {
    this.accessToken.set(access);
    this.refreshToken.set(refresh);
  }

  clearTokens() {
    this.accessToken.set(null);
    this.refreshToken.set(null);
  }
}

// ❌ WRONG - Never use localStorage
localStorage.setItem('token', token);  // FORBIDDEN
sessionStorage.setItem('token', token);  // FORBIDDEN

XSS Prevention

// ✅ Use Angular's built-in sanitization
import { DomSanitizer } from '@angular/platform-browser';

@Component({...})
class SafeComponent {
  private sanitizer = inject(DomSanitizer);

  // Only when absolutely necessary
  trustedHtml = this.sanitizer.bypassSecurityTrustHtml(userContent);
}

// ❌ WRONG - Never bypass without sanitization
[innerHTML]="userContent"  // DANGEROUS

Auto-Logout on Inactivity

@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class InactivityService {
  private readonly TIMEOUT_MS = 15 * 60 * 1000; // 15 minutes
  private timeoutId?: number;

  resetTimer() {
    clearTimeout(this.timeoutId);
    this.timeoutId = window.setTimeout(() => this.logout(), this.TIMEOUT_MS);
  }

  private logout() {
    this.authService.clearTokens();
    this.router.navigate(['/login']);
  }
}

Clear PII on Logout

logout() {
  // Clear all sensitive data
  this.accessToken.set(null);
  this.refreshToken.set(null);
  this.userProfile.set(null);
  
  // Clear IndexedDB
  await this.indexedDb.clear();
  
  // Clear service worker cache
  if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) {
    const caches = await window.caches.keys();
    await Promise.all(caches.map(c => window.caches.delete(c)));
  }
}

Backend Security (Spring Boot)

Method-Level Authorization

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/api/v1/learners")
@RequiredArgsConstructor
public class LearnerController {

    @GetMapping
    @PreAuthorize("hasAnyRole('TEACHER', 'ADMIN')")
    public List<LearnerResponse> listLearners() { ... }

    @PostMapping
    @PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')")
    public LearnerResponse createLearner(@Valid @RequestBody request) { ... }

    @DeleteMapping("/{id}")
    @PreAuthorize("hasRole('SUPER_ADMIN')")
    public void deleteLearner(@PathVariable UUID id) { ... }
}

PII Masking in Responses

public record LearnerResponse(
    UUID id,
    @JsonSerialize(using = MaskedStringSerializer.class)
    String lrn,          // Returns: "****8901"
    String firstName,
    @JsonSerialize(using = MaskedStringSerializer.class)
    String birthDate     // Returns: "****-**-15"
) {}

Audit Logging

@Aspect
@Component
public class AuditAspect {

    @Around("@annotation(Auditable)")
    public Object audit(ProceedingJoinPoint pjp) throws Throwable {
        AuditLog log = AuditLog.builder()
            .userId(SecurityContextHolder.getContext().getUserId())
            .tenantId(TenantContext.getTenantId())
            .action(pjp.getSignature().getName())
            .timestamp(Instant.now())
            .build();

        try {
            Object result = pjp.proceed();
            log.setStatus("SUCCESS");
            return result;
        } catch (Exception e) {
            log.setStatus("FAILURE");
            log.setError(e.getMessage());
            throw e;
        } finally {
            auditRepository.save(log);
        }
    }
}

Input Validation

public record CreateLearnerRequest(
    @NotBlank
    @Size(max = 100)
    @Pattern(regexp = "^[a-zA-Z\\s]+$", message = "Only letters allowed")
    String firstName,

    @NotNull
    @Pattern(regexp = "\\d{12}", message = "LRN must be 12 digits")
    String lrn,

    @NotNull
    @Past(message = "Birth date must be in the past")
    LocalDate birthDate
) {}

API Security

OAuth2 + PKCE Flow

1. Client generates code_verifier (random string)
2. Client creates code_challenge = SHA256(code_verifier)
3. Client redirects to /authorize?code_challenge=...
4. User authenticates
5. Server returns authorization_code
6. Client exchanges code + code_verifier for tokens
7. Server validates SHA256(code_verifier) == code_challenge

Rate Limiting

@Configuration
public class RateLimitConfig {

    @Bean
    public RateLimiter rateLimiter() {
        return RateLimiter.of("api", RateLimiterConfig.custom()
            .limitForPeriod(100)           // 100 requests
            .limitRefreshPeriod(Duration.ofMinutes(1))
            .timeoutDuration(Duration.ofMillis(500))
            .build());
    }
}

Data Encryption

At Rest (Database)

-- Encrypt sensitive columns
CREATE TABLE learners (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
    lrn TEXT,  -- Stored encrypted
    first_name TEXT,
    birth_date DATE
);

-- Use pgcrypto for column encryption
INSERT INTO learners (id, lrn, first_name, birth_date)
VALUES (
    gen_random_uuid(),
    pgp_sym_encrypt('123456789012', 'encryption-key'),
    'Juan',
    '2010-01-15'
);

In Transit

• TLS 1.3 for all connections
• mTLS between services
• Certificate pinning in mobile apps

Security Headers (CSP)

@Configuration
public class SecurityHeadersConfig {

    @Bean
    public SecurityFilterChain filterChain(HttpSecurity http) {
        return http
            .headers(headers -> headers
                .contentSecurityPolicy(csp -> csp
                    .policyDirectives("default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"))
                .frameOptions(frame -> frame.deny())
                .xssProtection(xss -> xss.enable()))
            .build();
    }
}

Checklist

Frontend

• Tokens stored in memory only
• XSS prevention (Angular sanitization + CSP)
• 15-minute inactivity auto-logout
• Clear all PII on logout
• Certificate pinning (mobile)

Backend

• @PreAuthorize on all controller methods
• PII masking in responses
• Audit logging for all data access
• Input validation with Bean Validation
• Rate limiting per tenant

Infrastructure

• TLS 1.3 everywhere
• HSM for key management
• WAF + DDoS protection
• SIEM/SOAR integration