Charon/docs/reports/qa_report.md

QA/Security Audit — PR-1 Backend Slice (Notify HTTP Wrapper)

• Date: 2026-02-23
• Scope: Current PR-1 backend slice implementation (notification provider handler/service, wrapper path, security gating)
• Verdict: READY (PASS WITH NON-BLOCKING WARNINGS)

Commands Run

1. git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD && git rev-parse --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name @{u} && git diff --name-only origin/main...HEAD
2. ./.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh docker-rebuild-e2e
3. PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080 npx playwright test tests/settings/notifications.spec.ts
4. bash scripts/local-patch-report.sh
5. bash scripts/go-test-coverage.sh
6. pre-commit run --all-files
7. ./.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh security-scan-trivy
8. ./.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh security-scan-docker-image
9. bash scripts/pre-commit-hooks/codeql-go-scan.sh
10. bash scripts/pre-commit-hooks/codeql-js-scan.sh
11. bash scripts/pre-commit-hooks/codeql-check-findings.sh
12. ./scripts/scan-gorm-security.sh --check

Gate Results

Gate	Status	Evidence
1) Playwright E2E first	PASS	Notifications feature suite passed: 79/79 on local E2E environment.
2) Local patch coverage preflight	PASS (WARN)	Artifacts generated: test-results/local-patch-report.md and test-results/local-patch-report.json; mode=warn due missing frontend/coverage/lcov.info.
3) Backend coverage + threshold	PASS	scripts/go-test-coverage.sh reported 87.7% line / 87.4% statement; threshold 85% met.
4) pre-commit --all-files	PASS	All configured hooks passed.
5a) Trivy filesystem scan	PASS	No CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM findings reported by skill at configured scanners/severities.
5b) Docker image security scan	PASS	No CRITICAL/HIGH; Grype summary from grype-results.json: Medium=10, Low=4.
5c) CodeQL Go + JS CI-aligned + findings check	PASS	Go and JS scans completed; findings check reported no security issues in both languages.
6) GORM scanner (--check)	PASS	0 CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM; 2 INFO suggestions only.

Blockers / Notes

• No merge-blocking security or QA failures were found for this PR-1 backend slice.
• Non-blocking operational notes:
  • E2E initially failed until stale conflicting container was removed and E2E environment was rebuilt.
  • scripts/local-patch-report.sh completed artifact generation in warning mode because frontend coverage input was absent.
  • pre-commit run codeql-check-findings --all-files hook id was not registered in this local setup; direct script execution (scripts/pre-commit-hooks/codeql-check-findings.sh) passed.

Recommendation

• Proceed to PR-2.
• Carry forward two non-blocking follow-ups:
  1. Ensure frontend coverage artifact generation before local patch preflight to eliminate warning mode.
  2. Optionally align local pre-commit hook IDs with documented CodeQL findings check command.

QA Report — PR-2 Security Patch Posture Audit

• Date: 2026-02-23
• Scope: PR-2 only (security patch posture, admin API hardening, rollback viability)
• Verdict: READY (PASS)

Gate Summary

Gate	Status	Evidence
Targeted E2E for PR-2	PASS	Security settings test for Caddy Admin API URL passed (2/2).
Local patch preflight artifacts	PASS	test-results/local-patch-report.md and .json regenerated.
Coverage and type-check	PASS	Backend coverage 87.7% line / 87.4% statement; frontend type-check passed; frontend coverage preflight input passed (88.99% lines).
Pre-commit gate	PASS	pre-commit run --all-files passed after resolving version and type-check hook issues.
Security scans	PASS	CodeQL Go/JS CI-aligned scans passed; findings gate passed with no HIGH/CRITICAL; Trivy passed at configured severities.
Runtime posture + rollback	PASS	Default scenario shifted A -> B for PR-2 posture; rollback remains explicit via CADDY_PATCH_SCENARIO=A; admin API URL now validated and normalized at config load.

Resolved Items

1. check-version-match mismatch fixed by syncing .version to v0.19.1.
2. frontend-type-check hook stabilized to npx tsc --noEmit for deterministic pre-commit behavior.

PR-2 Closure Statement

All PR-2 QA/security gates required for merge are passing. No PR-3 scope is included in this report.

---

QA Report — PR-3 Keepalive Controls Closure

• Date: 2026-02-23
• Scope: PR-3 only (keepalive controls, safe fallback/default behavior, non-exposure constraints)
• Verdict: READY (PASS)

Reviewer Gate Summary (PR-3)

Gate	Status	Reviewer evidence
Targeted E2E rerun	PASS	Security settings targeted rerun completed: 30 passed, 0 failed.
Local patch preflight	PASS	frontend/coverage/lcov.info present; scripts/local-patch-report.sh artifacts regenerated with pass status.
Coverage + type-check	PASS	Frontend coverage gate passed (89% lines vs 85% minimum); type-check passed.
Pre-commit + security scans	PASS	pre-commit --all-files, CodeQL Go/JS CI-aligned scans, findings gate, and Trivy checks passed (no HIGH/CRITICAL blockers).
Final readiness	PASS	All PR-3 closure gates are green.

Scope Guardrails Verified (PR-3)

• Keepalive controls are limited to approved PR-3 scope.
• Safe fallback behavior remains intact when keepalive values are missing or invalid.
• Non-exposure constraints remain intact (trusted_proxies_unix and certificate lifecycle internals are not exposed).

Manual Verification Reference

• PR-3 manual test tracking plan: docs/issues/manual_test_pr3_keepalive_controls_closure.md

PR-3 Closure Statement

PR-3 is ready to merge with no open QA blockers.

---

QA/Security Audit — PR-2 Frontend Slice (Notifications)

• Date: 2026-02-24
• Scope: PR-2 frontend notifications slice only (UI/API contract alignment, tests, QA/security gates)
• Verdict: READY (PASS WITH NON-BLOCKING WARNINGS)

Commands Run

1. .github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh docker-rebuild-e2e
2. /projects/Charon/node_modules/.bin/playwright test /projects/Charon/tests/settings/notifications.spec.ts --config=/projects/Charon/playwright.config.js --project=firefox
3. bash /projects/Charon/scripts/local-patch-report.sh
4. /projects/Charon/.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh test-frontend-coverage
5. cd /projects/Charon/frontend && npm run type-check
6. cd /projects/Charon && pre-commit run --all-files
7. VS Code task: Security: CodeQL JS Scan (CI-Aligned) [~90s]
8. VS Code task: Security: CodeQL Go Scan (CI-Aligned) [~60s]
9. cd /projects/Charon && bash scripts/pre-commit-hooks/codeql-check-findings.sh
10. /projects/Charon/.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh security-scan-trivy

Gate Results

Gate	Status	Evidence
1) Playwright E2E first (notifications-focused)	PASS	tests/settings/notifications.spec.ts: 27 passed, 0 failed after PR-2-aligned expectation update.
2) Local patch coverage preflight artifacts	PASS (WARN)	Artifacts generated: test-results/local-patch-report.md and test-results/local-patch-report.json; report mode=warn with changed_lines=0 for current baseline range.
3) Frontend coverage + threshold	PASS	test-frontend-coverage skill completed successfully; coverage gate PASS at 89% lines vs minimum 87%.
4) TypeScript check	PASS	npm run type-check completed with tsc --noEmit and no type errors.
5) pre-commit run --all-files	PASS	All configured hooks passed, including frontend lint/type checks and fast Go linters.
6a) CodeQL JS (CI-aligned)	PASS	JS scan completed and SARIF generated (codeql-results-js.sarif).
6b) CodeQL Go (CI-aligned)	PASS	Go scan completed and SARIF generated (codeql-results-go.sarif).
6c) CodeQL findings gate	PASS	scripts/pre-commit-hooks/codeql-check-findings.sh reported no security issues in Go/JS.
6d) Trivy filesystem scan	PASS	security-scan-trivy completed with 0 vulnerabilities and 0 secrets at configured severities.
6e) GORM scanner	SKIPPED (N/A)	Not required for PR-2 frontend-only slice (no backend/internal/models/** or GORM persistence scope changes).

Low-Risk Fixes Applied During Audit

1. Updated Playwright notifications spec to match PR-2 provider UX (discord/gotify/webhook selectable, not disabled):
   • tests/settings/notifications.spec.ts
2. Updated legacy frontend API unit test expectations from Discord-only to supported provider contract:
   • frontend/src/api/__tests__/notifications.test.ts

Blockers / Notes

• No merge-blocking QA/security blockers for PR-2 frontend slice.
• Non-blocking notes:
  • Local patch preflight is in warn mode with changed_lines=0 against origin/development...HEAD; artifacts are present and valid.
  • Local command execution is cwd-sensitive; absolute paths were used for reliable gate execution.

Recommendation

• Proceed to PR-3.
• No blocking items remain for the PR-2 frontend slice.

---

Final QA/Security Audit — Notify Migration (PR-1/PR-2/PR-3)

• Date: 2026-02-24
• Scope: Final consolidated verification for completed notify migration slices (PR-1 backend, PR-2 frontend, PR-3 E2E/coverage hardening)
• Verdict: ALL-PASS

Mandatory Gate Sequence Results

Gate	Status	Evidence
1) Playwright E2E first (notifications-focused, including new payload suite)	PASS	npx playwright test tests/settings/notifications.spec.ts tests/settings/notifications-payload.spec.ts --project=firefox --workers=1 --reporter=line → 37 passed, 0 failed.
2) Local patch coverage preflight artifacts generation	PASS (WARN mode allowed)	bash scripts/local-patch-report.sh generated test-results/local-patch-report.md and test-results/local-patch-report.json with artifact verification.
3) Backend coverage threshold check	PASS	bash scripts/go-test-coverage.sh → Line coverage 87.4%, minimum required 85%.
4) Frontend coverage threshold check	PASS	bash scripts/frontend-test-coverage.sh → Lines 89%, minimum required 85% (coverage gate PASS).
5) Frontend TypeScript check	PASS	cd frontend && npm run type-check completed with tsc --noEmit and no errors.
6) pre-commit run --all-files	PASS	First run auto-fixed EOF in tests/settings/notifications-payload.spec.ts; rerun passed all hooks.
7a) Trivy filesystem scan	PASS	./.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh security-scan-trivy → no CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM issues and no secrets detected.
7b) Docker image scan	PASS	./.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh security-scan-docker-image → Critical 0 / High 0 / Medium 10 / Low 4; gate policy passed (no critical/high).
7c) CodeQL Go scan (CI-aligned)	PASS	CI-aligned Go scan completed; results written to codeql-results-go.sarif.
7d) CodeQL JS scan (CI-aligned)	PASS	CI-aligned JS scan completed; results written to codeql-results-js.sarif.
7e) CodeQL findings gate	PASS	bash scripts/pre-commit-hooks/codeql-check-findings.sh → no security issues in Go or JS findings gate.
8) GORM security check mode (applicable)	PASS	./scripts/scan-gorm-security.sh --check → 0 CRITICAL / 0 HIGH / 0 MEDIUM, INFO suggestions only.

Final Verdict

• all-pass / blockers: ALL-PASS, no unresolved blockers
• exact failing gates: None (final reruns all passed)
• proceed to handoff: YES

Notes

• Transient issues were resolved during audit execution:
  • Initial Playwright run saw container availability drop (ECONNREFUSED); after E2E environment rebuild and deterministic rerun, gate passed.
  • Initial pre-commit run required one automatic EOF fix and passed on rerun.
  • Shell working-directory drift caused temporary command-not-found noise for root-level security scripts; rerun from repo root passed.

---

Workflow Fix Validation — GHAS Trivy Compatibility (docker-build.yml)

• Date: 2026-02-24
• Scope: .github/workflows/docker-build.yml only
• Result: PASS

Checks Run

1. Workflow lint/syntax:
   • go run github.com/rhysd/actionlint/cmd/actionlint@latest .github/workflows/docker-build.yml → actionlint: OK
   • python3 YAML parse (yaml.safe_load) for .github/workflows/docker-build.yml → YAML parse: OK
2. Guard/category placement validation:
   • Verified Trivy compatibility uploads are gated with if: always() && steps.trivy-pr-check.outputs.exists == 'true'.
   • Verified compatibility uploads are non-blocking via continue-on-error: true.
   • Verified category aliases present:
     • .github/workflows/docker-build.yml:build-and-push
     • .github/workflows/docker-publish.yml:build-and-push
     • trivy-nightly
   • Verified main Trivy SARIF upload for non-PR path now explicitly sets category .github/workflows/docker-build.yml:build-and-push.
3. Security regression review (workflow logic only):
   • Patch is additive for SARIF upload routing/compatibility and existence guard.
   • No new secret exposure, token scope elevation, or privilege expansion introduced.
   • No blocking behavior added to compatibility uploads.

Blockers

• None.

Proceed Recommendation

• Proceed. Workflow-only GHAS Trivy compatibility patch is validated and safe to merge.

---

QA Validation — E2E Auth Helper + Local Docker Socket Diagnostics

• Date: 2026-02-24
• Scope: Validation only for:
  1. E2E shard failures previously tied to missing Authorization header in test helpers (createUser path)
  2. Local Docker socket connection diagnostics/behavior
• Verdict: PASS for both target tracks (with unrelated shard test failures outside this scope)

Commands Executed

1. ./.github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh docker-rebuild-e2e
2. pushd /projects/Charon >/dev/null && if [ -f .env ]; then set -a; . ./.env; set +a; fi && : "${CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN:?CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN is required (set it in /projects/Charon/.env)}" && CI=true PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8080 CHARON_SECURITY_TESTS_ENABLED=false PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_SECURITY_DEPS=1 TEST_WORKER_INDEX=1 npx playwright test --project=firefox --shard=1/4 --output=playwright-output/firefox-shard-1 tests/core tests/dns-provider-crud.spec.ts tests/dns-provider-types.spec.ts tests/integration tests/manual-dns-provider.spec.ts tests/monitoring tests/settings tests/tasks
3. pushd /projects/Charon >/dev/null && if [ -f .env ]; then set -a; . ./.env; set +a; fi && : "${CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN:?CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN is required (set it in /projects/Charon/.env)}" && CI=true PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8080 CHARON_SECURITY_TESTS_ENABLED=false PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_SECURITY_DEPS=1 npx playwright test --project=firefox tests/fixtures/api-helper-auth.spec.ts
4. pushd /projects/Charon/backend >/dev/null && go test -count=1 -v ./internal/services -run 'TestDockerService|TestIsDocker|TestResolveDockerHost|TestBuildLocalDockerUnavailableDetails|TestGetErrorResponseDetails' && go test -count=1 -v ./internal/api/handlers -run 'TestDockerHandler'

Results

Check	Status	Output Summary
E2E environment rebuild	PASS	charon-e2e rebuilt and healthy; health endpoint responsive.
CI-style non-security shard	PARTIAL (out-of-scope failures)	124 passed, 3 failed in tests/core/data-consistency.spec.ts and tests/core/domain-dns-management.spec.ts; no Failed to create user: {"error":"Authorization header required"} observed.
Focused createUser auth-path spec	PASS	tests/fixtures/api-helper-auth.spec.ts → 2 passed (4.5s).
Backend docker service/handler tests	PASS	Targeted suites passed, including local diagnostics and mapping: ok .../internal/services, ok .../internal/api/handlers.

Local Docker API Path / Diagnostics Validation

• Verified via backend tests that local-mode behavior and diagnostics are correct:
  • Local host resolution includes unix socket preference path (unix:///var/run/docker.sock) in service tests.
  • Connectivity classification passes for permission denied, missing socket, daemon connectivity, timeout, and syscall/network error paths.
  • Handler mapping passes for docker-unavailable scenarios and returns actionable details with 503 path assertions.

Env-only vs Regression Classification

• Track 1 (createUser Authorization helper path): No regression detected.
  • Focused spec passes and representative shard no longer shows prior auth-header failure signature.
• Track 2 (local Docker socket diagnostics/behavior): No regression detected.
  • Targeted backend tests pass across local unix socket and failure diagnostic scenarios.
• Remaining shard failures: Out of scope for requested tracks (not env bootstrap failures and not related to auth-helper/docker-socket fixes).

---

Fast Playwright No-HTML Triage (PR #754)

• Date: 2026-02-25
• Scope: Focused CI-like local rerun for previously failing no-HTML Playwright specs on Firefox and Chromium
• Result: PASS

Commands Used

1. pushd /projects/Charon >/dev/null && if [ -f .env ]; then set -a; . ./.env; set +a; fi && export CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN="${CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN:-test-emergency-token-for-e2e-32chars}" && CI=true PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8080 CHARON_SECURITY_TESTS_ENABLED=false PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_SECURITY_DEPS=1 npx playwright test --project=firefox tests/settings/no-html.spec.ts tests/settings/notifications-no-html.spec.ts tests/core/no-html-hardening.spec.ts tests/integration/no-html-regression.spec.ts
2. pushd /projects/Charon >/dev/null && if [ -f .env ]; then set -a; . ./.env; set +a; fi && export CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN="${CHARON_EMERGENCY_TOKEN:-test-emergency-token-for-e2e-32chars}" && CI=true PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8080 CHARON_SECURITY_TESTS_ENABLED=false PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_SECURITY_DEPS=1 npx playwright test --project=chromium tests/settings/no-html.spec.ts tests/settings/notifications-no-html.spec.ts tests/core/no-html-hardening.spec.ts tests/integration/no-html-regression.spec.ts

Results

Browser	Status	Output Summary
Firefox	PASS	43 passed, 0 failed
Chromium	PASS	43 passed, 0 failed

Conclusion

All four previously failing specs are green locally when executed in CI-like environment settings.

---

Deep Security Audit — Huntarr-Style Hardening (Charon)

• Date: 2026-02-25
• Scope: Full backend/API/runtime/CI posture against Huntarr-style failure modes and self-hosted hardening requirements
• Constraint honored: docs/plans/current_spec.md was not modified
• Verdict: FAIL (P0 findings present)

Executive Summary

Charon has strong baseline controls (JWT auth middleware, setup lockout, non-root container runtime, emergency token constant-time verification, and active CI security gates), but this audit found critical gaps in authorization boundaries and secret exposure behavior. The most severe risks are: (1) security-control mutation endpoints accessible to any authenticated user in multiple handlers, (2) import preview/status endpoints exposed without auth middleware and without admin checks, and (3) sensitive values returned in generic settings/profile/invite responses. One container-image vulnerability (HIGH) is also present in usr/bin/caddy.

Commands Executed

1. shell: Security: CodeQL All (CI-Aligned)
2. shell: Security: CodeQL Go Scan (CI-Aligned) [~60s]
3. shell: Security: CodeQL JS Scan (CI-Aligned) [~90s]
4. python3 SARIF summary (codeql-results-go.sarif, codeql-results-js.sarif, codeql-results-javascript.sarif)
5. pre-commit run codeql-check-findings --all-files (hook not registered locally; see blockers)
6. .github/skills/scripts/skill-runner.sh security-scan-trivy vuln,secret,misconfig json > trivy-report.json (misconfig scanner panic; see blockers)
7. docker run ... aquasec/trivy:latest fs --scanners vuln,secret ... --format json > vuln-results.json
8. docker run ... aquasec/trivy:latest image ... charon:local > trivy-image-report.json
9. ./scripts/scan-gorm-security.sh --check
10. pre-commit run --all-files

Gate Results

Gate	Status	Evidence
CodeQL (Go + JS SARIF artifacts)	PASS	codeql-results-go.sarif, codeql-results-js.sarif, codeql-results-javascript.sarif all contained 0 results.
Trivy filesystem (actionable scope: vuln+secret)	PASS	vuln-results.json reported 0 CRITICAL/HIGH findings after excluding local caches.
Trivy image scan (charon:local)	FAIL	trivy-image-report.json: 1 HIGH vulnerability (CVE-2026-25793) in usr/bin/caddy (github.com/slackhq/nebula v1.9.7).
GORM security gate (--check)	PASS	0 CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM; 2 INFO only.
Pre-commit full gate	PASS	pre-commit run --all-files passed all configured hooks.

Findings

ID	Severity	Category	CWE / OWASP	Evidence	Impact	Exploitability	Remediation
F-001	Critical	Broken authorization on security mutation endpoints	CWE-862 / OWASP A01	backend/internal/api/routes/routes.go exposes /api/v1/security/config, /security/breakglass/generate, /security/decisions, /security/rulesets* under authenticated routes; corresponding handlers in backend/internal/api/handlers/security_handler.go (UpdateConfig, GenerateBreakGlass, CreateDecision, UpsertRuleSet, DeleteRuleSet) do not enforce admin role.	Any authenticated non-admin can alter core security controls, generate break-glass token material, and tamper with decision/ruleset state.	High (single authenticated request path).	Enforce admin authorization at route-level or handler-level for all security-mutating endpoints; add deny-by-default middleware tests for all /security/* mutators.
F-002	High	Unauthenticated import status/preview exposure	CWE-200 + CWE-306 / OWASP A01 + A04	backend/internal/api/routes/routes.go registers import handlers via RegisterImportHandler; backend/internal/api/routes/routes.go RegisterImportHandler() mounts /api/v1/import/* without auth middleware. In backend/internal/api/handlers/import_handler.go, GetStatus and GetPreview lack requireAdmin checks and can return caddyfile_content.	Potential disclosure of infrastructure hostnames/routes/config snippets to unauthenticated users.	Medium-High (network-accessible management endpoint).	Move import routes into protected/admin group; require admin check in GetStatus and GetPreview; redact/remove raw caddyfile_content from API responses.
F-003	High	Secret disclosure in API responses	CWE-200 / OWASP A02 + A01	backend/internal/api/handlers/settings_handler.go GetSettings() returns full key/value map; backend/internal/services/mail_service.go persists smtp_password in settings. backend/internal/api/handlers/user_handler.go returns api_key in profile/regenerate responses and invite_token in invite/create/resend flows.	Secrets and account takeover tokens can leak through UI/API, logs, browser storage, and support channels.	Medium (requires authenticated access for some paths; invite token leak is high-risk in admin workflows).	Introduce server-side secret redaction policy: write-only secret fields, one-time reveal tokens, and masked settings API; remove raw invite/API key returns except explicit one-time secure exchange endpoints with re-auth.
F-004	Medium	Dangerous operation controls incomplete	CWE-285 / OWASP A01	High-impact admin operations (security toggles, user role/user deletion pathways) do not consistently require re-auth/step-up confirmation; audit exists in places but not uniformly enforced with confirmation challenge.	Increases blast radius of stolen session or accidental clicks for destructive operations.	Medium.	Add re-auth (password/TOTP) for dangerous operations and explicit confirmation tokens with short TTL; enforce audit record parity for every security mutation endpoint.
F-005	Medium	Secure-by-default network exposure posture	CWE-1327 / OWASP A05	backend/cmd/api/main.go starts HTTP server on :<HTTPPort> (all interfaces). Emergency server defaults are safer, but management API default bind remains broad in self-hosted deployments.	Expanded attack surface if deployment network controls are weak/misconfigured.	Medium (environment dependent).	Default management bind to loopback/private interface and require explicit opt-in for public exposure; document hardened reverse-proxy-only deployment mode.
F-006	Medium	Container image dependency vulnerability	CWE-1104 / OWASP A06	trivy-image-report.json: HIGH CVE-2026-25793 in usr/bin/caddy (github.com/slackhq/nebula v1.9.7) in charon:local.	Potential exposure via vulnerable transitive component in runtime image.	Medium (depends on exploit preconditions).	Rebuild with patched Caddy base/version; pin and verify fixed digest; keep image scan as blocking CI gate for CRITICAL/HIGH.

Setup-Mode Re-entry Assessment

• Pass: backend/internal/api/handlers/user_handler.go blocks setup when user count is greater than zero (Setup already completed).
• Residual risk: concurrent first-run race conditions are still theoretically possible if multiple setup requests arrive before first transaction commits.

Charon Safety Contract (Current State)

Invariant	Status	Notes
No state-changing endpoint without strict authz	FAIL	Security mutators and import preview/status gaps violate deny-by-default authorization expectations.
No raw secrets in API/logs/diagnostics	FAIL	Generic settings/profile/invite responses include sensitive values/tokens.
Secure-by-default management exposure	PARTIAL	Emergency server defaults safer; main API bind remains broad by default.
Dangerous operations require re-auth + audit	PARTIAL	Audit is present in parts; step-up re-auth/confirmation is inconsistent.
Setup mode is one-way lockout after initialization	PASS	Setup endpoint rejects execution when users already exist.

Prioritized Remediation Plan

P0 (block release / immediate):

1. Enforce admin authz on all /security/* mutation endpoints (UpdateConfig, GenerateBreakGlass, CreateDecision, UpsertRuleSet, DeleteRuleSet, and any equivalent mutators).
2. Move all import endpoints behind authenticated admin middleware; add explicit admin checks to GetStatus/GetPreview.
3. Remove raw secret/token disclosure from settings/profile/invite APIs; implement write-only and masked read semantics.

P1 (next sprint):

1. Add step-up re-auth for dangerous operations (security toggles, user deletion/role changes, break-glass token generation).
2. Add explicit confirmation challenge for destructive actions with short-lived confirmation tokens.
3. Resolve image CVE by upgrading/pinning patched Caddy dependency and re-scan.

P2 (hardening backlog):

1. Tighten default bind posture for management API.
2. Add startup race protection for first-run setup path.
3. Expand documentation redaction standards for tokenized URLs and support artifacts.

CI Tripwires (Required Enhancements)

1. Route-auth crawler test (new): enumerate all API routes and fail CI when any state-changing route (POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE) is not protected by auth + role policy.
2. Secret exposure contract tests: assert sensitive keys (smtp_password, API keys, invite tokens, provider tokens) are never returned by generic read APIs.
3. Security mutator RBAC tests: negative tests for non-admin callers on all /security/* mutators.
4. Image vulnerability gate: fail build on CRITICAL/HIGH vulnerabilities unless explicit waiver with expiry exists.
5. Trivy misconfig stability gate: pin Trivy version or disable known-crashing parser path until upstream fix; keep scanner reliability monitored.

Blockers / Tooling Notes

• pre-commit run codeql-check-findings --all-files failed locally because hook id is not registered in current pre-commit stage.
• Trivy misconfig scanner path crashed with a nil-pointer panic in Ansible parser during full filesystem scan; workaround used (vuln,secret) for actionable gate execution.

Final DoD / Security Gate Decision

• Overall Security Gate: FAIL (due to unresolved P0 findings F-001/F-002/F-003 and one HIGH image vulnerability F-006).
• If this code were Huntarr, would we call it safe now? No — not until P0 authorization and secret-exposure issues are remediated and re-validated.

Remediation Update (2026-02-25)

• Scope: P0 backend remediations from this audit were implemented in a single change set; docs/plans/current_spec.md remained untouched.

F-001 — Security mutator authorization:

• Added explicit admin checks in security mutator handlers (UpdateConfig, GenerateBreakGlass, CreateDecision, UpsertRuleSet, DeleteRuleSet, ReloadGeoIP, LookupGeoIP, AddWAFExclusion, DeleteWAFExclusion).
• Updated security route wiring so mutation endpoints are mounted under admin-protected route groups.
• Added/updated negative RBAC tests to verify non-admin callers receive 403 for security mutators.

F-002 — Import endpoint protection:

• Updated import route registration to require authenticated admin middleware for /api/v1/import/* endpoints.
• Added admin enforcement in GetStatus and GetPreview handlers.
• Added/updated route tests to verify unauthenticated and non-admin access is blocked.

F-003 — Secret/token exposure prevention:

• Updated settings read behavior to mask sensitive values and return metadata flags instead of raw secret values.
• Removed raw api_key and invite token disclosure from profile/regenerate/invite responses; responses now return masked/redacted values and metadata.
• Updated handler tests to enforce non-disclosure response contracts.

Validation executed for this remediation update:

• go test ./internal/api/handlers -run 'SecurityHandler|ImportHandler|SettingsHandler|UserHandler' ✅
• go test ./internal/api/routes ✅

Residual gate status after this remediation update:

• P0 backend findings F-001/F-002/F-003 are addressed in code and covered by updated tests.
• Image vulnerability finding F-006 remains open until runtime image dependency update and re-scan.