Security Practices

Overview

This document outlines the engineering controls, architectural decisions, and infrastructure practices implemented by MedGuardian to secure patient and caregiver data.

Authentication

• Password Hashing: User passwords are securely hashed using Argon2id before persistence.
• Session Management: Authenticated sessions use short-lived JWT-based access tokens.
• Refresh Tokens: Persistent sessions are maintained via rotating, HttpOnly, and Secure refresh token cookies to prevent client-side script access.
• Session Invalidation: Explicit logout functionality invalidates server-side session records.

Authorization

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Server-side logic enforces strict boundaries between Patient, Caregiver, and Healthcare Provider roles.
• Caregiver Boundaries: Caregiver access to patient data is explicitly governed by database-backed relationship records and requires explicit patient approval.
• Protected APIs: All data endpoints enforce ownership and authorization checks before executing queries.

Encryption

• Encryption in Transit: All web traffic and API communication is enforced over HTTPS (TLS encryption).
• Encryption at Rest: The managed PostgreSQL database infrastructure utilizes transparent encryption at rest.

API Security

• Input Validation: Strict schema validation prevents malformed payloads from reaching the database.
• CORS Controls: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing is restricted to trusted application origins.

Database Security

• Architecture: The PostgreSQL database is accessed strictly via a secure, server-side Prisma ORM layer.
• Credential Isolation: Database credentials and secrets are never exposed to the client browser.

Notifications

• Web Push Security: Push notifications are delivered using server-controlled VAPID credentials.
• Subscription Controls: Notification subscriptions are tied to verified user identities.

Infrastructure

MedGuardian leverages modern cloud infrastructure providers:

• Cloudflare: Utilized for edge routing and baseline DDoS protection.
• Render: Utilized for scalable application hosting.
• Supabase: Utilized for managed database infrastructure.

Reporting a Security Concern

If you identify a security vulnerability in the MedGuardian platform, please report it to us confidentially. Security concerns can be submitted through the MedGuardian contact form by selecting "Security concern". We ask that you provide us a reasonable opportunity to investigate and patch the issue before public disclosure.

Current Infrastructure Limitations