API Security

BlueNexus AI implements comprehensive API security measures to protect against threats and ensure secure access to platform resources.

Authentication

API Key Authentication

Primary authentication method for API access:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

API Key Features

• Unique Identifiers: Cryptographically secure key generation

• Scoped Access: Granular permission scopes

• Expiration: Configurable expiration times

• Rotation: Regular key rotation support

• Revocation: Immediate revocation capability

Key Management

• Generation: Secure random key generation

• Storage: Encrypted storage in TEE

• Transmission: Secure transmission only

• Usage Tracking: Complete usage audit trail

OAuth 2.0 Authentication

Industry-standard OAuth 2.0 implementation:

Authorization Code Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant BlueNexus
    participant User
    participant Provider

    Client->>BlueNexus: 1. Authorization Request
    BlueNexus->>User: 2. Redirect to Provider
    User->>Provider: 3. User Authorization
    Provider->>BlueNexus: 4. Authorization Code
    BlueNexus->>Provider: 5. Exchange Code for Token
    Provider->>BlueNexus: 6. Access Token
    BlueNexus->>Client: 7. Access Token

Token Types

• Access Tokens: Short-lived (1 hour) API access

• Refresh Tokens: Long-lived token refresh

• ID Tokens: User identity information

• Personal Access Tokens: Long-lived API access

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Enhanced security for sensitive operations:

• TOTP: Time-based one-time passwords

• SMS: SMS-based verification

• Email: Email-based verification

• Hardware Tokens: FIDO2/WebAuthn support

Authorization

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Granular permission system:

Roles

• Admin: Full platform access

• Developer: API and development access

• User: Standard user access

• Read-Only: Read-only access

Permissions

• api:read: Read API resources

• api:write: Write API resources

• api:admin: Administrative access

• connections:read: Read connections

• connections:write: Manage connections

• data:read: Read data collections

• data:write: Write data collections

• llm:read: Access LLM services

• mcp:read: Access MCP servers

• mcp:write: Manage MCP servers

Scope-Based Access Control

Fine-grained API access control:

{
  "scopes": [
    "api:read",
    "data:write",
    "connections:read"
  ]
}

Resource-Level Permissions

Per-resource access control:

• Collection Access: Per-collection permissions

• Connection Access: Per-connection permissions

• MCP Server Access: Per-server permissions

• User Access: Per-user permissions

Input Validation

Request Validation

Comprehensive input validation:

• Schema Validation: JSON schema validation

• Type Checking: Strict type validation

• Length Limits: Input length restrictions

• Format Validation: Format-specific validation

Example Validation

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "maxLength": 100
    },
    "email": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "email"
    }
  },
  "required": ["name", "email"]
}

Sanitization

Input sanitization to prevent injection attacks:

• SQL Injection: Parameterized queries

• XSS Prevention: Output encoding

• Command Injection: Command sanitization

• Path Traversal: Path validation

Rate Limiting

Rate Limit Types

Per-User Limits

• API Calls: Requests per minute/hour/day

• Data Operations: CRUD operations per period

• LLM Tokens: Token usage per period

• Connection Operations: OAuth operations per period

Per-Endpoint Limits

• Authentication: Login attempts per minute

• Data Creation: Records per minute

• File Upload: Upload size and frequency

• Search Operations: Search queries per minute

Rate Limit Headers

X-RateLimit-Limit: 1000
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 999
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640995200
X-RateLimit-Retry-After: 60

Rate Limit Responses

{
  "error": {
    "code": "RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded",
    "retry_after": 60
  }
}

Security Headers

HTTP Security Headers

Comprehensive security headers:

Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
X-Frame-Options: DENY
X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block
Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'
Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
Permissions-Policy: geolocation=(), microphone=(), camera=()

CORS Configuration

Controlled cross-origin resource sharing:

{
  "allowed_origins": ["https://app.bluenexus.ai"],
  "allowed_methods": ["GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"],
  "allowed_headers": ["Authorization", "Content-Type"],
  "max_age": 86400
}

Threat Protection

DDoS Protection

Distributed denial-of-service protection:

• Rate Limiting: Request rate limiting

• IP Filtering: Malicious IP blocking

• Geographic Filtering: Regional access controls

• Behavioral Analysis: Anomaly detection

Bot Protection

Automated bot detection and prevention:

• CAPTCHA: Challenge-response tests

• Behavioral Analysis: User behavior analysis

• Device Fingerprinting: Device identification

• Machine Learning: AI-powered bot detection

Injection Attack Prevention

Protection against injection attacks:

• SQL Injection: Parameterized queries

• NoSQL Injection: Input validation

• Command Injection: Command sanitization

• LDAP Injection: LDAP query validation

Audit Logging

Logged Events

Comprehensive audit logging:

• Authentication: Login/logout events

• Authorization: Permission checks

• Data Access: Data read/write operations

• Configuration: System configuration changes

• Security: Security-related events

Log Format

Structured logging format:

{
  "timestamp": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "event_type": "api_access",
  "user_id": "user_123",
  "ip_address": "192.168.1.1",
  "user_agent": "Mozilla/5.0...",
  "endpoint": "/api/v1/data/users",
  "method": "GET",
  "status_code": 200,
  "request_id": "req_123"
}

Log Retention

• Access Logs: 90 days

• Audit Logs: 7 years

• Security Logs: 1 year

• Error Logs: 30 days

Error Handling

Secure Error Responses

Error responses that don't leak information:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_REQUEST",
    "message": "The request is invalid"
  }
}

Error Codes

Standardized error codes:

• 400: Bad Request

• 401: Unauthorized

• 403: Forbidden

• 404: Not Found

• 429: Too Many Requests

• 500: Internal Server Error

Security Monitoring

Real-Time Monitoring

Continuous security monitoring:

• Threat Detection: AI-powered threat detection

• Anomaly Detection: Behavioral analysis

• Incident Response: Automated response

• Alerting: Real-time security alerts

Security Metrics

Key security metrics:

• Failed Authentication: Failed login attempts

• Rate Limit Violations: Rate limit breaches

• Suspicious Activity: Unusual access patterns

• Security Incidents: Security events

Best Practices

For Developers

1. Secure Coding: Follow secure coding practices

2. Input Validation: Validate all inputs

3. Error Handling: Secure error handling

4. Dependency Management: Keep dependencies updated

5. Secret Management: Secure secret storage

For Users

1. Strong Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords

2. API Key Security: Protect API keys

3. Regular Updates: Keep software updated

4. Access Review: Regularly review access permissions

5. Security Awareness: Stay informed about security

Related Documentation

• Security Overview - Overall security architecture

• TEE Infrastructure - Trusted execution environment

• Data Protection - Data security measures

• Compliance - Compliance information