The Government Operations, Financial, Accounting, and Personnel System (GOFAPS) is a comprehensive organizational solution technology designed for government entities at all levels. Given the sensitive nature of financial data, personnel information, and government operations, we take security seriously and are committed to ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all data processed by this system.

We actively support and provide security updates for the following versions:

Note: Security patches are released as soon as possible for all supported versions. Organizations are strongly encouraged to keep their installations up to date.

GOFAPS is designed to meet or exceed the following security standards and regulatory requirements:

• FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) compliance
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework alignment
• NIST SP 800-53 security controls implementation
• FedRAMP readiness (for federal deployments)
• GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) compliance
• CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) security policy adherence (where applicable)

• PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) Level 1 compliance
• SOC 2 Type II certification readiness
• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliance for applicable jurisdictions
• CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) compliance
• SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) compliance for financial reporting

• NACHA (National Automated Clearing House Association) rules compliance
• OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) screening
• BSA/AML (Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering) compliance
• KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements
• ISO 20022 financial messaging standards

GOFAPS implements multiple layers of security:

1. Network Security

   • HTTPS/TLS 1.3 encryption for all communications
   • Web Application Firewall (WAF) protection
   • DDoS mitigation
   • IP allowlisting for administrative functions

2. Application Security

   • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
   • Principle of least privilege enforcement
   • Security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, etc.)
   • CSRF protection on all state-changing operations
   • SQL injection prevention through parameterized queries
   • XSS prevention through input validation and output encoding

3. Data Security

   • Encryption at rest (AES-256) for all sensitive data
   • Encryption in transit (TLS 1.3)
   • Field-level encryption for highly sensitive data (SSN, card numbers, account numbers)
   • Secure key management with rotation policies
   • Data masking and tokenization where appropriate

4. Authentication and Authorization

   • OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication
   • Multi-factor authentication (MFA) support
   • Session management with secure cookies
   • Password complexity requirements
   • Account lockout after failed attempts
   • Session timeout enforcement
   • OAuth 2.0 for third-party integrations

5. Audit and Monitoring

   • Comprehensive audit logging of all security-relevant events
   • Real-time security monitoring and alerting
   • Log retention according to compliance requirements
   • Tamper-evident audit trails
   • Regular security assessments and penetration testing

We take all security vulnerabilities seriously. If you discover a security issue in GOFAPS, please report it responsibly.

DO NOT disclose security vulnerabilities through public GitHub issues, discussions, or pull requests.

Instead, please report security vulnerabilities using one of the following methods:

1. GitHub Security Advisory (Preferred)

   • Navigate to the repository's Security tab
   • Click "Report a vulnerability"
   • Fill out the private vulnerability report form

2. Email

   • Send details to: security@universalstandards.org
   • Use PGP encryption if possible (key available on request)
   • Include "SECURITY" in the subject line

When reporting a vulnerability, please include:

• Description: Clear description of the vulnerability
• Impact: Potential impact and severity assessment
• Affected Components: Which parts of the system are affected
• Reproduction Steps: Detailed steps to reproduce the issue
• Proof of Concept: Code, screenshots, or other evidence (if available)
• Suggested Fix: Any recommendations for remediation (optional)
• Disclosure Timeline: Your expectations for coordinated disclosure

We are committed to responding promptly to security reports:

• Initial Response: Within 24 hours (business days)
• Severity Assessment: Within 72 hours
• Status Updates: Every 7 days until resolution
• Fix Development: Varies by severity (see below)
• Patch Release: As soon as safely possible

We follow responsible disclosure practices:

1. We will acknowledge your report within 24 hours
2. We will investigate and confirm the vulnerability
3. We will develop and test a fix
4. We will release a security patch
5. We will coordinate public disclosure with you
6. We will credit you in release notes (unless you prefer to remain anonymous)

We appreciate the efforts of security researchers who help us improve GOFAPS security:

• Public acknowledgment in release notes and security advisories (with permission)
• Hall of Fame listing on our website (coming soon)
• Direct communication channel with our security team
• Consideration for bug bounty program (when launched)

1. Environment Isolation

   • Separate development, staging, and production environments
   • No production data in non-production environments
   • Network segmentation and firewall rules

2. Database Security

   • Use strong, unique passwords for database accounts
   • Enable SSL/TLS for database connections
   • Implement database encryption at rest
   • Regular database backups with encryption
   • Principle of least privilege for database users
   • Regular security patching of database systems

3. Secrets Management

   • Never commit secrets to version control
   • Use environment variables or secure secret managers (AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, Azure Key Vault)
   • Rotate secrets regularly (API keys, passwords, tokens)
   • Implement secret scanning in CI/CD pipelines

4. Access Control

   • Implement role-based access control (RBAC)
   • Use multi-factor authentication for all administrative access
   • Regular access reviews and deprovisioning
   • Principle of least privilege
   • Separate administrative accounts from regular user accounts

5. Monitoring and Incident Response

   • Enable comprehensive logging
   • Set up security monitoring and alerting
   • Implement intrusion detection/prevention systems
   • Maintain an incident response plan
   • Regular security drills and tabletop exercises

1. Configuration

   • Disable debug mode in production
   • Remove or disable unnecessary services and endpoints
   • Configure secure session settings
   • Enable security headers
   • Implement rate limiting and throttling

2. Updates and Patching

   • Keep all dependencies up to date
   • Subscribe to security advisories for dependencies
   • Automated dependency scanning (Dependabot, Snyk)
   • Regular security audits
   • Prompt application of security patches

3. Data Protection

   • Classify data by sensitivity level
   • Implement data retention and deletion policies
   • Encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit
   • Implement data loss prevention (DLP) measures
   • Regular data backup and recovery testing

4. Integration Security

   • Validate all external API credentials
   • Use OAuth 2.0 for third-party integrations
   • Implement webhook signature verification
   • Regular review of third-party access
   • Monitor third-party service security advisories

1. Authentication

   • OpenID Connect (OIDC) integration
   • Session management with secure cookies
   • Password hashing with bcrypt (cost factor: 12)
   • Optional two-factor authentication (2FA)
   • Single Sign-On (SSO) support

2. Authorization

   • Role-based access control (RBAC)
   • Organization-level data isolation
   • Granular permission system
   • Audit trail for access attempts

3. Payment Security

   • PCI DSS compliant payment processing
   • Card data tokenization
   • Secure card storage (encrypted)
   • Transaction fraud detection
   • Compliance screening (OFAC, sanctions lists)

4. Data Protection

   • Field-level encryption for sensitive data
   • Automatic data masking in logs
   • Secure data export with encryption
   • Data anonymization capabilities
   • Secure file upload validation

5. Audit and Compliance

   • Comprehensive audit logging
   • Immutable audit trails
   • Compliance reporting tools
   • Transaction history tracking
   • User activity monitoring

GOFAPS integrates with the following payment providers, all of which maintain their own security certifications:

• Stripe: PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2 Type II
• PayPal: PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001
• Unit: SOC 2 Type II, bank-grade security
• Modern Treasury: SOC 2 Type II
• Dwolla: SOC 2 Type II
• Circle: SOC 2 Type II, SOC 1 Type II
• Wise: FCA regulated, ISO 27001
• Coinbase: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001

• Plaid: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001
• SaltEdge: PSD2 compliant, ISO 27001
• LexisNexis: SOC 2 Type II
• Thomson Reuters: ISO 27001

All third-party integrations are regularly reviewed for security compliance and updated according to vendor security advisories.

1. Automated Testing

   • Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
   • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
   • Dependency vulnerability scanning
   • Container security scanning
   • Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security scanning

2. Manual Testing

   • Annual penetration testing by certified professionals
   • Code security reviews
   • Security architecture reviews
   • Threat modeling sessions

3. Continuous Monitoring

   • Real-time vulnerability monitoring
   • Security event correlation
   • Anomaly detection
   • Compliance monitoring

In the event of a security incident:

1. Detection and Analysis

   • Identify and verify the incident
   • Assess severity and impact
   • Activate incident response team

2. Containment

   • Isolate affected systems
   • Preserve evidence
   • Prevent further damage

3. Eradication

   • Remove threat from systems
   • Address root cause
   • Apply security patches

4. Recovery

   • Restore systems from clean backups
   • Verify system integrity
   • Return to normal operations

5. Post-Incident Activities

   • Document lessons learned
   • Update security controls
   • Notify affected parties (if required)
   • File regulatory reports (if required)

In case of a data breach affecting user information, we will:

• Notify affected users within 72 hours of discovery
• Provide details about the breach and its impact
• Offer guidance on protective measures
• Comply with all applicable breach notification laws
• Work with law enforcement as appropriate

• Security Email: security@universalstandards.org
• Response Time: 24 hours (business days)
• Emergency Contact: Available through GitHub Security Advisory

• Security Advisories: GitHub Security tab
• Security Documentation: This document (SECURITY.md)
• Compliance Documentation: Available on request
• Security Updates: Released through GitHub releases

GOFAPS is designed to support the following compliance frameworks:

• FedRAMP Ready (in progress)
• SOC 2 Type II (planned)
• PCI DSS Level 1 (architecture ready)
• NIST 800-53 controls implemented
• FISMA compliance architecture
• ISO 27001 (planned)
• HIPAA (architecture supports - for healthcare implementations)

Organizations deploying GOFAPS are responsible for ensuring their specific implementation meets applicable compliance requirements. We provide guidance and support for compliance efforts.

• Secure deployment and configuration guides
• Security operations procedures
• Incident response training
• Compliance documentation

• Secure coding guidelines
• Security testing procedures
• Vulnerability management process
• Security review checklist

• Security awareness training
• Best practices documentation
• Phishing awareness
• Password management guidelines

This security policy is reviewed and updated regularly. Changes will be communicated through:

• GitHub repository commits
• Release notes
• Security advisories (for significant changes)

Last updated: November 3, 2025

• DEVELOPMENT.md - Development setup and best practices
• README.md - General project information
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• OWASP Top 10
• CIS Controls

Remember: Security is everyone's responsibility. If you see something, say something. Thank you for helping keep GOFAPS secure.