Security Architecture and Controls by Phase

This document outlines security controls, policies, and practices appropriate for each phase.

Security Principles

• Least privilege for all systems and users
• Defense in depth (app, infra, network, data)
• Secure-by-default configurations (deny-first)
• Encrypt in transit (TLS) and at rest (where feasible)
• Secrets never in source control; managed in a secure store
• Regular vulnerability management and patching cadence

Phase A: WordPress Theme Redesign

Hardening

• Enforce HTTPS site-wide (HSTS, redirect HTTP→HTTPS)
• Set Content Security Policy (CSP) with strict defaults
• Disable XML-RPC if not needed; limit REST API exposure
• Lock down file permissions (no write for web user where not necessary)
• Limit admin login attempts; enable 2FA for admin users
• Regularly update WP core, plugins, and themes

Headers

• Strict-Transport-Security
• Content-Security-Policy
• X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
• X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN
• Referrer-Policy: no-referrer-when-downgrade (or stricter)

Phase B: Headless + Laravel API + Next.js + Expo

Authentication & Authorization

• API auth with Laravel Sanctum/JWT (short-lived access tokens; refresh tokens where applicable)
• Role-based access control (RBAC) for protected endpoints
• Per-client API keys for mobile app config endpoints if needed

API Security

• Rate limiting per IP/user (e.g., 100 rpm public, 300 rpm authenticated)
• Input validation and output encoding
• Consistent error codes without leaking internals
• CORS policy restricted to known origins

Secrets Management

• Use environment variables sourced from a secrets manager (e.g., AWS Secrets Manager, GCP Secret Manager)
• Rotate keys regularly; do not log secrets

Data Protection

• TLS for all services; pinned certificates in mobile where feasible
• Encrypt PII at rest where applicable

Supply Chain Security

• Dependabot/Renovate for dependency updates
• Verify package integrity; lockfiles committed

Phase C: Full Laravel Platform

Advanced Controls

• Fine-grained RBAC and permissions model
• Admin MFA (TOTP/WebAuthn)
• Audit logs for all content/admin changes
• Database encryption for sensitive data (field or tablespace)
• WAF in front of API Gateway/ALB
• Regular pentests, security audits, and threat modeling exercises

Compliance (if applicable)

• GDPR: data subject rights, data retention policies, consent management
• Data residency requirements

Incident Response

• Runbook for security incidents (containment, eradication, recovery)
• Alerting on suspicious events (failed logins, unusual traffic)
• Post-incident review and remediation tracking