We release security updates for the following versions:

Recommendation: Always use the latest release for the most up-to-date security fixes.

Status as of March 2026:

Key Dependency Versions:

• Jackson: 2.21.1 (latest)
• Kafka: 4.2.0 (latest)
• Protobuf: 4.34.0 (latest, resolved CVE-2024-7254)
• MySQL Connector: 9.6.0 (latest)
• All other dependencies at latest stable versions

Dependency Management: Centralized in gradle/libs.versions.toml (Gradle Version Catalog)

Scan Yourself: Run ./gradlew dependencyCheckAll to verify locally. See docs/QUALITY.md for details.

We take security seriously. If you discover a security vulnerability in SeedStream, please report it responsibly.

DO NOT open a public GitHub issue for security vulnerabilities.

Instead, please report security issues privately:

1. GitHub Security Advisories (Preferred):

   • Go to https://github.com/mferretti/SeedStream/security/advisories
   • Click "Report a vulnerability"
   • Provide detailed information about the vulnerability

2. Direct GitHub Contact (Alternative):

   • Contact the maintainer directly via GitHub: @mferretti
   • Include in your message:
     • Description of the vulnerability
     • Steps to reproduce
     • Potential impact
     • Suggested fix (if available)

Please provide as much detail as possible:

• Type of vulnerability (e.g., code injection, credential exposure, DoS)
• Location (file path, line number, affected component)
• Steps to reproduce (configuration files, commands)
• Potential impact (data exposure, system compromise, availability)
• Affected versions (e.g., 0.2.0, all versions)
• Proof of concept (if safe to share)

We aim to respond to security reports within:

• Initial Response: 96 hours / 4 days (acknowledgment)
• Assessment: 7 business days (severity evaluation)
• Fix Timeline:
  • Critical: Within 14 days
  • High: Within 28 days
  • Medium/Low: Next scheduled release

Note: SeedStream is currently maintained by a single developer as a side project. Response times may be longer during holidays or personal commitments. For urgent security issues, please include "URGENT" in the subject line.

We follow coordinated disclosure:

1. You report the vulnerability privately
2. We confirm and assess severity
3. We develop and test a fix
4. We release a patch and security advisory
5. 90 days after the patch, or when 95% of users have updated (whichever comes first), we publish full details

We will credit you in the security advisory unless you prefer to remain anonymous.

SeedStream generates synthetic data only - no real PII is involved. However:

• Seed security: Seeds can reproduce data. Store seeds securely if data must not be replicated.
• Output destination: Generated data should be treated according to your organization's data governance policies.
• Configuration files: Job definitions may contain connection strings or credentials.

We actively monitor dependencies for known vulnerabilities:

• OWASP Dependency-Check: Run locally with ./gradlew dependencyCheckAll
• Dependabot: Enabled on GitHub for automated dependency updates
• Gradle Version Catalog: Centralized dependency management in gradle/libs.versions.toml
• Supported libraries: We use well-maintained dependencies (Jackson, Kafka clients, etc.)

Check your local setup:

./gradlew dependencyCheckAll
# View reports in each module's build/reports/dependency-check-report.html
open core/build/reports/dependency-check-report.html

Current Status: ✅ 0 known vulnerabilities (see Current Security Posture section above)

Kafka Destination:

• Supports SASL/SSL authentication
• Credentials should be stored in environment variables or secure vaults (not in YAML)
• Example: bootstrap: ${KAFKA_BOOTSTRAP} instead of hardcoded URLs

Database Destination (complete as of v0.4):

• Connection pooling via HikariCP with secure credential handling
• Use connection strings from environment variables: url: ${DB_URL}, password: ${DB_PASSWORD}

Remote Seed API:

• Supports bearer tokens, API keys, and basic auth
• Tokens stored in environment variables: token: ${API_TOKEN}

Static Analysis:

• SpotBugs: Automatically scans for bug patterns and potential security issues
• JaCoCo: 70%+ test coverage ensures code paths are validated
• Spotless: Enforces consistent code formatting

Run security checks locally:

./gradlew spotbugsMain
./gradlew test

Best Practices:

• ✅ DO: Use environment variables for credentials

  conf:
    bootstrap: ${KAFKA_BOOTSTRAP}
    sasl_password: ${KAFKA_PASSWORD}

• ❌ DON'T: Hardcode credentials in YAML files

  conf:
    bootstrap: kafka.example.com:9092
    sasl_password: "my-secret-password"  # DON'T DO THIS

Docker (when using containerized deployment):

• Use official base images (e.g., eclipse-temurin:21-jre)
• Scan images with tools like Trivy or Snyk
• Don't run as root user

File Permissions:

• Configuration files containing credentials should have restrictive permissions: chmod 600 config/jobs/*.yaml

By Design: Seeds enable deterministic data generation. Be aware:

• Same seed = identical data across runs
• Store seeds securely if reproducibility must be prevented
• Rotate seeds for different environments (dev/staging/prod)

Not vulnerable: YAML configuration is parsed, not executed. Variables like ${ENV_VAR} are substituted before parsing, not evaluated as code.

Security advisories are published at:

• GitHub Security Advisories: https://github.com/mferretti/SeedStream/security/advisories
• CHANGELOG.md: Security fixes are noted in release notes

Subscribe to releases:

• Watch the repository for "Releases only" notifications
• Check https://github.com/mferretti/SeedStream/releases

We currently do not have a bug bounty program. However, we deeply appreciate security research and will:

• Credit you in security advisories (with your permission)
• Prioritize fixing reported vulnerabilities
• Acknowledge your contribution in release notes

For security-related questions (not vulnerability reports):

• GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/mferretti/SeedStream/discussions
• General Issues: https://github.com/mferretti/SeedStream/issues

For vulnerability reports, use the private channels described above.

Last Updated: March 20, 2026