This policy establishes the security requirements for protecting the website, its data, and its users from unauthorized access, misuse, or compromise. It ensures compliance with industry best practices and applicable regulations.
1. Scope
- Applies to all employees, contractors, and third parties who manage or interact with the website.
- Covers website infrastructure, application code, databases, APIs, and user data.
- Includes both public-facing and administrative components.
2. Roles & Responsibilities
- Website Administrator: Ensures patches, updates, and monitoring are performed regularly.
- Developers: Follow secure coding practices and conduct code reviews.
- Security Team: Performs vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and incident response.
3. Security Controls
Authentication & Access
- Enforce strong password policies (minimum length, complexity, expiration).
- Role-based access control (RBAC) to limit privileges.
- Automatic session timeouts after inactivity.
Data Protection
- Encrypt sensitive data in transit (TLS 1.2+).
- Encrypt sensitive data at rest (AES-256).
- Store passwords using salted hashing (e.g., bcrypt).
- Regular backups stored securely and tested for recovery.
Application Security
- Follow OWASP Top 10 guidelines (prevent SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, etc.).
- Input validation and sanitization on all user inputs.
- Use secure APIs with authentication and rate limiting.
- Disable directory listing and unnecessary services.
Network & Infrastructure
- Firewalls configured to block unauthorized traffic.
- Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) enabled.
- Regular patching of operating systems, frameworks, and libraries.
- Segmentation of production, staging, and development environments.
4. Monitoring & Logging
- Maintain centralized logging of access, errors, and security events.
- Monitor for unusual activity (failed logins, privilege escalation).
- Retain logs for at least 90 days.
- Use automated alerts for critical incidents.
5. Incident Response
- Define escalation procedures for suspected breaches.
- Notify affected users within 72 hours if personal data is compromised.
- Document all incidents and corrective actions.
- Conduct post-incident reviews to improve defenses.