Security

This document outlines the security considerations and implementations within the GitLab Discussions codebase.

Authentication and Authorization

Authentication

Users must authenticate with GitLab to access and interact with discussions. GitLab handles authentication, providing user information and access tokens for authorized actions.

References:

• GitLab API Documentation

Authorization

Permissions are managed through GitLab’s access control system. This ensures users only have access to discussions based on their project and group memberships.

References:

• GitLab Access Control

Data Validation and Sanitization

Input Validation

All user input is sanitized and validated before being processed. This includes escaping HTML and sanitizing user-provided text.

References:

• Ruby on Rails Security Guide

Output Encoding

Output is encoded to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. All user-generated content is properly escaped before being displayed.

References:

• OWASP XSS Prevention Cheat Sheet

Sensitive Data Handling

Encryption

Sensitive data, such as user passwords, is encrypted using secure hashing algorithms.

References:

• GitLab Security Policies

Logging

Access logs are maintained to track user activity and identify potential security incidents.

References:

• GitLab Logging

Security Testing

Code Reviews

Regular code reviews are conducted to identify potential vulnerabilities.

References:

• GitLab Code Review Practices

Static Analysis Tools

Static analysis tools are used to identify potential security issues within the codebase.

References:

• GitLab Static Analysis

Dynamic Testing

Dynamic testing is performed to identify security vulnerabilities in runtime.

References:

• GitLab Security Testing

Continuous Security Improvement

We are committed to continuous improvement of our security posture. We actively monitor security vulnerabilities and implement necessary fixes and mitigations.

References:

• GitLab Security Blog