ACGP-1007: Security Considerations

Status: Draft
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Spec ID: ACGP-1007
Normative Keywords: MUST, SHOULD, MAY (per RFC 2119)

Abstract

This document specifies the comprehensive security framework for the Agentic Cognitive Governance Protocol (ACGP). It defines the threat model, security controls, cryptographic requirements, access control mechanisms, emergency override procedures, and incident response procedures necessary to protect ACGP implementations from malicious actors, data breaches, and system compromises. This specification addresses security at all layers of the protocol, from message-level encryption to system-wide defense strategies, ensuring that AI governance remains trustworthy and tamper-resistant.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Threat Model
  3. Security Architecture
  4. Cryptographic Requirements
  5. Authentication and Authorization
  6. Data Protection and Privacy
  7. Network Security
  8. Agent Security
  9. Supply Chain Security
  10. Emergency Override Procedures
  11. Incident Response
  12. Security Monitoring and Auditing
  13. Compliance and Regulatory Security
  14. Security Testing Requirements
  15. Conformance Requirements
  16. References

1. Introduction

Security is fundamental to ACGP's mission of governing AI agents. A compromised governance system could allow malicious agents to operate without oversight, manipulate intervention decisions, or expose sensitive operational data. This specification provides comprehensive security requirements to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of ACGP systems.

1.1 Security Objectives

  • Integrity: Ensure governance decisions cannot be tampered with
  • Confidentiality: Protect sensitive agent data and operational information
  • Availability: Maintain governance capabilities under attack
  • Non-repudiation: Create undeniable audit trails
  • Defense in Depth: Multiple layers of security controls

1.2 Requirements Language

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.

2. Threat Model

2.1 Threat Actors

Actor Capability Motivation Risk Level
Malicious Agent Internal access, API knowledge Bypass governance, escalate privileges Critical
Compromised Insider Administrative access, system knowledge Data theft, sabotage Critical
External Attacker Network access, exploit tools Data breach, service disruption High
Nation State Advanced persistent threat capabilities Espionage, manipulation Critical
Competitor Limited resources, targeted attacks IP theft, competitive advantage Medium
Script Kiddie Public tools, limited skill Disruption, reputation damage Low

2.2 Attack Vectors

graph LR
    subgraph "External Attacks"
        A1[Network Intrusion]
        A2[API Exploitation]
        A3[DDoS Attacks]
        A4[Supply Chain]
    end

    subgraph "Internal Attacks"
        B1[Rogue Agents]
        B2[Privilege Escalation]
        B3[Data Exfiltration]
        B4[Insider Threat]
    end

    subgraph "Protocol Attacks"
        C1[Message Tampering]
        C2[Replay Attacks]
        C3[Man-in-the-Middle]
        C4[Injection Attacks]
    end

    subgraph "Governance Attacks"
        D1[Blueprint Manipulation]
        D2[Trust Score Gaming]
        D3[Collusion Attacks]
        D4[Decision Poisoning]
    end

    A1 --> SYSTEM[ACGP System]
    B1 --> SYSTEM
    C1 --> SYSTEM
    D1 --> SYSTEM

    style SYSTEM fill:#ff6b6b

2.3 Threat Matrix

Threat Impact Likelihood Mitigation Priority
Agent Escape Catastrophic Medium Critical
Governance Bypass Severe High Critical
Data Breach Major Medium High
Service Disruption Moderate High High
Trust Manipulation Major Medium High
Audit Tampering Severe Low Medium
Resource Exhaustion Minor High Medium

3. Security Architecture

3.1 Defense in Depth Model

graph TB
    subgraph "Layer 7: Governance Security"
        GS[Blueprint Integrity]
        TS[Trust Verification]
        DS[Decision Validation]
    end

    subgraph "Layer 6: Application Security"
        AS[Input Validation]
        SS[Session Management]
        ES[Error Handling]
    end

    subgraph "Layer 5: Data Security"
        DE[Encryption at Rest]
        DT[Encryption in Transit]
        DM[Data Masking]
    end

    subgraph "Layer 4: Identity Security"
        AUTH[Authentication]
        AUTHZ[Authorization]
        MFA[Multi-Factor Auth]
    end

    subgraph "Layer 3: Network Security"
        FW[Firewall]
        IDS[IDS/IPS]
        SEG[Segmentation]
    end

    subgraph "Layer 2: Host Security"
        OS[OS Hardening]
        AV[Anti-Malware]
        EDR[EDR Solution]
    end

    subgraph "Layer 1: Physical Security"
        DC[Data Center]
        HSM[Hardware Security]
        ACC[Access Control]
    end

3.2 Zero Trust Principles

zero_trust_implementation:
  never_trust_always_verify:
    - Verify every transaction
    - No implicit trust based on network location
    - Continuous validation of security posture

  least_privilege_access:
    - Default deny all
    - Time-bound access grants
    - Regular privilege audits
    - Just-in-time elevation

  assume_breach:
    - Comprehensive logging
    - Anomaly detection
    - Micro-segmentation
    - Incident response readiness

  verify_explicitly:
    - Multi-factor authentication
    - Device health checks
    - Risk-based access
    - Continuous monitoring

3.3 Security Zones

Zone Trust Level Access Controls Data Classification
Public Untrusted Rate limiting, DDoS protection Public only
DMZ Low API authentication, input validation Public + Internal
Application Medium Role-based access, audit logging Internal + Sensitive
Governance High MFA, privileged access management Sensitive + Restricted
Secure Core Critical Air gap capable, HSM required Restricted + Secret

4. Cryptographic Requirements

4.1 Algorithm Requirements

STANDARDIZED: All ACGP implementations MUST use ES256 (ECDSA with P-256 and SHA-256) for message signing.

Use Case Algorithm Key Size Lifecycle
Message Signing ES256 (ECDSA) 256-bit 1 year
TLS TLS 1.3 2048-bit RSA / 256-bit ECC 2 years
Data Encryption AES-256-GCM 256-bit 90 days
Key Derivation PBKDF2 N/A Per use
Hashing SHA-256 N/A N/A
HMAC HMAC-SHA256 256-bit 30 days

4.2 Key Management

class KeyManagement:
    def __init__(self):
        self.hsm = HardwareSecurityModule()
        self.key_rotation_schedule = {
            'signing': timedelta(days=365),
            'encryption': timedelta(days=90),
            'session': timedelta(hours=24),
            'api': timedelta(days=30)
        }

    def generate_key(self, key_type: str) -> Key:
        # Generate in HSM for critical keys
        if key_type in ['master', 'signing', 'encryption']:
            return self.hsm.generate_key(key_type)

        # Software generation for ephemeral keys
        return self.software_generate(key_type)

    def rotate_key(self, key_id: str) -> Key:
        old_key = self.get_key(key_id)
        new_key = self.generate_key(old_key.type)

        # Maintain old key for decryption
        self.archive_key(old_key, retention_days=30)

        # Update all references
        self.update_key_references(old_key.id, new_key.id)

        return new_key

4.3 Cryptographic Envelope

All sensitive messages MUST use this envelope structure:

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "algorithm": "AES-256-GCM",
  "encrypted_data": "base64_encoded_ciphertext",
  "encrypted_key": "rsa_encrypted_aes_key",
  "iv": "base64_encoded_iv",
  "signature": {
    "algorithm": "ES256",
    "value": "base64_encoded_signature",
    "key_id": "signing_key_identifier",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  },
  "metadata": {
    "content_type": "application/json",
    "compression": "gzip",
    "key_encryption_algorithm": "RSA-OAEP"
  }
}

5. Authentication and Authorization

5.1 Authentication Requirements

5.1.1 Agent Authentication

class AgentAuthenticator:
    def authenticate_agent(self, credentials: dict) -> AuthResult:
        # Step 1: Verify agent certificate
        if not self.verify_certificate(credentials['certificate']):
            return AuthResult(success=False, reason="Invalid certificate")

        # Step 2: Check certificate revocation
        if self.is_revoked(credentials['certificate']):
            return AuthResult(success=False, reason="Certificate revoked")

        # Step 3: Validate agent identity
        agent_id = self.extract_agent_id(credentials['certificate'])
        if not self.validate_agent_exists(agent_id):
            return AuthResult(success=False, reason="Unknown agent")

        # Step 4: Verify proof of possession
        challenge = self.generate_challenge()
        response = credentials.get('challenge_response')
        if not self.verify_challenge(challenge, response, agent_id):
            return AuthResult(success=False, reason="Failed challenge")

        # Step 5: Check agent status
        if self.is_suspended(agent_id):
            return AuthResult(success=False, reason="Agent suspended")

        return AuthResult(
            success=True,
            agent_id=agent_id,
            acl_tier=self.get_acl_tier(agent_id),
            session_token=self.generate_session_token(agent_id)
        )

5.1.2 Human Authentication

Factor Requirement Implementation
Something you know Password/PIN Argon2id hashing, 12+ characters
Something you have Token/Device TOTP/FIDO2/WebAuthn
Something you are Biometric Optional third factor
Somewhere you are Location Network/GPS verification

5.2 Authorization Model

rbac_model:
  roles:
    super_admin:
      permissions: ["*"]
      mfa_required: true
      session_timeout: 15m

    governance_admin:
      permissions:
        - blueprint.create
        - blueprint.update
        - registry.manage
        - agent.suspend
      mfa_required: true
      session_timeout: 30m

    operator:
      permissions:
        - agent.view
        - intervention.review
        - alert.acknowledge
      mfa_required: false
      session_timeout: 2h

    auditor:
      permissions:
        - logs.read
        - reports.generate
      mfa_required: false
      session_timeout: 8h

  attribute_based_constraints:
    - role: governance_admin
      constraint: time_of_day IN business_hours
    - role: operator
      constraint: ip_address IN corporate_network
    - role: auditor
      constraint: read_only = true

5.3 Session Management

class SecureSessionManager:
    def create_session(self, auth_result: AuthResult) -> Session:
        session = Session(
            id=secrets.token_urlsafe(32),
            user_id=auth_result.user_id,
            created_at=datetime.utcnow(),
            expires_at=datetime.utcnow() + self.get_timeout(auth_result.role),
            ip_address=request.remote_addr,
            user_agent=request.user_agent,
            csrf_token=secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
        )

        # Bind session to device
        session.device_fingerprint = self.calculate_fingerprint(request)

        # Store encrypted in Redis
        self.redis.setex(
            f"session:{session.id}",
            session.ttl,
            self.encrypt(session.to_json())
        )

        return session

6. Data Protection and Privacy

6.1 Data Classification

Level Description Examples Protection Requirements
Public No impact if disclosed Documentation None required
Internal Limited impact Metrics, logs Access control
Sensitive Moderate impact Agent configs, blueprints Encryption at rest
Restricted Severe impact Keys, credentials HSM storage
Secret Catastrophic impact Master keys, root certs Air-gapped storage

6.2 Encryption Requirements

6.2.1 Data at Rest

class DataEncryption:
    def encrypt_at_rest(self, data: bytes, classification: str) -> bytes:
        if classification == 'public':
            return data

        # Get appropriate key
        if classification in ['restricted', 'secret']:
            key = self.hsm.get_data_encryption_key()
        else:
            key = self.get_software_key()

        # Encrypt with AES-256-GCM
        cipher = AES.new(key, AES.MODE_GCM)
        nonce = cipher.nonce
        ciphertext, tag = cipher.encrypt_and_digest(data)

        # Return encrypted envelope
        return json.dumps({
            'ciphertext': base64.b64encode(ciphertext).decode(),
            'nonce': base64.b64encode(nonce).decode(),
            'tag': base64.b64encode(tag).decode(),
            'classification': classification,
            'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
        }).encode()

6.2.2 Data in Transit

All data in transit MUST be encrypted using: - TLS 1.3 minimum - Perfect forward secrecy - Certificate pinning for known endpoints - Mutual TLS for service-to-service

6.3 Privacy Controls

privacy_requirements:
  pii_handling:
    detection: automatic_scanning
    storage: encrypted_with_field_level_encryption
    retention: 90_days_max
    deletion: secure_overwrite

  data_minimization:
    - collect_only_necessary
    - automatic_expiration
    - purpose_limitation
    - no_secondary_use

  anonymization:
    techniques:
      - k_anonymity: 5
      - differential_privacy: epsilon=1.0
      - tokenization: reversible_with_key

  consent_management:
    - explicit_consent_required
    - granular_controls
    - withdrawal_mechanism
    - audit_trail

7. Network Security

7.1 Network Segmentation

graph LR
    subgraph "Internet"
        USER[Users]
        AGENT[Agents]
    end

    subgraph "DMZ"
        LB[Load Balancer]
        WAF[Web App Firewall]
        API[API Gateway]
    end

    subgraph "Application Network"
        GS[Governance Stewards]
        PE[Policy Engine]
    end

    subgraph "Data Network"
        RDB[(ReflectionDB)]
        REG[(Registry)]
    end

    subgraph "Management Network"
        ADMIN[Admin Systems]
        MON[Monitoring]
    end

    USER --> WAF
    AGENT --> WAF
    WAF --> LB
    LB --> API
    API --> GS
    GS --> PE
    PE --> RDB
    GS --> REG
    ADMIN --> MON
    MON -.-> GS

    style WAF fill:#ff9999
    style API fill:#99ff99

7.2 Firewall Rules

firewall_rules:
  ingress:
    - name: https_public
      source: 0.0.0.0/0
      destination: dmz
      port: 443
      protocol: tcp
      action: allow

    - name: admin_vpn
      source: vpn_network
      destination: management
      port: 22
      protocol: tcp
      action: allow

    - name: deny_all
      source: any
      destination: any
      port: any
      protocol: any
      action: deny

  egress:
    - name: updates
      source: application
      destination: update_servers
      port: 443
      protocol: tcp
      action: allow

    - name: monitoring
      source: application
      destination: monitoring
      port: 8443
      protocol: tcp
      action: allow

7.3 DDoS Protection

class DDoSProtection:
    def __init__(self):
        self.rate_limits = {
            'global': 10000,  # requests per second
            'per_ip': 100,    # requests per second per IP
            'per_agent': 50,  # requests per second per agent
        }
        self.blacklist = set()
        self.whitelist = set()

    def check_request(self, request):
        ip = request.remote_addr

        # Check blacklist
        if ip in self.blacklist:
            return False, "IP blacklisted"

        # Skip rate limiting for whitelist
        if ip in self.whitelist:
            return True, "Whitelisted"

        # Check rate limits
        if self.exceeds_rate_limit(ip):
            self.blacklist.add(ip)
            return False, "Rate limit exceeded"

        # Check for attack patterns
        if self.detect_attack_pattern(request):
            return False, "Attack pattern detected"

        return True, "OK"

8. Agent Security

8.1 Agent Isolation

agent_isolation:
  process_isolation:
    - separate_namespaces
    - resource_quotas
    - seccomp_profiles
    - capability_dropping

  network_isolation:
    - vlan_per_acl_tier
    - egress_filtering
    - no_direct_internet
    - service_mesh_only

  storage_isolation:
    - encrypted_volumes
    - no_shared_storage
    - temporary_filesystems
    - quota_enforcement

8.2 Agent Behavior Monitoring

class AgentSecurityMonitor:
    def __init__(self):
        self.baseline = {}
        self.anomaly_threshold = 3.0  # standard deviations

    def monitor_agent(self, agent_id: str, trace: CognitiveTrace):
        metrics = self.extract_metrics(trace)

        # Check for suspicious patterns
        if self.is_suspicious(metrics):
            self.trigger_alert(agent_id, "Suspicious behavior detected")

        # Check for escape attempts
        if self.detect_escape_attempt(trace):
            self.immediate_halt(agent_id, "Escape attempt detected")

        # Update baseline
        self.update_baseline(agent_id, metrics)

    def detect_escape_attempt(self, trace):
        escape_indicators = [
            'privilege_escalation',
            'sandbox_breakout',
            'code_injection',
            'self_modification',
            'unauthorized_spawning'
        ]

        for indicator in escape_indicators:
            if self.check_indicator(trace, indicator):
                return True
        return False

8.3 Preventing Agent Collusion

def detect_collusion(agent_communications):
    # Build communication graph
    graph = build_communication_graph(agent_communications)

    # Detect suspicious patterns
    patterns = {
        'circular_delegation': detect_cycles(graph),
        'rapid_coordination': detect_burst_communication(graph),
        'data_aggregation': detect_data_sharing(graph),
        'synchronized_actions': detect_coordination(graph)
    }

    # Calculate collusion score
    collusion_score = sum(patterns.values()) / len(patterns)

    if collusion_score > 0.7:
        return True, patterns
    return False, {}

9. Supply Chain Security

9.1 Dependency Management

dependency_security:
  scanning:
    - vulnerability_scanning: daily
    - license_compliance: on_change
    - malware_detection: on_import

  verification:
    - signature_verification: required
    - checksum_validation: required
    - source_validation: approved_repos_only

  policies:
    - no_deprecated_packages
    - no_unmaintained_packages
    - security_updates_within_7_days
    - review_required_for_new_deps

9.2 Blueprint Security

class BlueprintSecurity:
    def validate_blueprint(self, blueprint: dict) -> ValidationResult:
        # Check for injection attacks
        if self.contains_injection(blueprint):
            return ValidationResult(False, "Injection detected")

        # Verify signature (ES256 required)
        if not self.verify_signature_es256(blueprint):
            return ValidationResult(False, "Invalid ES256 signature")

        # Check for malicious patterns
        if self.detect_malicious_patterns(blueprint):
            return ValidationResult(False, "Malicious pattern detected")

        # Validate against schema
        if not self.validate_schema(blueprint):
            return ValidationResult(False, "Schema validation failed")

        return ValidationResult(True, "Valid")

    def contains_injection(self, blueprint):
        dangerous_patterns = [
            r'<script',
            r'javascript:',
            r'eval\(',
            r'exec\(',
            r'\$\{.*\}',
            r'`.*`'
        ]

        blueprint_str = json.dumps(blueprint)
        for pattern in dangerous_patterns:
            if re.search(pattern, blueprint_str, re.IGNORECASE):
                return True
        return False

10. Emergency Override Procedures

10.1 Emergency Override Levels

ACL Tier Approvers Required Roles Response Time Documentation
ACL-0 to ACL-2 1 Admin Immediate Standard logging
ACL-3 to ACL-5 2 Admin + Security Immediate Full incident report

10.2 Emergency Override Process

emergency_override:
  procedure:
    step_1:
      action: Identify incident severity
      criteria:
        - critical: Data breach, agent escape, system compromise
        - high: Unauthorized access, policy violation
        - medium: Performance degradation, configuration error

    step_2:
      action: Determine authorization level required
      logic: |
        if acl_tier <= 2:
          required_approvers = 1
          required_roles = ['admin']
        else:
          required_approvers = 2
          required_roles = ['admin', 'security']

    step_3:
      action: Execute authorization workflow
      substeps:
        - Generate override request with incident details
        - Route to required approvers
        - Wait for approval (max 5 minutes for critical)
        - Log all approval decisions

    step_4:
      action: Execute override action
      options:
        - immediate_halt: Stop all agent operations
        - isolation: Network and process isolation
        - credential_revocation: Revoke all API keys/tokens
        - cascaded_shutdown: Halt sub-agents recursively

    step_5:
      action: Document override
      requirements:
        - Incident description
        - Override reason and justification
        - Approver identities and timestamps
        - Actions taken
        - Impact assessment

    step_6:
      action: Notify stakeholders
      recipients:
        immediate: [ciso, governance_admin, on_call_engineer]
        within_1h: [management, legal, compliance]
        within_24h: [affected_users, audit_team]

10.3 Emergency Override Implementation

class EmergencyOverride:
    def execute_override(self, agent_id: str, reason: str, severity: str):
        # Step 1: Validate authorization
        acl_tier = self.get_agent_acl_tier(agent_id)
        required_approvers = 2 if acl_tier >= 3 else 1

        approvals = self.request_approvals(
            agent_id=agent_id,
            reason=reason,
            severity=severity,
            required_count=required_approvers,
            timeout_seconds=300  # 5 minutes for critical
        )

        if len(approvals) < required_approvers:
            raise InsufficientApprovalsError(
                f"Required {required_approvers}, got {len(approvals)}"
            )

        # Step 2: Execute immediate actions
        if severity == 'critical':
            self.immediate_halt(agent_id)
            self.isolate_agent(agent_id)
            self.revoke_credentials(agent_id)
            self.cascade_shutdown(agent_id)
        elif severity == 'high':
            self.suspend_agent(agent_id)
            self.increase_monitoring(agent_id)

        # Step 3: Document override
        override_record = {
            'override_id': str(uuid.uuid4()),
            'agent_id': agent_id,
            'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
            'reason': reason,
            'severity': severity,
            'approvals': approvals,
            'actions_taken': self.get_actions_taken(agent_id),
            'impact': self.assess_impact(agent_id)
        }

        self.log_to_reflectiondb(override_record)

        # Step 4: Notify stakeholders
        self.notify_stakeholders(override_record)

        return override_record

10.4 Post-Override Procedures

post_override:
  immediate_actions:
    - Preserve evidence (logs, traces, configurations)
    - Isolate affected systems
    - Begin incident investigation

  investigation:
    - Root cause analysis
    - Timeline reconstruction
    - Blast radius assessment
    - Determine if escalation needed

  recovery:
    - System restoration plan
    - Security posture validation
    - Re-tiering assessment
    - Gradual reactivation with enhanced monitoring

  post_mortem:
    - Incident report within 72 hours
    - Lessons learned documentation
    - Process improvements
    - Training updates

11. Incident Response

11.1 Incident Classification

Severity Description Response Time Escalation
P0 - Critical Active compromise, data breach 15 minutes Immediate executive
P1 - High Imminent threat, service down 1 hour Security team lead
P2 - Medium Suspicious activity, degraded service 4 hours On-call engineer
P3 - Low Policy violation, minor issue 24 hours Standard process

11.2 Response Procedures

class IncidentResponse:
    def handle_incident(self, incident: Incident):
        # Step 1: Triage
        severity = self.triage(incident)

        # Step 2: Contain
        containment_actions = self.contain(incident, severity)

        # Step 3: Investigate
        investigation = self.investigate(incident)

        # Step 4: Eradicate
        self.eradicate(investigation.root_cause)

        # Step 5: Recover
        self.recover(incident.affected_systems)

        # Step 6: Post-mortem
        self.post_mortem(incident, investigation)

    def contain(self, incident, severity):
        actions = []

        if severity == 'P0':
            actions.append(self.isolate_affected_systems())
            actions.append(self.revoke_all_credentials())
            actions.append(self.enable_emergency_mode())
        elif severity == 'P1':
            actions.append(self.isolate_affected_agents())
            actions.append(self.increase_monitoring())

        return actions

11.3 Communication Plan

communication_matrix:
  P0:
    internal:
      - ciso: immediate
      - ceo: within_5_minutes
      - legal: within_10_minutes
    external:
      - regulators: within_1_hour
      - customers: within_2_hours
      - media: coordinated_response

  P1:
    internal:
      - security_team: immediate
      - engineering_lead: within_15_minutes
      - product_owner: within_30_minutes

12. Security Monitoring and Auditing

12.1 Security Events to Monitor

security_events:
  authentication:
    - failed_login_attempts
    - credential_changes
    - privilege_escalations
    - session_anomalies

  authorization:
    - permission_denied
    - unauthorized_access
    - role_changes
    - policy_violations

  data_access:
    - sensitive_data_access
    - bulk_data_export
    - unusual_query_patterns
    - cross_domain_access

  system:
    - configuration_changes
    - service_restarts
    - error_spikes
    - resource_exhaustion

12.2 Security Metrics

Metric Target Measurement
Mean Time to Detect <5 minutes Alert generation time
Mean Time to Respond <30 minutes First action time
False Positive Rate <10% Invalid alerts / total
Coverage >95% Monitored systems / total
Patch Currency 100% within 30 days Patched / known vulnerabilities

12.3 Audit Requirements

class SecurityAuditor:
    def audit_log_entry(self, event):
        return {
            'timestamp': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
            'event_id': str(uuid.uuid4()),
            'event_type': event.type,
            'severity': event.severity,
            'actor': {
                'id': event.actor_id,
                'type': event.actor_type,
                'ip_address': event.ip_address,
                'session_id': event.session_id
            },
            'action': event.action,
            'resource': event.resource,
            'result': event.result,
            'metadata': event.metadata,
            'hash': self.calculate_hash(event)
        }

13. Compliance and Regulatory Security

13.1 Compliance Framework Mapping

Framework Requirements ACGP Controls
GDPR Data protection, privacy Encryption, consent management, data minimization
CCPA Consumer privacy rights Data inventory, deletion mechanisms
HIPAA Health data security Access controls, audit logs, encryption
SOC 2 Security controls All security layers, monitoring
ISO 27001 Information security Complete ISMS implementation
AI Act AI governance Transparency, human oversight, risk management

13.2 Regulatory Reporting

def generate_compliance_report(framework: str):
    report = {
        'framework': framework,
        'date': datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
        'controls': []
    }

    for control in get_framework_controls(framework):
        status = assess_control(control)
        report['controls'].append({
            'id': control.id,
            'description': control.description,
            'status': status,
            'evidence': collect_evidence(control),
            'gaps': identify_gaps(control, status)
        })

    report['overall_compliance'] = calculate_compliance_percentage(report)
    return report

14. Security Testing Requirements

14.1 Testing Categories

Test Type Frequency Scope Success Criteria
Vulnerability Scanning Daily All systems No critical/high vulnerabilities
Penetration Testing Quarterly External perimeter No successful breaches
Red Team Exercise Annually Full environment Detection within 24 hours
Security Code Review Per release All code changes No high-risk findings
Compliance Audit Annually All controls 100% compliance

14.2 Security Test Cases

class SecurityTests:
    def test_authentication_bypass(self):
        # Attempt to bypass authentication
        attempts = [
            self.test_sql_injection(),
            self.test_token_manipulation(),
            self.test_session_hijacking(),
            self.test_replay_attack()
        ]

        assert all(not attempt.succeeded for attempt in attempts)

    def test_privilege_escalation(self):
        # Start with low privilege user
        user = self.create_low_privilege_user()

        # Attempt escalation
        escalation_attempts = [
            self.attempt_role_manipulation(user),
            self.attempt_jwt_tampering(user),
            self.attempt_api_exploitation(user)
        ]

        assert all(not attempt.succeeded for attempt in escalation_attempts)

    def test_data_exfiltration(self):
        # Attempt to exfiltrate sensitive data
        methods = [
            self.test_bulk_api_calls(),
            self.test_side_channel_attacks(),
            self.test_error_message_leakage()
        ]

        assert all(method.data_leaked == 0 for method in methods)

15. Conformance Requirements

15.1 Security Requirements by Conformance Level

Security requirements are tiered by conformance level to enable appropriate security for different deployment scenarios.

15.1.1 Minimal Conformance Security

Use Case: Development, testing, batch processing

Requirement Status Notes
TLS transport OPTIONAL May use plain HTTP for local dev
Message signatures OPTIONAL Not required for ACL-0/1
Encryption at rest OPTIONAL SQLite without encryption OK
MFA NOT REQUIRED Basic auth acceptable
HSM NOT REQUIRED Software keys OK
Audit logs Session only No persistence required
Zero trust NOT REQUIRED Trust local network

15.1.2 Standard Conformance Security

Use Case: Production applications, enterprise deployment

Requirement Status Notes
TLS 1.3+ REQUIRED All external communications
Message signatures REQUIRED ACL-3+ agents must sign
Encryption at rest REQUIRED AES-256 for ReflectionDB
MFA REQUIRED All administrative access
HSM SHOULD Recommended for key storage
Audit logs 1 year Persistent, queryable
Zero trust SHOULD Verify all requests
Incident response REQUIRED Documented procedures
Vulnerability management REQUIRED Patch within SLA

15.1.3 Complete Conformance Security

Use Case: Mission-critical systems, regulated industries

Requirement Status Notes
TLS 1.3+ mutual REQUIRED mTLS for all services
Message signatures REQUIRED All messages signed
Encryption at rest REQUIRED Field-level encryption
MFA REQUIRED Hardware tokens preferred
HSM REQUIRED FIPS 140-2 Level 2+
Audit logs 7 years Tamper-evident, compliant
Zero trust REQUIRED Full implementation
Incident response REQUIRED Tested quarterly
Penetration testing REQUIRED Annual third-party
SOC 2 Type II REQUIRED Maintained certification
Emergency override REQUIRED Dual authorization
Red team exercises SHOULD Annual assessment

15.2 Mandatory Security Controls (All Levels)

All ACGP implementations MUST:

15.2.1 Cryptographic Requirements

  • Use TLS 1.3 or higher for all network communications
  • Implement message signing with ES256 (ECDSA with P-256 and SHA-256)
  • Encrypt sensitive data at rest with AES-256-GCM
  • Rotate keys according to specified schedules
  • Use hardware security modules for critical keys (ACL-3+)

15.2.2 Authentication Requirements

  • Implement multi-factor authentication for administrative access
  • Use certificate-based authentication for agents
  • Enforce session timeouts and idle lockouts
  • Maintain authentication audit logs

15.2.3 Authorization Requirements

  • Implement role-based access control
  • Enforce least privilege principle
  • Support attribute-based constraints
  • Log all authorization decisions

15.2.4 Monitoring Requirements

  • Log all security events
  • Implement real-time alerting
  • Maintain 13 months of audit logs minimum
  • Achieve 99% monitoring coverage

15.2.5 Emergency Override Requirements

  • Support dual authorization for ACL-3+ agents
  • Execute overrides within 5 minutes for critical incidents
  • Document all overrides with full audit trail
  • Notify stakeholders according to severity matrix

15.3 Security Certification Requirements

Implementations SHOULD obtain: - SOC 2 Type II certification - ISO 27001 certification - Relevant industry certifications (HIPAA, PCI-DSS as applicable)

15.4 Security Update Requirements

  • Critical patches: Within 24 hours
  • High severity: Within 7 days
  • Medium severity: Within 30 days
  • Security advisories: Within 4 hours of discovery

16. References

Normative References

  • ACGP-1000: Core Protocol Specification
  • ACGP-1001: Terminology and Definitions
  • ACGP-1002: Architecture Specification
  • ACGP-1003: Message Formats & Wire Protocol
  • ACGP-1005: ARS-CTQ-ACL Integration Framework
  • RFC 2119: Key words for use in RFCs
  • NIST 800-53: Security and Privacy Controls

Cryptographic Standards

  • FIPS 140-3: Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules
  • NIST SP 800-57: Key Management Recommendations
  • RFC 8018: PKCS #5 Password-Based Cryptography
  • RFC 7518: JSON Web Algorithms (JWA)

Security Frameworks

  • OWASP Top 10: Web Application Security Risks
  • MITRE ATT&CK: Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge
  • Zero Trust Architecture: NIST SP 800-207
  • Cloud Security Alliance: Security Guidance v4.0

End of ACGP-1007