ghost/SECURITY.md

Security Policy

Supported Versions

Version	Supported
0.1.x	✅

Reporting a Vulnerability

We take security vulnerabilities seriously. If you discover a security issue in Ghost, please follow these steps:

For Security Researchers

1. DO NOT create a public GitHub issue for security vulnerabilities
2. Include detailed information about the vulnerability:
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Potential impact
   • Suggested fix (if any)
   • Your contact information

Response Timeline

• Initial Response: Within 48 hours
• Assessment: Within 7 days
• Fix Timeline: Varies based on severity
  • Critical: Within 7 days
  • High: Within 14 days
  • Medium: Within 30 days
  • Low: Next release cycle

Disclosure Policy

We follow responsible disclosure practices:

1. Security researcher reports vulnerability privately
2. We acknowledge receipt and begin investigation
3. We develop and test a fix
4. We prepare a security advisory
5. We release the fix and publish the advisory
6. Public disclosure after 90 days (or sooner if fix is available)

Security Best Practices for Users

1. Keep Ghost Updated: Always use the latest version
2. Run with Minimal Privileges: Don't run as Administrator unless necessary
3. Validate Detection Results: Ghost is a tool to assist analysis, not replace human judgment
4. Secure Your Environment: Ensure your analysis environment is properly isolated

Known Security Considerations

1. Memory Access: Ghost requires elevated privileges to read process memory
2. False Positives: Detection engines may flag legitimate software
3. Evasion: Advanced malware may evade detection techniques
4. Performance Impact: Intensive scanning may affect system performance

Security Features

• Memory-safe Rust implementation
• Input validation on all API boundaries
• Minimal attack surface design
• No network communication by default
• Comprehensive error handling

Vulnerability Categories We're Interested In

High Priority:

• Memory safety violations
• Privilege escalation
• Code injection vulnerabilities
• Authentication bypass
• Sensitive data exposure

Medium Priority:

• Denial of service
• Information disclosure
• Logic flaws in detection algorithms

Out of Scope:

• Issues requiring physical access
• Social engineering attacks
• Third-party dependency vulnerabilities (unless exploitable through Ghost)

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Last updated: November 2025