Security

Healthcare Data Handling

This library is designed for use with protected health information (PHI) and must comply with HIPAA regulations.

Supported Versions

Version

Supported

0.0.x

✅ Yes

Security Best Practices

1. Credential Management

DO:

  • Store credentials in environment variables or secure credential stores

  • Use unique credentials per environment (dev/staging/production)

  • Rotate credentials regularly

DON’T:

  • Hardcode credentials in source code

  • Commit credentials to version control

  • Share credentials via email or chat

2. PHI Logging

CRITICAL: Never log patient data or PHI

# BAD - Logs patient data
logger.info(f"Patient data: {patient}")

# GOOD - Log only non-PHI identifiers
logger.info(f"Processing patient ID: {patient_id}")

3. Transport Security

  • Always use HTTPS (default in this library)

  • Verify SSL certificates (enabled by default)

  • Use minimum TLS 1.2

4. Error Handling

When catching exceptions, avoid logging full response data which may contain PHI:

try:
    patient = await client.get_patient(patient_id)
except KipuAPIError as e:
    # GOOD - Log only status code
    logger.error(f"API error: status {e.status_code}")

    # BAD - May log PHI
    # logger.error(f"API error: {e.response_data}")

5. Data at Rest

If caching responses:

  • Encrypt cached data

  • Use short TTL values

  • Implement secure cache invalidation

Reporting a Vulnerability

To report a security vulnerability:

  1. Email: rahul01110100@gmail.com with subject “SECURITY: kipu-python”

  2. Include:

    • Description of the vulnerability

    • Steps to reproduce

    • Potential impact

    • Suggested fix (if available)

  3. Response Time: I aim to respond within 48 hours

Please DO NOT:

  • Open public GitHub issues for security vulnerabilities

  • Disclose vulnerabilities publicly before a fix is available

Security Updates

Security updates will be released as patch versions and documented in the changelog with a [SECURITY] tag.