We release patches for security vulnerabilities in the following versions:

The Empathy Framework team takes security vulnerabilities seriously. We appreciate your efforts to responsibly disclose your findings.

Please DO NOT report security vulnerabilities through public GitHub issues.

Instead, please report security vulnerabilities to:

• Email: security@smartaimemory.com
• Subject Line: [SECURITY] Empathy Framework Vulnerability Report

Please include the following information in your report:

• Type of vulnerability (e.g., SQL injection, XSS, authentication bypass)
• Full path of source file(s) related to the vulnerability
• Location of the affected source code (tag/branch/commit or direct URL)
• Step-by-step instructions to reproduce the issue
• Proof-of-concept or exploit code (if possible)
• Impact of the vulnerability and potential attack scenarios

• Acknowledgment: Within 24-48 hours of your report
• Initial Assessment: Within 5 business days
• Security Fix: Within 7 days for critical vulnerabilities
• Detailed Response: Within 10 business days with our evaluation and timeline
• Fix & Disclosure: Coordinated disclosure after patch is released

• We will respond to your report promptly and keep you informed throughout the process
• We will credit you in the security advisory (unless you prefer to remain anonymous)
• We will not take legal action against researchers who follow this policy
• We will work with you to understand and resolve the issue quickly

1. Keep Dependencies Updated: Regularly update the Empathy Framework and all dependencies

   pip install --upgrade empathy-framework
   pip install --upgrade -r requirements.txt

2. Validate AI Model Outputs: Never execute AI-generated code without human review, especially:

   • Database queries
   • System commands
   • File operations
   • API calls with sensitive data

3. Protect API Keys: Never commit API keys for AI services (Anthropic, OpenAI) to version control

   • Use environment variables: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY
   • Use .env files with .gitignore
   • Rotate keys if accidentally exposed

4. Code Analysis Privacy: Be aware that code sent to wizards may be transmitted to AI services

   • Review privacy policies of AI providers
   • Use local models for sensitive code
   • Sanitize proprietary code before analysis

5. Access Control: For healthcare applications (HIPAA compliance):

   • Ensure PHI/PII is never sent to AI services
   • Use on-premises deployment for sensitive environments
   • Implement audit logging for all AI interactions

1. Input Validation: Always validate and sanitize user input before passing to wizards
2. Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse of AI services
3. Error Handling: Don't expose internal error messages to end users
4. Logging: Log security events but never log sensitive data or API keys
5. Least Privilege: Run services with minimum required permissions

The Empathy Framework includes several security features:

1. Path Traversal Protection (Pattern 6): All file write operations validated to prevent path traversal attacks (CWE-22)
2. Input Sanitization: All code inputs are sanitized before analysis
3. Sandboxed Execution: No arbitrary code execution in wizards
4. API Key Protection: Environment variable-based configuration
5. Audit Trail: Optional logging of all wizard invocations
6. Rate Limiting: Built-in protection against service abuse
7. Command Injection Prevention: All file paths and user inputs are validated before subprocess execution
8. Secrets Detection: Pre-commit hooks using detect-secrets to prevent accidental credential exposure
9. Exception Hardening: Specific exception handling prevents error masking while maintaining graceful degradation

Run pre-commit install to enable:

pre-commit install

Security hooks include:

• detect-secrets: Scans for potential API keys and credentials
• bandit: Python security linter for common vulnerabilities

from empathy_llm_toolkit.security import SecretsDetector, PIIScrubber

# Detect secrets in content
detector = SecretsDetector()
findings = detector.scan(content)

# Scrub PII before storage
scrubber = PIIScrubber()
clean_content = scrubber.scrub(content)

All test files use obviously fake credentials:

• Prefix with TEST_, FAKE_, or EXAMPLE_
• Use placeholder patterns like abc123xyz789...
• AWS example keys: AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE

In January 2026, we conducted a comprehensive security audit and applied Pattern 6 (File Path Validation) across all configuration and file write operations. This eliminated path traversal vulnerabilities (CWE-22) and arbitrary file write risks.

Sprint 1 (2026-01-06):

• telemetry/cli.py - Export operations (CSV, JSON)
• cli.py - Pattern and report exports
• memory/control_panel.py - Memory management operations

Sprint 2 (2026-01-07):

• config.py - Configuration exports (YAML, JSON)
• workflows/config.py - Workflow configuration saves
• config/xml_config.py - XML configuration writes

Sprint 3 (2026-01-07):

• workflows/base.py - Exception handling improvements
• Fixed 8 blind exception handlers with specific exception types
• Enhanced error logging for debugging while maintaining graceful degradation

✅ Path Traversal: ../../../etc/passwd → ValueError: Cannot write to system directory ✅ Null Byte Injection: config\x00.json → ValueError: path contains null bytes ✅ System Directory Writes: /etc, /sys, /proc, /dev → All blocked ✅ Absolute Path Attacks: Any absolute path to sensitive locations → Validated and blocked

• 39 security tests across all protected modules (100% passing)
• Tests cover: path traversal, null bytes, system directories, valid paths
• Cross-module consistency tests ensure no regressions

All protected modules use the same validation function:

def _validate_file_path(path: str, allowed_dir: str | None = None) -> Path:
    """Validate file path to prevent path traversal and arbitrary writes.

    Args:
        path: User-controlled file path to validate
        allowed_dir: Optional directory restriction

    Returns:
        Validated Path object

    Raises:
        ValueError: If path is invalid, contains null bytes, or targets system directories
    """
    if not path or not isinstance(path, str):
        raise ValueError("path must be a non-empty string")

    if "\x00" in path:
        raise ValueError("path contains null bytes")

    try:
        resolved = Path(path).resolve()
    except (OSError, RuntimeError) as e:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid path: {e}")

    # Block writes to system directories
    dangerous_paths = ["/etc", "/sys", "/proc", "/dev"]
    for dangerous in dangerous_paths:
        if str(resolved).startswith(dangerous):
            raise ValueError(f"Cannot write to system directory: {dangerous}")

    # Optional directory restriction
    if allowed_dir:
        try:
            allowed = Path(allowed_dir).resolve()
            resolved.relative_to(allowed)
        except ValueError:
            raise ValueError(f"path must be within {allowed_dir}")

    return resolved

When adding new file write operations:

1. Always use _validate_file_path() before writing files
2. Never trust user-controlled paths - validate first
3. Add security tests for your file operations
4. Test attack scenarios: path traversal, null bytes, system dirs
5. See test_config_path_security.py for examples

• Prompt Injection: AI models may be susceptible to prompt injection attacks

  • Mitigation: We use structured prompts with clear boundaries
  • Best Practice: Review all AI outputs before implementation

• Data Privacy: Code analyzed by wizards is sent to AI services

  • Mitigation: Use local models for sensitive code
  • Best Practice: Sanitize proprietary code before analysis

• Model Hallucinations: AI models may generate incorrect security advice

  • Mitigation: All suggestions include confidence scores
  • Best Practice: Always validate AI recommendations with security experts

• PHI Exposure: Patient health information must never be sent to external AI services
  • Mitigation: Use on-premises deployment
  • Best Practice: Implement data anonymization pipelines

We publish security advisories at:

• GitHub Security Advisories: https://github.com/Deep-Study-AI/Empathy/security/advisories
• Email Notifications: Subscribe at patrick.roebuck@deepstudyai.com

Currently, we do not offer a paid bug bounty program. However:

• We publicly acknowledge security researchers (with permission)
• We provide attribution in CVE credits and release notes
• We may offer swag or free licenses for significant findings

The Empathy Framework is designed to support:

• HIPAA compliance for healthcare applications
• GDPR compliance for European users
• SOC 2 requirements for enterprise customers
• ISO 27001 information security standards

See our Compliance Documentation for detailed guidance.

For security concerns, contact:

• Email: patrick.roebuck@deepstudyai.com
• GitHub: https://github.com/Deep-Study-AI/Empathy/security
• Organization: Smart AI Memory, LLC

Last Updated: January 2025

Thank you for helping keep Empathy Framework and our users safe!