Expenser

Security Practices

How we protect your financial data and maintain a secure platform

Our Commitment to Security

At Expenser, we take the security of your financial data seriously. We implement industry-standard security measures and best practices to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

This page outlines our security architecture, practices, and recommendations for keeping your account secure.

Data Encryption

Encryption in Transit:

  • All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS 1.3
  • HTTPS is enforced across the entire application with HSTS headers
  • Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) ensures past communications remain secure
  • Certificate pinning prevents man-in-the-middle attacks
  • Strong cipher suites and modern cryptographic algorithms

Encryption at Rest:

  • Database encryption using AES-256 encryption
  • Encrypted database backups with separate key management
  • Sensitive fields are additionally encrypted at the application level
  • Encryption keys are managed through secure key management systems
  • Regular key rotation and secure key storage practices
  • File system encryption on all storage devices

Authentication & Access Control

User Authentication:

  • Secure password hashing using bcrypt with salt
  • OAuth 2.0 integration with Google and GitHub
  • Session management with secure, httpOnly cookies
  • Automatic session timeout after inactivity
  • Password strength requirements and validation
  • Account lockout protection against brute force attacks
  • Email verification for account security

Access Controls:

  • Strict user data isolation - users can only access their own data
  • Role-based access control (RBAC) for administrative functions
  • API rate limiting to prevent abuse
  • Request validation and sanitization
  • CSRF protection on all state-changing operations
  • Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) restrictions

Multi-Factor Authentication:

  • Support for OAuth providers as additional security factor
  • Email-based verification for sensitive operations
  • Device recognition and anomaly detection
  • Notification system for suspicious login attempts

Database Security

  • Encrypted Storage: All data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption
  • Access Controls: Database access restricted to authorized services only
  • Network Isolation: Database servers are not directly accessible from the internet
  • SQL Injection Prevention: Parameterized queries and prepared statements
  • Regular Backups: Automated daily backups with encryption and integrity verification
  • Audit Logging: All database operations are logged for security monitoring
  • Connection Security: Encrypted connections between application and database
  • Data Minimization: We only store necessary data and regularly purge unnecessary logs
  • Schema Validation: Strict data validation at the database level
  • Backup Recovery: Regular testing of backup restoration procedures

Infrastructure Security

Hosting Security:

  • Hosted on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure
  • DDoS protection and web application firewall (WAF)
  • Geographically distributed infrastructure for redundancy
  • Automatic failover and disaster recovery procedures
  • Network segmentation and isolation
  • Regular security patches and updates
  • Intrusion detection and prevention systems
  • 24/7 infrastructure monitoring and alerting

Container Security:

  • Containerized applications with security-hardened images
  • Regular vulnerability scanning of container images
  • Least-privilege container execution
  • Network policies and service mesh security
  • Secrets management through secure vaults
  • Container runtime security monitoring
  • Immutable infrastructure principles

Network Security:

  • Virtual private clouds (VPC) with strict network policies
  • End-to-end encryption for all inter-service communication
  • Load balancers with SSL termination
  • IP allowlisting for administrative access
  • Network traffic monitoring and analysis
  • Firewall rules and port restrictions

Application Security Practices

  • Secure Development: Security-first development practices and code reviews
  • Input Validation: Comprehensive input sanitization and validation
  • Output Encoding: Proper encoding to prevent XSS attacks
  • Error Handling: Secure error handling that doesn't leak sensitive information
  • Logging: Security event logging without exposing sensitive data
  • Dependency Management: Regular updates and vulnerability scanning of dependencies
  • Static Analysis: Automated security scanning of source code
  • Penetration Testing: Regular security assessments by security professionals
  • Secure Headers: Implementation of security headers (CSP, HSTS, etc.)
  • API Security: Rate limiting, authentication, and input validation for all APIs

Monitoring & Incident Response

Security Monitoring:

  • Real-time security event monitoring and alerting
  • Automated threat detection and response
  • Log aggregation and analysis for security incidents
  • Anomaly detection for unusual user behavior
  • Failed login attempt monitoring and alerting

Incident Response:

  • 24/7 security incident response procedures
  • Automated incident detection and classification
  • Rapid containment and mitigation strategies
  • Post-incident analysis and improvement processes
  • Communication plan for security incidents affecting users

Security Best Practices for Users

Help us keep your account secure by following these recommendations:

  • Strong Passwords: Use unique, complex passwords with a mix of characters
  • Password Manager: Consider using a password manager for better security
  • Secure Devices: Keep your devices updated and use antivirus software
  • Public Wi-Fi: Avoid accessing sensitive data on public networks
  • Phishing Awareness: Be cautious of suspicious emails or links
  • Regular Reviews: Regularly review your account activity and transactions
  • Logout: Always logout from shared or public computers
  • Updates: Keep your browser and operating system updated
  • Two-Factor Auth: Use OAuth providers for additional security
  • Report Issues: Contact us immediately if you notice suspicious activity

Open Source Security

Expenser is open source, which provides several security benefits:

  • Transparency: Our code is publicly available for security review
  • Community Audit: Security researchers can examine our implementation
  • Rapid Patching: Security issues can be identified and fixed quickly
  • No Hidden Backdoors: Complete transparency in our security implementation
  • Industry Standards: We follow established security patterns and practices

You can review our security implementation on GitHub:

https://github.com/sakilahmmad71/expenser

We welcome security contributions and responsible disclosure of any security vulnerabilities.

Responsible Security Disclosure

We appreciate security researchers and users who help improve our security. If you discover a security vulnerability, please follow responsible disclosure practices:

Reporting Process:

  1. Email security reports to: contact@expenser.site
  2. Include detailed steps to reproduce the vulnerability
  3. Provide impact assessment and potential exploitation scenarios
  4. Allow reasonable time for us to investigate and fix the issue
  5. Avoid accessing user data or disrupting our services

Response Time: We commit to acknowledging security reports within 24 hours and providing updates on our progress.

Recognition: We maintain a security hall of fame for researchers who help improve our security (with their permission).

Security Contact Information

For security-related questions, concerns, or reports, please contact us:

Security Email: contact@expenser.site

GitHub Security: https://github.com/sakilahmmad71/expenser/security

General Contact: https://expenser.site/contact

For general questions, use our regular support channels. For security issues, please use the security email to ensure proper prioritization.

Our security team monitors security communications 24/7 and will respond promptly to all security-related inquiries.