Security Architecture
use.com implements defense-in-depth security across seven layers, from perimeter defense to incident response. This section outlines the security controls that protect user assets and data against both external attacks and internal threats.
Layer 1: Perimeter Defense
DDoS Mitigation
Multi-Tier Protection:
Tier 1 (Edge): 100+ Tbps capacity via Cloudflare/Akamai
Tier 2 (Origin): 10 Tbps scrubbing centers
Tier 3 (Application): Adaptive rate limiting and circuit breakers
Attack Mitigation:
Volumetric attacks (UDP/ICMP floods): Edge filtering
Protocol attacks (SYN floods): SYN cookies + connection limits
Application attacks (HTTP floods): Challenge pages + rate limiting
Historical Performance: Largest attack mitigated: 450 Gbps in 8 seconds, zero downtime.
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Protection Against:
SQL injection
Cross-site scripting (XSS)
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
XML external entities (XXE)
Known attack patterns
Performance: < 2ms latency added, < 0.1% false positive rate, > 99% true positive rate.
Layer 2: Application Security
Secure Development Lifecycle
Six-Phase Process:
Requirements: Security requirements defined upfront
Design: Architecture review, threat modeling
Implementation: Secure coding standards, code reviews
Testing: Static analysis (SAST), dynamic analysis (DAST)
Deployment: Container scanning, configuration review
Operations: Vulnerability management, incident response
Tools: SonarQube, Checkmarx (SAST), OWASP ZAP (DAST), Snyk (dependencies), Trivy (containers).
Input Validation
Four-Layer Validation:
Client-Side: User experience, immediate feedback
API Gateway: Schema validation, rate limiting
Application: Business logic validation, sanitization
Database: Constraints, triggers
Sanitization: All user inputs sanitized to prevent injection attacks. Parameterized queries used exclusively (no string concatenation).
Layer 3: Authentication & Authorization
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Required For:
Login (always)
Withdrawals (always)
API key creation (always)
Security settings changes (always)
Supported Factors:
Primary: Password (bcrypt hashed, cost: 12)
Secondary: TOTP (30-second codes), SMS OTP (fallback), Email OTP (recovery), Hardware keys (FIDO2/WebAuthn)
Tertiary: Biometric (Face ID, Touch ID on mobile)
Trusted Devices: 30-day trust period, limit 5 devices per user, revocable anytime.
Session Management
Token Architecture:
Access Token: 15-minute lifetime, memory-only storage
Refresh Token: 30-day lifetime, HttpOnly secure cookie, rotated on each use
Security Controls:
Device binding (fingerprint validation)
IP validation (alert on change)
Concurrent session limits (5 per user)
Automatic timeout (30 min idle, 24 hours absolute)
Layer 4: Data Security
Encryption at Rest
Database Encryption: AES-256-GCM with AWS KMS/Azure Key Vault
Column-Level Encryption for sensitive fields:
Passwords: bcrypt (cost: 12)
API Keys: AES-256-GCM
2FA Secrets: AES-256-GCM
PII: AES-256-GCM
Private Keys: AES-256-GCM + HSM
Key Rotation: Quarterly for data encryption keys, annually for master keys.
Encryption in Transit
TLS Configuration:
Minimum: TLS 1.2
Preferred: TLS 1.3
Cipher Suites: AES-256-GCM, ChaCha20-Poly1305
Certificate: EV (Extended Validation), RSA 4096-bit or ECDSA P-384
Security Headers:
Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS)
Content-Security-Policy (CSP)
X-Frame-Options: DENY
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
Layer 5: Infrastructure Security
OS Hardening
CIS Benchmarks: Level 1 compliance (95%+ score)
Hardening Measures:
Minimal installation (only required packages)
Root login disabled
SSH keys required (passwords disabled)
Filesystem encryption (LUKS)
Firewall with default deny
Patch Management:
Critical patches: Within 24 hours
Security patches: Within 7 days
Regular updates: Monthly maintenance window
Container Security
Image Security:
Official base images only
Daily vulnerability scanning (Trivy, Clair)
Block on HIGH/CRITICAL vulnerabilities
Docker Content Trust enabled
Runtime Security:
Non-root user execution
Resource limits (CPU, memory)
Network policies (default deny)
Secrets via Kubernetes Secrets + Vault
Layer 6: Monitoring & Detection
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
Log Sources:
Application logs (all services)
System logs (OS, kernel)
Network logs (firewalls, load balancers)
Security logs (WAF, IDS/IPS)
Authentication logs (login attempts, MFA)
Alert Rules:
Failed login attempts (> 5 in 5 minutes)
Impossible travel (login from distant locations < 1 hour)
Large data transfers (> 1 GB outbound)
Privilege escalation (sudo usage by non-admin)
Response Time: < 15 minutes for critical alerts.
Anomaly Detection
User Behavior Analytics:
Baseline establishment (30 days normal activity)
Anomaly scoring (0.0-1.0 scale)
Alert threshold: 0.7
Automated response for high-risk anomalies
Monitored Patterns:
Login times and frequency
Geographic locations
Trading patterns
Withdrawal patterns
API usage patterns
Layer 7: Incident Response
Incident Severity Levels
P0 (Critical): Active breach, data exfiltration, service outage
Response Time: < 5 minutes
Team: Full IR team + executives
Communication: Hourly updates
P1 (High): Potential breach, significant vulnerability
Response Time: < 15 minutes
Team: IR team + stakeholders
Communication: Every 2 hours
P2 (Medium): Security policy violation, minor vulnerability
Response Time: < 1 hour
Team: Security team
Communication: Daily updates
P3 (Low): Informational, no immediate threat
Response Time: < 4 hours
Team: Security analyst
Communication: Weekly summary
Incident Response Process
Six Phases:
Detection: SIEM alerts, user reports, monitoring (< 5 min for P0)
Containment: Isolate systems, block IPs, revoke credentials (< 30 min for P0)
Investigation: Forensics, scope determination, root cause analysis
Eradication: Remove malware, patch vulnerabilities, harden systems
Recovery: Restore from clean backups, verify functionality, monitor
Post-Incident: Lessons learned, documentation, improvements
Metrics Tracked:
Detection time
Response time
Containment time
Recovery time
Security Audits
Internal Audits: Quarterly security reviews
External Audits:
Penetration testing: Twice yearly
Code audits: Before major releases
Infrastructure audits: Annually
Compliance audits: As required by regulators
Bug Bounty Program: Responsible disclosure program with rewards for security researchers.
Conclusion
use.com's seven-layer security architecture provides comprehensive protection through defense-in-depth, continuous monitoring, and rapid incident response. By combining multiple security controls and maintaining transparency about security practices, use.com protects user assets while building trust through verifiable security measures.
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