Vault Cortex is a remote MCP server that exposes an Obsidian vault over HTTPS. The attack surface includes:

• Authentication and authorization — OAuth 2.1 (Authorization Code + PKCE), JWT tokens (HS256), static bearer token fallback, Lambda authorizer, Express middleware (defense in depth)
• API Gateway — HTTP API fronting the Lightsail instance, path-aware authorization (OAuth discovery endpoints pass through, /mcp requires valid bearer)
• Express server — handles MCP protocol messages, OAuth flows, consent page
• SQLite — FTS5 search index and OAuth token persistence. User-supplied search queries are parameterized, not interpolated
• File system access — vault reads and writes. Path traversal is blocked by resolveSafePath() (resolve + prefix check). Protected paths prevent deletion of sensitive folders
• Docker Compose — two long-running containers on Lightsail sharing a /vault volume (UID 1000)
• CI/CD workflows — GitHub Actions with OIDC AWS auth, SSH to Lightsail, GHCR image push

Several scanners already run against this repository:

• CodeQL — static analysis on every PR and push (GitHub default setup)
• Gitleaks — secret detection on every PR and push to main
• Trivy — vulnerability scan of the Docker image: PR-built images on every PR (fixable CRITICAL/HIGH findings block the merge), the published GHCR image on pushes to main and a weekly schedule. Findings report to the repository's Security tab
• OpenSSF Scorecard — supply-chain posture analysis, weekly and on pushes to main; results publish to the OpenSSF API
• Dependabot — weekly dependency update PRs for npm, GitHub Actions, and the Docker base image

Base-image CVEs surfaced by Trivy are typically already tracked in the Security tab and handled through image updates. A report is still welcome if you've found a Vault Cortex–specific exploit path for one.

If you discover a security issue, please report it through GitHub's private vulnerability reporting rather than opening a public issue.

Please include:

• A description of the vulnerability
• Steps to reproduce or a proof of concept
• The potential impact

You should receive an acknowledgment within 48 hours. I'll work with you to understand the issue and coordinate a fix before any public disclosure.

Only the latest release is actively maintained. If you're using an older version, please upgrade before reporting.