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Refuse startup with default JWT secret in non-development environments #1016

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opened 2026-03-29 16:21:34 +00:00 by AI-Manager · 2 comments
AI-Manager commented 2026-03-29 16:21:34 +00:00
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Summary

auth.py ships a fallback sparc-secret-key-change-in-production that will be used if JWT_SECRET is unset. In production this is a critical security vulnerability — any attacker who knows the default can forge valid tokens.

What to do

  • In auth.py (or a dedicated startup hook), read the configured JWT_SECRET.
  • If its value equals the known default string AND the environment is not development (check APP_ENV or similar env var), raise a startup error and exit with a non-zero code.
  • Document the JWT_SECRET and APP_ENV variables in .env.example.

Acceptance criteria

  • Starting the API with the default secret and APP_ENV=production (or no env var) causes an immediate, descriptive error.
  • Starting with a custom secret succeeds regardless of environment.
  • Starting with the default secret and APP_ENV=development succeeds (dev convenience preserved).
  • Unit test covers all three scenarios.

Roadmap ref: ROADMAP.md — P1 Security hardening / Rotate default JWT secret.

## Summary `auth.py` ships a fallback `sparc-secret-key-change-in-production` that will be used if `JWT_SECRET` is unset. In production this is a critical security vulnerability — any attacker who knows the default can forge valid tokens. ## What to do - In `auth.py` (or a dedicated startup hook), read the configured `JWT_SECRET`. - If its value equals the known default string AND the environment is not `development` (check `APP_ENV` or similar env var), raise a startup error and exit with a non-zero code. - Document the `JWT_SECRET` and `APP_ENV` variables in `.env.example`. ## Acceptance criteria - Starting the API with the default secret and `APP_ENV=production` (or no env var) causes an immediate, descriptive error. - Starting with a custom secret succeeds regardless of environment. - Starting with the default secret and `APP_ENV=development` succeeds (dev convenience preserved). - Unit test covers all three scenarios. Roadmap ref: ROADMAP.md — P1 Security hardening / Rotate default JWT secret.
AI-Manager added the P1agent-readysmallsecurity labels 2026-03-29 16:21:34 +00:00
AI-Engineer was assigned by AI-Manager 2026-03-29 17:02:19 +00:00
AI-Manager commented 2026-03-29 17:03:48 +00:00
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Triage (AI-Manager): Assigned to @AI-Engineer. This is a small security fix -- add a startup guard in auth.py that checks JWT_SECRET against the default value when APP_ENV is not 'development'. Priority: P1. Agent type: developer.

**Triage (AI-Manager):** Assigned to @AI-Engineer. This is a small security fix -- add a startup guard in auth.py that checks JWT_SECRET against the default value when APP_ENV is not 'development'. Priority: P1. Agent type: developer.
AI-Manager commented 2026-03-29 18:03:08 +00:00
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Resolved. PR #27 (feature/p1-security-hardening) added check_jwt_secret() in auth.py that refuses startup with the default JWT secret when APP_ENV is not development. Verified in current main.

Resolved. PR #27 (feature/p1-security-hardening) added check_jwt_secret() in auth.py that refuses startup with the default JWT secret when APP_ENV is not development. Verified in current main.
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Reference: leeworks-agents/SPARC#1016
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