Security Guide
Learn how to implement enterprise-grade security for your license management system with best practices and security measures.
Security Overview
Security is paramount in license management systems. This guide covers comprehensive security measures to protect your licenses, customer data, and business operations.
We'll cover encryption, authentication, authorization, monitoring, and compliance requirements to ensure your license system is secure and trustworthy.
Security Pillars
Data Protection
- End-to-end encryption
- Secure data storage
- Data anonymization
- Backup and recovery
Access Control
- Multi-factor authentication
- Role-based access control
- API key management
- Session management
License assertion JWT (RS256)
When the Core API is configured with signing keys, successful POST /v1/licenses/verify and
POST /v1/licenses/validate-hardware responses may include
license_token (a JWT), license_token_expires_at, and
license_jwks_uri. Integrators verify the JWT offline using the public keys from
GET /v1/licenses/jwks (JWKS). Never ship the API’s private signing key inside desktop, mobile, or browser apps.
Asymmetric only in client apps: embed or fetch the public JWKS URL, resolve the JWK by kid in the JWT header, and verify RS256.
HMAC shared secrets are appropriate for server-to-server webhooks, not for widely distributed binaries.
Required claim check: reject tokens unless token_use equals licensechain_license_v1 (prevents confusing this JWT with session or other tokens).
aud: when present, matches your Dashboard application id. Your verifier should ensure aud equals the app you expect before unlocking features.
TTL and refresh: assertion lifetime depends on seller tier on the API (lc_vt: basic ≈ 15m, advanced ≈ 1h, custom ≈ 24h). Before exp, call verify again to obtain a fresh token. Cache JWKS briefly (e.g. minutes) and re-fetch on unknown kid or verification failure after rotation.
Server-authoritative checks: when offline JWT acceptance is not enough (e.g. immediate revoke, app-side policy enforcement), call
POST /v1/licenses/introspect with license_token.
The API verifies signature + claims and returns live active status from the database.
Denylist revocation: authenticated backends can revoke a specific issued JWT via
POST /v1/licenses/revoke-token (by token jti).
After revocation, introspection returns active: false with reason token_revoked.
Claim reference (non-exhaustive)
| Claim | Meaning |
|---|---|
| iss | Issuer (API); default API URL |
| sub | License record id |
| aud | App id (when set) |
| exp / iat / nbf | Standard JWT time claims |
| jti | Unique token id per issuance |
| token_use | Must be licensechain_license_v1 |
| lc_vt | basic | advanced | custom |
| seller_tier | Seller plan tier string |
| status | License status |
| hw_bound | Whether HWUID was satisfied for this verify |
| plan / features | From license metadata when present |
| license_exp | License expiry as Unix seconds (when set) |
See also Licenses and API Reference.
Encryption
Data Encryption
All sensitive data is encrypted using industry-standard encryption algorithms.
Encryption at Rest
- AES-256 encryption for database
- Encrypted file storage
- Secure key management
- Regular key rotation
Encryption in Transit
- TLS 1.3 for all communications
- Certificate pinning
- Perfect forward secrecy
- HSTS headers
API Security
Secure API communications with proper authentication and authorization.
// API request with proper headers // Set authorization and content type // Include API version and request ID // Send license verification request
Authentication & Authorization
Multi-Factor Authentication
- TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) support
- SMS-based verification
- Hardware security keys (FIDO2/WebAuthn)
- Biometric authentication
- Backup codes for account recovery
Role-Based Access Control
- Granular permissions system
- Team-based access management
- Resource-level permissions
- Audit trail for all actions
- Regular access reviews
API Key Management
- Scoped API keys with limited permissions
- Key rotation and expiration
- Usage monitoring and alerts
- Revocation capabilities
- Environment-specific keys
Monitoring & Logging
Security Monitoring
- Real-time threat detection
- Anomaly detection algorithms
- Failed login attempt monitoring
- Suspicious activity alerts
- Geographic access monitoring
Audit Logging
- Comprehensive activity logging
- Immutable audit trails
- Log integrity verification
- Long-term log retention
- Compliance reporting
Incident Response
- Automated incident detection
- Escalation procedures
- Response playbooks
- Post-incident analysis
- Continuous improvement
Compliance & Standards
SOC 2 Type II
- Annual third-party audits
- Security, availability, and confidentiality controls
- Processing integrity verification
- Privacy protection measures
- Continuous monitoring and improvement
GDPR Compliance
- Data subject rights implementation
- Privacy by design principles
- Data processing agreements
- Right to be forgotten
- Data portability support
ISO 27001
- Information security management system
- Risk assessment and management
- Security policy implementation
- Regular security training
- Continuous improvement processes
Security Best Practices
Development Security
- Secure coding practices and code reviews
- Dependency vulnerability scanning
- Automated security testing
- Secure development lifecycle
- Regular security training for developers
Infrastructure Security
- Network segmentation and firewalls
- Intrusion detection and prevention
- Regular security updates and patches
- Secure configuration management
- Disaster recovery and business continuity
Operational Security
- Principle of least privilege
- Regular security assessments
- Employee security awareness training
- Incident response procedures
- Vendor security assessments