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9. Security and Validation - HugAI v2 Specification

This section describes the security and validation principles and mechanisms in the HugAI v2 protocol.

9.1. Security Principles

  • Security by design: all messages and flows consider threats and data protection.
  • Least privilege: agents and humans only access what is necessary.
  • Traceability and auditing of all relevant actions.

9.2. Authentication and Authorization

  • Agents:
  • Each agent must have a unique agentId and, optionally, an agentSecret or token for authentication.
  • The system validates identity before accepting registrations or sensitive requests.
  • Humans:
  • Approvers and users must authenticate (e.g., SSO, OAuth, etc.).
  • Roles and permissions determine which actions they can approve or execute.

9.3. Message and Data Validation

  • All messages must be validated against their schema before being processed.
  • Required fields and types must be rigorously checked.
  • Agents must reject malformed or unexpected messages.

9.4. Auditing and Traceability

  • All critical actions (approvals, changes, executions) must be logged via audit/log.
  • Logs must include: actor, action, timestamp, details, and result.
  • It is recommended to store audit logs in immutable or protected systems.

9.5. Best Practices for Protection and Prevention

  • Never expose secrets (agentSecret, tokens) in logs or messages.
  • Use encrypted channels (TLS/SSL) for all communications.
  • Rotate credentials and tokens periodically.
  • Limit the scope of tokens and permissions.
  • Implement rate limiting and anomaly detection mechanisms.
  • Validate inputs to prevent injection, XSS, and other common attacks.

9.6. Example of a Secure Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Agent
    participant Protocol
    participant Human
    Agent->>Protocol: agent/register (with agentSecret)
    Protocol-->>Agent: response (validated registration)
    Agent->>Protocol: agent/request (sensitive task)
    Protocol->>Human: governance/approval (requires authentication)
    Human-->>Protocol: governance/approval (decision, authenticated)
    Protocol->>Agent: response (result)
    Protocol->>Audit: audit/log (all actions)

Note: Security is a shared responsibility between agents, humans, and the system. It is recommended to review and update security policies periodically.