🔒 Security: Fix dependency vulnerabilities & protect .env file

[abhi41289]

🎯 Summary

This PR addresses critical security vulnerabilities in dependencies and implements credential protection best practices.

---

🔒 Security Fixes

Critical/High Severity Vulnerabilities Resolved

1. Axios SSRF Vulnerability ✅ FIXED

• CVE: GHSA-jr5f-v2jv-69x6
• Severity: HIGH
• Issue: Server-Side Request Forgery via absolute URLs
• Fix: Updated axios from 1.7.9 → 1.12.2

2. Axios DoS Vulnerability ✅ FIXED

• CVE: GHSA-4hjh-wcwx-xvwj
• Severity: HIGH (CVSS 7.5)
• Issue: Denial of Service through unlimited data size
• Fix: Updated axios to 1.12.2

3. Form-Data Insecure Random ✅ FIXED

• CVE: GHSA-fjxv-7rqg-78g4
• Severity: CRITICAL
• Issue: Unsafe random function for boundary generation
• Fix: Auto-resolved via npm audit fix

---

🛡️ Credential Protection Enhancements

Environment Variables Security

• ✅ Added .env to .gitignore (was previously tracked!)
• ✅ Created .env.example template with dummy values
• ✅ Added security documentation in SECURITY.md

⚠️ Important: The .env file exists in git history. If you've committed real credentials:

1. Rotate all passwords/tokens immediately
2. Use Azure DevOps Personal Access Tokens (PAT) instead of passwords

---

🧹 Code Quality Improvements

• Fixed typo in error message (src/utils/Common.ts:76): "readinf" → "reading"

---

📋 Changes Made

Files Modified

• ✅ .gitignore - Added .env protection
• ✅ package-lock.json - Updated dependencies
• ✅ src/utils/Common.ts - Fixed typo

Files Added

• ✅ .env.example - Template for environment variables
• ✅ SECURITY.md - Security documentation and audit history

---

⚠️ Known Issues

xlsx Package (No Fix Available)

• Package: xlsx@0.18.5
• CVEs: GHSA-4r6h-8v6p-xvw6, GHSA-5pgg-2g8v-p4x9
• Severity: HIGH (Prototype Pollution, ReDoS)
• Status: No patch available from maintainer
• Mitigation: Only used for trusted test data parsing in isolated environment
• Documentation: See SECURITY.md for full risk assessment

---

✅ Testing

• All existing tests pass with updated dependencies
• No breaking changes introduced
• Security audit run: npm audit
• Dependencies verified: npm list axios

Audit Results

$ npm audit
# 1 high severity vulnerability (xlsx - no fix available)
# All fixable vulnerabilities resolved

---

📚 Interview Talking Points

This PR demonstrates:

✅ Security Awareness: Identified critical vulnerabilities through dependency auditing
✅ Best Practices: Implemented credential protection and secret management
✅ Documentation: Created comprehensive security documentation for team
✅ Risk Assessment: Documented known issues with mitigation strategies
✅ Proactive Maintenance: Regular dependency updates and security monitoring

---

🔍 Reviewer Checklist

• Review .env.example for completeness
• Verify .env is properly gitignored
• Check SECURITY.md documentation
• Confirm dependency updates don't break tests
• Validate typo fix in Common.ts

---

📖 Related Documentation

• SECURITY.md - Full security documentation
• npm Security Best Practices
• OWASP Top 10

---

🤖 Generated with Claude Code