Static Security Hardening Skill

This skill governs the operational procedures, standards, and defensive configurations required to secure statically served assets in CMSForNerd2 in accordance with OWASP principles.

When to use this skill

• When configuring or updating web server security headers (e.g., in nginx/nginx.conf).
• When introducing or updating inline scripts, stylesheets, or external content origins.
• When updating security-related files such as the RFC 9116 security contact or the robots.txt index path.
• When teaching or demonstrating static security whitelisting and performance hardening via educational materials.

Operational Standards & Procedures

1. Nginx Defensive Header Hardening

By configuring defensive headers in Nginx, the application limits exposure to common web-based vulnerabilities:

• HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security): Force secure HTTPS connections.
• Permissions-Policy: Restrict access to browser features and APIs.
• Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement a strict, hardened policy restricting script and resource execution.
• Maintain Nginx rules inside nginx/nginx.conf and adhere strictly to OWASP standards.

2. Cryptographic CSP Inline Script Whitelisting

To permit essential inline scripts without introducing security vulnerabilities, cryptographically sign inline scripts and whitelist their SHA-256 hashes in the CSP:

• Theme-Switching Script: The main theme-switching logic in src/layouts/Layout.astro has its is:inline attribute removed to compile and bundle it as a cacheable static asset. Early flash prevention remains inline in the <head> with its SHA-256 hash whitelisted in Nginx.
• Other Inline Scripts: Explicitly whitelist SHA-256 hashes of the graduation signature (graduation.md) and sitemap (sitemap-page.md), along with trusted external script origins (e.g., https://cdn.ampproject.org).

3. Public Security Meta-Files

With the static modernisation of CMSForNerd2, maintain active compliance files:

• RFC 9116 Compliant Security Contact: Maintain a valid security contact file at public/.well-known/security.txt.
• Modernised Sitemap Crawler Index: Configure public/robots.txt to point explicitly to /sitemap.xml instead of /sitemap.php.

4. Educational Worksheet Integration

In contrast to purely automated configurations, CMSForNerd2 serves as an educational laboratory platform:

• The cmsfornerd2 laboratory manual (src/content/pages/lab-manual.md) features an interactive educational worksheet: 'Laboratory Module 7: Static Security Whitelisting & Performance Hardening' (src/content/pages/lab-module7.md).
• This module instructs students on applying OWASP standards, cryptographic CSP hashes, Nginx defensive configurations, and static performance caching.

---

Deep State of Mind (DSOM) For My AI Protocol | Harisfazillah Jamel (LinuxMalaysia) | 2026-08-01
Standard: UK English | DBP-standard Bahasa Melayu Malaysia (Piawai) | GNU General Public License v3.0