Security & Data Handling
Data Handling Model
MergeGuide performs static analysis on code at the time of a scan. Source code is never stored.
When a scan runs (via PR webhook, CI pipeline, or CLI):
- The scan agent fetches the file content from your SCM at the moment of the scan
- Analysis runs in an isolated execution environment
- Results (violation descriptions, file paths, line numbers) are stored in MergeGuide
- Raw source content is discarded after analysis — it is never persisted to MergeGuide storage
What MergeGuide stores:
- Violation metadata: file path, line number, rule name, severity
- Evaluation results: pass/fail status, timestamp, repository, branch
- Compliance mapping: which controls were satisfied or violated
- Audit log: user actions within the MergeGuide dashboard
What MergeGuide does not store:
- Raw source code
- File contents
- Commit history beyond what is needed to identify the evaluation context
Encryption
| Layer | Standard |
|---|
| Data in transit | TLS 1.3 (minimum TLS 1.2 for legacy client compatibility) |
| Data at rest | AES-256 |
| API keys | Bcrypt hashed — only the hash is stored |
| Webhook secrets | Encrypted at rest, never returned in API responses |
All traffic between clients and portal.mergeguide.ai is HTTPS-only. HTTP requests are redirected to HTTPS automatically.
SOC 2 Type II
MergeGuide is pursuing SOC 2 Type II certification covering the Security trust service criteria. Contact us at security@mergeguide.ai to request the current readiness status or to discuss audit timelines for procurement purposes.
GDPR
MergeGuide processes limited personal data:
- Account data: Name, email address, and hashed password for registered users
- Usage data: Evaluation timestamps, login events, dashboard activity
- No special category data is processed
MergeGuide acts as a Data Processor for data held on behalf of organizational customers. The customer is the Data Controller.
Data residency: MergeGuide infrastructure is hosted in AWS us-east-1 (Virginia, United States). For EU data residency requirements, contact sales.
Data subject requests: Contact privacy@mergeguide.ai from the email address associated with your account to request data export or deletion.
Authentication Settings
Configure authentication requirements at Settings > Security.
Password Policy
Set minimum password requirements for all members:
- Go to Settings > Security > Authentication
- Configure the password policy: minimum length (default: 12), uppercase, numbers, special characters
- Save
Password policy changes take effect on next password change. Existing passwords are not invalidated immediately.
Session Duration
- Go to Settings > Security > Authentication
- Set Session Timeout (default: 24 hours)
- Save
Multi-Factor Authentication
MFA is available on all plans. See WebAuthn & MFA for setup instructions.
Admins can enforce MFA org-wide:
- Go to Settings > Security > MFA
- Enable Require MFA
- Set a grace period for members to enroll (minimum 1 hour, maximum 7 days)
Members who do not enroll within the grace period are suspended until they complete setup.
IP Allowlisting
Available on Enterprise plans.
Restrict dashboard access to specific IP ranges:
- Go to Settings > Security > Network Access
- Click Add IP Range
- Enter the range in CIDR notation (e.g.,
203.0.113.0/24)
- Save
Add your current IP address to the allowlist before saving. Locking yourself out requires a support request to resolve.
Audit Log
All administrative actions are recorded in the audit log. View at Settings > Security > Audit Log.
Events include: sign-in/sign-out, member invitation and removal, role changes, SSO/SCIM configuration changes, policy enable/disable, API key creation and revocation, billing changes.
Audit log retention by plan:
| Plan | Retention |
|---|
| Free | 7 days |
| Pro | 30 days |
| Team | 60 days |
| Business | 90 days |
| Enterprise | 2 years |
Export the audit log as CSV or JSON for external SIEM ingestion.
API Key Security
API keys are displayed only once at creation — MergeGuide stores only the hash.
Best practices:
- Use one key per integration or service, not a shared key
- Set expiration dates on keys used in CI pipelines
- Rotate keys if exposed — revoke immediately, generate a new one
- Store keys in your secret management system, never in source code
Revoke keys from Settings > API Keys > Revoke.
Admins can view and revoke all org keys from Settings > Security > API Keys > Organization Keys.
Webhook Security
Webhook payloads are signed with HMAC-SHA256. Verify the signature before processing:
import crypto from 'crypto';
function verifyWebhookSignature(
payload: string,
signature: string,
secret: string
): boolean {
const expected = crypto
.createHmac('sha256', secret)
.update(payload)
.digest('hex');
return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
Buffer.from(`sha256=${expected}`),
Buffer.from(signature)
);
}
The signature is in the X-MergeGuide-Signature header. Reject requests where the signature does not match.
Infrastructure
MergeGuide runs on AWS infrastructure in us-east-1:
- Compute: AWS Lambda (serverless, isolated per request)
- Database: Amazon DynamoDB (encrypted at rest)
- Storage: Amazon S3 (encrypted at rest, private buckets)
- CDN: Amazon CloudFront (TLS termination at edge)
Infrastructure access is restricted to authorized personnel using least-privilege IAM roles.
Responsible Disclosure
Report security vulnerabilities to security@mergeguide.ai. Include a description, steps to reproduce, and proof-of-concept (non-destructive only). We acknowledge reports within 2 business days.
Do not publicly disclose vulnerabilities until we have had a reasonable opportunity to remediate.