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v2.1.0 - Security Hardening

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@Hellblazer Hellblazer released this 01 Feb 00:54
· 11 commits to main since this release
v2.1.0
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Hellblazer Constantine
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Release Notes - v2.1.0

Release Date: February 1, 2026

Overview

HAL-9000 v2.1.0 is a security-focused release implementing comprehensive defense-in-depth measures. This release hardens authentication, adds syscall filtering, introduces security audit logging, and strengthens supply chain protections.

Breaking Changes

⚠️ Environment Variable API Keys Rejected

What Changed: API keys passed via environment variables (e.g., ANTHROPIC_API_KEY) are now rejected for security reasons.

Why: Environment variables are visible in docker inspect output and process listings, creating credential exposure risk.

Migration Path:

  1. Subscription Login (Recommended):

    hal-9000 /login

  2. File-based Secrets:

    mkdir -p ~/.hal9000/secrets
echo "sk-ant-api03-..." > ~/.hal9000/secrets/anthropic_api_key
chmod 600 ~/.hal9000/secrets/anthropic_api_key

  3. Docker Secrets (Production):

    echo "sk-ant-api03-..." | docker secret create anthropic_api_key -

New Features

Phase 1: Authentication & Secrets

  • File-based secrets management - Secure storage in ~/.hal9000/secrets/
  • Docker secrets integration - First-class support for Docker secret injection
  • Extended hook coverage - Added protection for Grep, NotebookEdit, file_access operations
  • Symlink bypass protection - All security hooks now resolve symlinks before validation

Phase 2: Defense in Depth

  • Seccomp syscall filtering - Blocks dangerous syscalls:

    • mount/umount (filesystem manipulation)
    • ptrace (process tracing/debugging)
    • kernel module loading (init_module, finit_module)
    • namespace manipulation (setns, unshare)
    • See seccomp/README.md for full list

  • Per-user Docker volume isolation - Prevents cross-user data access

  • Security audit logging - Structured JSON logs for security events

  • API key hashing - Credentials never appear in plaintext logs

Phase 3: Supply Chain Hardening

  • SHA256 digest pinning - All Docker base images pinned to specific digests
  • Signature verification - Critical scripts verified before execution
  • Dependency integrity checks - Hash validation for all dependencies
  • Provenance tracking - Build artifact tracking for audit purposes

Testing

  • 139 integration tests passing across 5 phases
  • CI runs on every push to main branch
  • Security scanning integrated into pipeline
  • Docker image build verification in CI

Documentation Updates

  • Updated main README with v2.1.0 security features
  • Updated SECURITY.md with credential management changes
  • Added CHANGELOG entry for v2.1.0
  • New seccomp profile documentation
  • New security monitoring guide
  • New base image digest documentation

Upgrade Guide

  1. Update hal-9000:

    curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Hellblazer/hal-9000/main/install-hal-9000.sh | bash

  2. Migrate from environment variable API keys:

    # If you were using ANTHROPIC_API_KEY env var:
mkdir -p ~/.hal9000/secrets
echo "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" > ~/.hal9000/secrets/anthropic_api_key
chmod 600 ~/.hal9000/secrets/anthropic_api_key
unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

  3. Verify version:

    hal-9000 --version
# Should show: hal-9000 version 2.1.0

Docker Images

All images available at ghcr.io/hellblazer/hal-9000:

Profile Tags Description
Base :latest, :2.1.0 Claude CLI + MCP servers
Python :python, :python-2.1.0 + Python 3.11, uv, pip
Node :node, :node-2.1.0 + Node.js 20, npm, yarn, pnpm
Java :java, :java-2.1.0 + GraalVM 25 LTS, Maven, Gradle

Full Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for complete change history.

Reporting Security Issues

Please report security vulnerabilities to the maintainers privately rather than opening public issues.

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