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README.md

Lesson 02: Security Protocols with Copilot

Course: GitHub Copilot for Cybersecurity Specialists

Overview

This lesson demonstrates how GitHub Copilot can assist in implementing security protocols correctly. We cover cryptographic operations, OAuth 2.0 with PKCE, key management, and zero trust architecture.

Demos

Demo 01: Cryptographic Operations

Location: demo-01-crypto/

Files:

  • encryption-demo.js - AES-256-GCM encryption with secure IV handling

Key Concepts:

  • Authenticated encryption (GCM mode)
  • Secure key derivation (PBKDF2, Argon2)
  • Cryptographically secure random generation
  • Timing-safe comparisons for HMAC verification

Copilot Prompt:

Encrypt data using AES-256-GCM with secure IV generation

Demo 02: OAuth 2.0 with PKCE

Location: demo-02-oauth/

Files:

  • oauth-server.js - Complete OAuth 2.0 authorization server
  • jwt-generator.js - JWT token generation with RS256

Key Concepts:

  • Authorization Code flow with PKCE (RFC 7636)
  • SHA-256 code_challenge verification
  • Redirect URI whitelist validation
  • Proper JWT claims (iss, sub, aud, exp, iat)
  • Token rotation for refresh tokens

Copilot Prompt:

Create OAuth 2.0 authorization server with PKCE support

Demo 03: Key Management

Location: demo-03-key-management/

Files:

  • azure-keyvault.js - Azure Key Vault integration
  • hashicorp-vault.js - HashiCorp Vault integration

Key Concepts:

  • Managed identity authentication (no hardcoded credentials)
  • Secret rotation policies
  • Transit engine for encryption-as-a-service
  • Dynamic database credentials

Copilot Prompt:

Integrate with Azure Key Vault for secret management

Demo 04: Zero Trust Architecture

Location: demo-04-zero-trust/

Files:

  • terraform/main.tf - AWS VPC with network segmentation
  • istio/service-mesh.yaml - Istio mTLS and authorization policies

Key Concepts:

  • Private subnets only (no public internet access)
  • VPC endpoints for AWS service access
  • Strict mTLS between all services
  • Authorization policies with deny-by-default
  • Service-to-service identity verification

Copilot Prompt:

Create Terraform config for zero trust network segmentation

Prompts Reference

See the prompts/ directory for detailed prompt templates:

  • crypto-implementation.md - Cryptographic operations
  • oauth-jwt.md - OAuth 2.0 and JWT implementation
  • zero-trust.md - Zero trust architecture

Prerequisites

# Install dependencies
npm install jsonwebtoken argon2 node-vault @azure/identity @azure/keyvault-secrets

# For Terraform demos
terraform init

# For Istio demos
kubectl apply -f istio/service-mesh.yaml

Running the Demos

Crypto Demo

node demo-01-crypto/encryption-demo.js

OAuth Server

node demo-02-oauth/oauth-server.js
# Server starts on http://localhost:3000

JWT Generator

node demo-02-oauth/jwt-generator.js

Key Vault Demo

# Azure - requires Azure CLI login
export AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL="https://your-vault.vault.azure.net"
node demo-03-key-management/azure-keyvault.js

# HashiCorp - requires running Vault instance
export VAULT_ADDR="http://127.0.0.1:8200"
export VAULT_TOKEN="your-token"
node demo-03-key-management/hashicorp-vault.js

Security Best Practices Demonstrated

  1. Algorithm Selection: Always use authenticated encryption (GCM, not CBC)
  2. Key Derivation: Use high iteration counts for password-based keys
  3. Token Security: Short-lived access tokens, rotating refresh tokens
  4. PKCE: Required for all OAuth clients, not just public ones
  5. Network Segmentation: Explicit deny rules, least privilege
  6. mTLS: Encryption and authentication at the transport layer
  7. Secret Management: No hardcoded credentials, use managed identities

Common Mistakes Copilot Helps Avoid

Mistake Copilot's Correct Approach
Using ECB mode Suggests GCM or CBC with HMAC
Reusing IVs Generates fresh random IV each time
Weak key derivation Uses 600K+ iterations for PBKDF2
Missing JWT claims Includes all standard claims
Implicit grant flow Suggests authorization code + PKCE
Hardcoded secrets Suggests Key Vault integration
Open security groups Creates deny-by-default policies