JasperFx
SSL for TCP protocol
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. Currently, the TCP transport implementation lacks comprehensive SSL/TLS encryption support for secure data transmission. In the medical field, sensitive patient data and healthcare system communications must comply with strict security standards and regulatory requirements that mandate encrypted communication channels. Without proper SSL/TLS support, data transmitted over TCP connections remains vulnerable to interception, manipulation, and unauthorized access, which poses significant compliance and security risks in healthcare environments.
Describe the solution you'd like I would like to see enhanced SSL/TLS support implemented that includes:
- Full SSL/TLS encryption for both client and server connections with configurable security protocols (TLS 1.2, TLS 1.3)
- Certificate validation with support for custom certificate authorities commonly used in healthcare environments
- Mutual authentication (client and server certificates) for enhanced security
- Configurable cipher suites to meet specific medical compliance requirements
- Connection security logging for audit purposes required in healthcare environments
- Protocol version enforcement to ensure only secure versions are used
- Certificate revocation checking for maintaining security integrity
- Backward compatibility with existing connections while defaulting to secure connections
A new security configuration system would need to be designed and implemented to support these SSL/TLS features for the TCP transport.
Describe alternatives you've considered There are no viable alternatives to SSL/TLS encryption for securing TCP communications in the medical field. SSL/TLS is the industry standard and regulatory requirement for protecting sensitive healthcare data in transit. Any alternative approach would not meet the necessary security standards or compliance requirements mandated by healthcare regulations.
Additional context This feature is critical for medical field applications where:
- Patient data privacy is mandated by healthcare regulations (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.)
- Healthcare system communications require end-to-end encryption
- Audit trails for secure communications are required for compliance
- Integration with hospital networks demands strict security protocols
- Regulatory compliance audits require demonstrable data protection measures
The current TCP transport documentation acknowledges it has "no facility for security," making this enhancement essential for production use in regulated environments.
We had this in the backlog for a long time, but it just doesn't come up too often. My first question back to you is why the TCP transport instead of Rabbit MQ et al?
Hi Jeremy, thanks for the follow-up.
The TCP transport isn't a choice in healthcare - it's a regulatory and technical requirement. HL7 MLLP (Minimum Lower Layer Protocol) is the healthcare industry standard for medical data exchange, and it specifically operates over TCP/IP connections. Medical devices, laboratory information systems (LIS), hospital analyzers, and healthcare equipment are built and certified to communicate using HL7 MLLP over TCP/IP. You can't just swap this out for RabbitMQ or other message queues. So I don't really have a choice. I wanted to reuse Wolverine in that context, but this is currently a limitation. I can contribute to it if this is something of interest for you.
@tjaskula I was afraid it would be something like that. I did actually do some research for a couple days in my previous job about turning Marten and the nascent Wolverine into an HL7 or FHIR broker, but I purposely forgot all the details about that.
I think it might almost be easier to build an all new transport based on the TCP w/ the extra auditing & SSL protection.
I guess I'm happy to talk about contributions. Also happy to talk about a full blown JasperFx engagement to help you build that out and fully support that. [email protected] if you're interested in that.