SentinelGate

SentinelGate is a lightweight security monitoring package for Node.js applications. It detects suspicious login behavior, computes a risk score, and provides a dashboard to visualize high-risk activities.

Installation

npm install @security_packages/sentinelgate

Generating the Secret Key

Run the following command:

npx @security_packages/sentinelgate

This generates a secure dashboard access key and stores it in the .env file as:

SENTINELGATE_DASHBOARD_KEY=your_generated_key

Basic Setup

const express = require("express");
const Sentinel = require("@security_packages/sentinelgate");

const app = express();

app.use("/sentinelgate", Sentinel.sentinelGate());

Enables:

• Dashboard UI → /sentinelgate
• API endpoints → /sentinelgate/*

System Overview

SentinelGate operates as follows:

1. A user attempts to log in
2. System tracks anomalies:
   • Incorrect password attempts
   • CAPTCHA failures
   • Abnormal form submission time
   • Hidden parameter manipulation
3. Data stored in MongoDB
4. Risk score calculated
5. High-risk activity shown in dashboard

MongoDB Initialization

await Sentinel.initParameters(
  dbName,
  collectionName,
  statsCollectionName,
  client,
  dbURL,
  req
);

Core Functions

1. initParameters(...)

await Sentinel.initParameters(...);

Initializes DB connection and collections.

2. wrongPassword(Username)

await Sentinel.wrongPassword(Username);

Tracks failed password attempts.

3. wrongCaptcha(Username)

await Sentinel.wrongCaptcha(Username);

Tracks CAPTCHA failures.

4. evaluateTime(start, end, Username)

await Sentinel.evaluateTime(loginStartTime, loginEndTime, Username);

Detects abnormal login timing.

5. hiddenFields(hiddenParams, Username, body)

await Sentinel.hiddenFields(hiddenParameters, Username, req.body);

Detects hidden parameter manipulation.

Example Integration

app.post("/login", async (req, res) => {
  await Sentinel.initParameters(
    dbName,
    collectionName,
    statsCollectionName,
    client,
    dbUrl,
    req
  );

  const {
    Username,
    Password,
    Captcha,
    enteredCaptcha,
    loginStartTime,
    loginEndTime
  } = req.body;

  if (Password !== "expectedPassword") {
    await Sentinel.wrongPassword(Username);
  }

  if (Captcha !== enteredCaptcha) {
    await Sentinel.wrongCaptcha(Username);
  }

  await Sentinel.evaluateTime(loginStartTime, loginEndTime, Username);
  await Sentinel.hiddenFields(hiddenParameters, Username, req.body);

  res.send("Login processed");
});

Dashboard Access

http://localhost:3000/sentinelgate

Features:

• High-risk IP detection
• Risk score visualization
• Activity tracking
• Charts (daily / weekly / monthly)

Risk Score Calculation

• Wrong Password → +2
• Wrong CAPTCHA → +2.5
• Suspicious Timing → +3
• Hidden Parameter Detection → +4

Only high-risk entries are displayed.

Security and Data Handling

• Uses MongoDB with safe upsert operations
• Avoids duplicate entries (Username + IP)
• Stores only security-related data
• No sensitive data exposed
• Aggregated analytics maintained

Database Collections

Information Collection

• Stores user/IP activity

Statistics Collection

• Stores aggregated metrics

Available Routes

/sentinelgate            → Dashboard  
/sentinelgate/getIp      → IP data  
/sentinelgate/fetchData  → Chart data  
/sentinelgate/verify    → Auth  

Future Enhancements

• Real-time alerts (Email/SMS)
• Automated IP blocking
• ML-based threat detection
• Geo-location risk analysis

Summary

SentinelGate integrates seamlessly into existing applications with minimal setup and provides effective login security monitoring.