# Gateway Identity Header Strip-and-Overwrite Policy Middleware ## Module Gateway ## Status VERIFIED ## Description Security middleware that enforces identity header integrity at the Gateway/Router level. Strips incoming identity headers from external requests and overwrites them with verified claims from the authenticated session, preventing header spoofing attacks in service-to-service communication. ## Implementation Details - **Identity header middleware**: `src/Gateway/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService/Middleware/IdentityHeaderPolicyMiddleware.cs` -- strips incoming identity headers and overwrites with verified claims (335 lines) - **Claims store**: `src/Gateway/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService/Authorization/EffectiveClaimsStore.cs`, `IEffectiveClaimsStore.cs` -- manages effective claims after header processing - **Authorization middleware**: `src/Gateway/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService/Authorization/AuthorizationMiddleware.cs` -- enforces authorization after identity header processing - **Sender constraints**: `src/Gateway/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService/Middleware/SenderConstraintMiddleware.cs` -- validates sender identity - **Source**: SPRINT_8100_0011_0002_gateway_identity_header_hardening.md ## E2E Test Plan - [x] Verify incoming identity headers are stripped from external requests - [x] Test verified claims replace stripped headers correctly - [x] Verify header spoofing attempts are blocked - [x] Test service-to-service communication uses verified identity headers - [x] Verify edge cases and error handling ## Verification - **Run ID**: run-002 - **Date**: 2026-02-09 - **Method**: Tier 1 code review + Tier 2d integration tests - **Build**: PASS (0 errors, 0 warnings) - **Tests**: PASS (202/202 gateway tests pass) - **Code Review**: - IdentityHeaderPolicyMiddleware (335 lines): Lists 14 reserved headers (X-StellaOps-* and legacy X-Stella-*), strips all from incoming requests, extracts identity from validated ClaimsPrincipal, writes canonical + legacy downstream headers. - IdentityHeaderPolicyMiddlewareTests (502 lines, 18+ tests): Security-focused assertions verifying spoofed headers are replaced, raw claim headers stripped, scopes sorted deterministically, system paths bypass processing. - Strongest test coverage in the module. - **Verdict**: PASS ## Tier 2 Recheck (2026-02-10) - **Run ID**: run-003 - **Result**: PASS - **What was rechecked**: Spoofed identity-header request path replay plus regression-suite confirmation for identity header strip/overwrite behavior. - **Evidence**: `docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-003/tier2-integration-check.json` ## Recheck (run-005) - **Date**: 2026-02-10 - **Result**: PASS - **Verification**: Identity header strip/overwrite anti-spoofing behavior remains stable. - **Tests**: Gateway.WebService.Tests 259/259, Router Gateway WebService.Tests 160/160, Router.Gateway.Tests 13/13 (432 total). - **Evidence**: `docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-005/tier2-integration-check.json` ## Recheck (Run-006) - **Verified**: 2026-02-10 - **Method**: Tier 2 replay + full Gateway/Router matrix. - **Tests**: PASS (`src/Gateway/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests`: 259/259; `src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests`: 160/160; `src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Router.Gateway.Tests`: 13/13). - **Tier 2 Evidence**: `docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-006/tier2-integration-check.json` - **Outcome**: Checked Gateway feature behavior remains stable in follow-up replay. ## Recheck (Run-007) - **Verified**: 2026-02-10 - **Method**: Tier 2 integration replay. - **Tests**: PASS (src/Gateway/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests: 259/259; src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests: 160/160; src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Router.Gateway.Tests: 13/13). - **Tier 2 Evidence**: `docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-007/tier2-integration-check.json` - **Outcome**: Gateway/Router behavior for this checked feature remains healthy. ## Recheck (Run-008) - **Verified**: 2026-02-10 - **Method**: Tier 2 replay with deterministic Gateway+Router suite verification. - **Tests**: PASS (src/Gateway/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests: 259/259; src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests: 160/160; src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Router.Gateway.Tests: 13/13). - **Tier 2 Evidence**: docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-008/tier2-integration-check.json - **Outcome**: Checked gateway behavior remains healthy in continued replay. ## Recheck (Run-009) - **Verified**: 2026-02-10 - **Method**: Tier 2 replay with deterministic Gateway+Router suite verification. - **Tests**: PASS (src/Gateway/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests: 259/259; src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Gateway.WebService.Tests: 160/160; src/Router/__Tests/StellaOps.Router.Gateway.Tests: 13/13). - **Tier 2 Evidence**: docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-009/tier2-integration-check.json - **Outcome**: Checked gateway behavior remains healthy in continued replay. ## Recheck (Run-010) - **Verified**: 2026-02-10 - **Method**: Tier 2d deterministic integration replay. - **Tests**: PASS (Gateway.WebService.Tests 259/259, Router.Gateway.WebService.Tests 160/160, Router.Gateway.Tests 13/13). - **Tier 2 Evidence**: docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-010/tier2-integration-check.json - **Outcome**: Checked Gateway behavior remains healthy in continued replay. ## Recheck (Run-011) - **Verified**: 2026-02-10 - **Method**: Tier 2d deterministic integration replay. - **Tests**: PASS (Gateway.WebService 259/259, Router.Gateway.WebService 160/160, Router.Gateway 13/13; total 432/432). - **Tier 2 Evidence**: docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-011/tier2-integration-check.json - **Outcome**: Checked gateway behavior remains healthy in continued replay. ## Recheck (Run-012) - **Verified**: 2026-02-10 - **Method**: Tier 2d deterministic integration replay. - **Tests**: PASS (Gateway.WebService 259/259, Router.Gateway.WebService 160/160, Router.Gateway 13/13; total 432/432). - **Tier 2 Evidence**: docs/qa/feature-checks/runs/gateway/gateway-identity-header-strip-and-overwrite-policy-middleware/run-012/tier2-integration-check.json - **Outcome**: Checked gateway behavior remains healthy in continued replay.