Security

Desktop-First Architecture

Comet's security model starts with a fundamental architectural choice: your sensitive data never leaves your device.

Update Security

Every Comet release goes through a multi-layer verification process before it reaches your machine.

• Cryptographic Signing — All update archives are signed using Ed25519 (minisign). The public key is embedded in the application binary, and the Tauri updater verifies the signature before applying any update. A tampered archive will be rejected.
• Apple Notarization — macOS builds are notarized by Apple, which scans for malware and issues a stapled ticket. This satisfies Gatekeeper requirements without users needing to bypass security warnings.
• Secure Delivery — Update manifests and archives are served over TLS from Google Cloud Storage with cache-control headers set to prevent stale CDN responses.
• No Silent Changes — The updater only applies updates that match the embedded public key. If the signing key were ever compromised, existing installations would reject updates signed with a different key — users would need to manually install a fresh copy, making supply chain attacks visible.

Infrastructure

Comet's cloud footprint is minimal by design. The only infrastructure we operate serves the marketing website, update delivery, and optional team and billing features.

• Google Cloud Platform — API services run on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). Update archives and manifests are hosted on Google Cloud Storage.
• TLS Everywhere — All network communications between Comet and our infrastructure use TLS. There is no plaintext HTTP fallback.
• Stripe for Billing — Payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe. We do not store credit card numbers, CVVs, or full payment details on our infrastructure. Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 certified.
• Minimal Data Collection — Comet collects zero telemetry. Update checks transmit only standard HTTP headers. See our Privacy Policy for the complete data handling description.

Application Security

• Dependency Management — We track dependency vulnerabilities across the Rust backend and TypeScript frontend and apply security patches promptly.
• Principle of Least Privilege — Comet requests only the MongoDB permissions needed for the operations you perform. It does not require or request administrative database access by default.
• No Embedded Secrets — The application binary contains no API keys, tokens, or secrets beyond the update verification public key, which is intended to be public.

Compliance Roadmap

We are building toward formal security certifications. Here is where we stand today and where we are headed.

Reporting a Vulnerability

If you discover a security vulnerability in Comet, please report it responsibly. Email security@handcraftcode.com with a description of the issue. We will acknowledge receipt within 48 hours and work to address confirmed vulnerabilities promptly. Please do not disclose vulnerabilities publicly until we have had reasonable time to address them.

Contact

Questions about Comet's security? Email us at security@handcraftcode.com.