Security and Privacy at Walter

Security is of paramount importance at Walter Software Corporation. Walter has a SOC 2 Type II attestation and operates an Information Security Management System that conforms to the requirements of ISO/IEC 27001:2022.

illustration of woman sitting on a safe

Governance

Walter's Security and Privacy teams establish policies and controls, monitor compliance with those controls, and prove our security and compliance to third-party auditors.

Our policies are based on the following foundational principles:

1
Access should be limited to only those with a legitimate business need and granted based on the principle of least privilege.
2
Security controls should be implemented and layered according to the principle of defense-in-depth.
3
Security controls should be applied consistently across all areas of the enterprise.
4
The implementation of controls should be iterative, continuously maturing across the dimensions of improved effectiveness, increased auditability, and decreased friction.
1
Access should be limited to only those with a legitimate business need and granted based on the principle of least privilege.
2
Security controls should be implemented and layered according to the principle of defense-in-depth.
3
Security controls should be applied consistently across all areas of the enterprise.
4
The implementation of controls should be iterative, continuously maturing across the dimensions of improved effectiveness, increased auditability, and decreased friction.
Data Protection
large key with contracts

Data at rest

All datastores with customer data, in addition to S3 buckets, are encrypted at rest. Sensitive collections and tables also use row-level encryption.This means the data is encrypted even before it hits the database so that neither physical access, nor logical access to the database, is enough to read the most sensitive information.

Data in transit

Walter uses TLS 1.2 or higher everywhere data is transmitted over potentially insecure networks. We also use features such as HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) to maximize the security of our data in transit. Server TLS keys and certificates are managed by AWS and Cloudflare and deployed via Application Load Balancers.

Secret management

Encryption keys are managed via AWS Key Management System (KMS). KMS stores key material in Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), which prevents direct access by any individuals, including employees of Amazon and Walter. The keys stored in HSMs are used for encryption and decryption via Amazon’s KMS APIs.

Application secrets are encrypted and stored securely via AWS Secrets Manager and Parameter Store, and access to these values is strictly limited.

Product Security
security guards next to a giant lock

Penetration testing

Walter engages with independent, Government of Canada approved penetration testing consulting firms in the industry at least annually.

All areas of the Walter product and cloud infrastructure are in-scope for these assessments, and source code is fully available to the testers in order to maximize the effectiveness and coverage.

Vulnerability scanning

Walter requires vulnerability scanning at key stages of our Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC):

Static analysis (SAST) testing of code during pull requests and on an ongoing basis

Software composition analysis (SCA) to identify known vulnerabilities in our software supply chain

Malicious dependency scanning to prevent the introduction of malware into our software supply chain

Security issue reporting

If you discover a security vulnerability in Walter or want to report a security issue, please send an email to it+security@getwalter.com.

Enterprise Security
security cameras

Endpoint protection

All corporate devices are centrally managed and are equipped with mobile device management software and anti-malware protection. Endpoint security alerts are monitored with 24/7/365 coverage. We use MDM software to enforce secure configuration of endpoints, such as disk encryption, screen lock configuration, and software updates.

Vendor security

Walter uses a risk-based approach to vendor security. Factors which influence the inherent risk rating of a vendor include:

Access to customer and corporate data

Integration with production environments

Potential damage to the Walter brand

Once the inherent risk rating has been determined, the security of the vendor is evaluated in order to determine a residual risk rating and an approval decision for the vendor.

Secure remote access

Walter secures remote access to production resources using state of the art Amazon Web Services Remote Access technology that has undergone extensive testing and independent audit.

Security education

Walter provides comprehensive security training to all employees upon onboarding and annually through educational modules within Vanta’s platform. In addition, all new employees attend a mandatory live onboarding session centered around key security principles.

All new engineers also attend a mandatory live onboarding session focused on secure coding principles and practices. Walter's security team shares regular threat briefings with employees to inform them of important security and safety-related updates that require special attention or action.

Identity and access management

Walter uses Okta to secure our identity and access management. We enforce the use of phishing-resistant authentication factors, using hardware backed, phishing resistant authenticators exclusively wherever possible.

Walter employees are granted access to applications based on their role, and automatically deprovisioned upon termination of their employment. Further access must be approved according to the policies set for each application.

Reporting a security issue

Walter uses Okta to secure our identity and access management. We enforce the use of phishing-resistant authentication factors, using hardware backed, phishing resistant authenticators exclusively wherever possible.

Walter employees are granted access to applications based on their role, and automatically deprovisioned upon termination of their employment. Further access must be approved according to the policies set for each application.

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