home / skills / jeremylongshore / claude-code-plugins-plus-skills / evernote-security-basics

This skill helps harden Evernote integrations by guiding secure credential handling, OAuth protection, and secure coding patterns.

npx playbooks add skill jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills --skill evernote-security-basics

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
14.1 KB
---
name: evernote-security-basics
description: |
  Implement security best practices for Evernote integrations.
  Use when securing API credentials, implementing OAuth securely,
  or hardening Evernote integrations.
  Trigger with phrases like "evernote security", "secure evernote",
  "evernote credentials", "evernote oauth security".
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Grep
version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
author: Jeremy Longshore <[email protected]>
---

# Evernote Security Basics

## Overview

Security best practices for Evernote API integrations, covering credential management, OAuth implementation, data protection, and secure coding patterns.

## Prerequisites

- Evernote SDK setup
- Understanding of OAuth 1.0a
- Basic security concepts

## Credential Security

### Step 1: Environment Variables

```bash
# .env (NEVER commit this file)
EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_KEY=your-consumer-key
EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_SECRET=your-consumer-secret
EVERNOTE_SANDBOX=true

# .gitignore
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
*.pem
*.key
```

```javascript
// config/evernote.js
require('dotenv').config();

const config = {
  consumerKey: process.env.EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_KEY,
  consumerSecret: process.env.EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_SECRET,
  sandbox: process.env.EVERNOTE_SANDBOX === 'true'
};

// Validate required credentials at startup
const required = ['consumerKey', 'consumerSecret'];
for (const key of required) {
  if (!config[key]) {
    throw new Error(`Missing required config: ${key}`);
  }
}

module.exports = Object.freeze(config);
```

### Step 2: Secret Manager Integration

```javascript
// For production, use a secret manager

// AWS Secrets Manager
const { SecretsManagerClient, GetSecretValueCommand } = require('@aws-sdk/client-secrets-manager');

async function getEvernoteSecrets() {
  const client = new SecretsManagerClient({ region: 'us-east-1' });

  const response = await client.send(
    new GetSecretValueCommand({
      SecretId: 'evernote/api-credentials'
    })
  );

  return JSON.parse(response.SecretString);
}

// Google Secret Manager
const { SecretManagerServiceClient } = require('@google-cloud/secret-manager');

async function getSecretFromGCP(secretName) {
  const client = new SecretManagerServiceClient();
  const [version] = await client.accessSecretVersion({
    name: `projects/my-project/secrets/${secretName}/versions/latest`
  });
  return version.payload.data.toString('utf8');
}
```

### Step 3: Secure Token Storage

```javascript
// services/token-store.js

/**
 * Never store tokens in:
 * - Plain text files
 * - Client-side storage (localStorage, cookies without httpOnly)
 * - Source code
 * - Log files
 */

class SecureTokenStore {
  constructor(encryptionKey) {
    this.crypto = require('crypto');
    this.algorithm = 'aes-256-gcm';
    this.key = this.deriveKey(encryptionKey);
  }

  deriveKey(password) {
    return this.crypto.scryptSync(password, 'salt', 32);
  }

  encrypt(token) {
    const iv = this.crypto.randomBytes(16);
    const cipher = this.crypto.createCipheriv(this.algorithm, this.key, iv);

    let encrypted = cipher.update(token, 'utf8', 'hex');
    encrypted += cipher.final('hex');

    const authTag = cipher.getAuthTag();

    return {
      encrypted,
      iv: iv.toString('hex'),
      authTag: authTag.toString('hex')
    };
  }

  decrypt(encryptedData) {
    const decipher = this.crypto.createDecipheriv(
      this.algorithm,
      this.key,
      Buffer.from(encryptedData.iv, 'hex')
    );

    decipher.setAuthTag(Buffer.from(encryptedData.authTag, 'hex'));

    let decrypted = decipher.update(encryptedData.encrypted, 'hex', 'utf8');
    decrypted += decipher.final('utf8');

    return decrypted;
  }
}

module.exports = SecureTokenStore;
```

## OAuth Security

### Step 4: Secure OAuth Implementation

```javascript
// routes/oauth.js
const express = require('express');
const Evernote = require('evernote');
const crypto = require('crypto');

const router = express.Router();

// Generate CSRF token
function generateCSRFToken() {
  return crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex');
}

// Initiate OAuth with CSRF protection
router.get('/auth/evernote', (req, res) => {
  // Generate and store CSRF token
  const csrfToken = generateCSRFToken();
  req.session.csrfToken = csrfToken;

  const client = new Evernote.Client({
    consumerKey: process.env.EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_KEY,
    consumerSecret: process.env.EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_SECRET,
    sandbox: process.env.EVERNOTE_SANDBOX === 'true'
  });

  // Include CSRF token in callback URL
  const callbackUrl = `${process.env.APP_URL}/auth/evernote/callback?csrf=${csrfToken}`;

  client.getRequestToken(callbackUrl, (error, oauthToken, oauthTokenSecret) => {
    if (error) {
      console.error('OAuth request token error:', error);
      return res.status(500).json({ error: 'Failed to initiate authentication' });
    }

    // Store tokens securely in session
    req.session.oauthToken = oauthToken;
    req.session.oauthTokenSecret = oauthTokenSecret;
    req.session.oauthTimestamp = Date.now();

    res.redirect(client.getAuthorizeUrl(oauthToken));
  });
});

// Handle OAuth callback with validation
router.get('/auth/evernote/callback', (req, res) => {
  // Validate CSRF token
  if (req.query.csrf !== req.session.csrfToken) {
    return res.status(403).json({ error: 'Invalid CSRF token' });
  }

  // Check OAuth request timeout (5 minutes)
  const timeout = 5 * 60 * 1000;
  if (Date.now() - req.session.oauthTimestamp > timeout) {
    return res.status(400).json({ error: 'OAuth request expired' });
  }

  // Validate required parameters
  if (!req.query.oauth_verifier) {
    return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Missing oauth_verifier' });
  }

  const client = new Evernote.Client({
    consumerKey: process.env.EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_KEY,
    consumerSecret: process.env.EVERNOTE_CONSUMER_SECRET,
    sandbox: process.env.EVERNOTE_SANDBOX === 'true'
  });

  client.getAccessToken(
    req.session.oauthToken,
    req.session.oauthTokenSecret,
    req.query.oauth_verifier,
    (error, accessToken, accessTokenSecret, results) => {
      if (error) {
        console.error('OAuth access token error:', error);
        return res.status(500).json({ error: 'Failed to complete authentication' });
      }

      // Clear OAuth session data
      delete req.session.oauthToken;
      delete req.session.oauthTokenSecret;
      delete req.session.oauthTimestamp;
      delete req.session.csrfToken;

      // Store access token securely
      // DO NOT log the token
      req.session.evernoteToken = accessToken;
      req.session.evernoteExpires = parseInt(results.edam_expires);

      res.redirect('/dashboard');
    }
  );
});

module.exports = router;
```

### Step 5: Session Security

```javascript
// config/session.js
const session = require('express-session');
const RedisStore = require('connect-redis').default;
const { createClient } = require('redis');

const redisClient = createClient({
  url: process.env.REDIS_URL
});

redisClient.connect().catch(console.error);

module.exports = session({
  store: new RedisStore({ client: redisClient }),
  secret: process.env.SESSION_SECRET,
  name: 'sessionId', // Don't use default 'connect.sid'
  resave: false,
  saveUninitialized: false,
  cookie: {
    secure: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production', // HTTPS only in production
    httpOnly: true, // Prevent XSS access
    sameSite: 'lax', // CSRF protection
    maxAge: 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000 // 24 hours
  }
});
```

## Input Validation

### Step 6: Validate User Input

```javascript
// utils/validators.js

const validator = {
  /**
   * Validate note title
   */
  noteTitle(title) {
    if (!title || typeof title !== 'string') {
      throw new Error('Note title is required');
    }

    // Max 255 characters
    if (title.length > 255) {
      throw new Error('Note title must be 255 characters or less');
    }

    // No control characters
    if (/[\x00-\x1f]/.test(title)) {
      throw new Error('Note title contains invalid characters');
    }

    return title.trim();
  },

  /**
   * Validate notebook name
   */
  notebookName(name) {
    if (!name || typeof name !== 'string') {
      throw new Error('Notebook name is required');
    }

    if (name.length > 100) {
      throw new Error('Notebook name must be 100 characters or less');
    }

    return name.trim();
  },

  /**
   * Validate tag name
   */
  tagName(name) {
    if (!name || typeof name !== 'string') {
      throw new Error('Tag name is required');
    }

    if (name.length > 100) {
      throw new Error('Tag name must be 100 characters or less');
    }

    // Tags cannot start with #
    if (name.startsWith('#')) {
      throw new Error('Tag name cannot start with #');
    }

    return name.trim();
  },

  /**
   * Validate GUID format
   */
  guid(guid) {
    if (!guid || typeof guid !== 'string') {
      throw new Error('GUID is required');
    }

    // Evernote GUIDs are typically UUID format
    const guidPattern = /^[a-f0-9-]{36}$/i;
    if (!guidPattern.test(guid)) {
      throw new Error('Invalid GUID format');
    }

    return guid;
  },

  /**
   * Sanitize ENML content
   */
  enmlContent(content) {
    if (!content || typeof content !== 'string') {
      throw new Error('Content is required');
    }

    // Remove potentially dangerous elements
    let sanitized = content
      .replace(/<script[^>]*>[\s\S]*?<\/script>/gi, '')
      .replace(/<iframe[^>]*>[\s\S]*?<\/iframe>/gi, '')
      .replace(/<object[^>]*>[\s\S]*?<\/object>/gi, '')
      .replace(/<embed[^>]*>/gi, '')
      .replace(/<form[^>]*>[\s\S]*?<\/form>/gi, '');

    // Remove event handlers
    sanitized = sanitized.replace(/\s+on\w+\s*=\s*["'][^"']*["']/gi, '');

    // Remove javascript: URLs
    sanitized = sanitized.replace(/javascript:/gi, '');

    return sanitized;
  }
};

module.exports = validator;
```

### Step 7: Secure Logging

```javascript
// utils/secure-logger.js

class SecureLogger {
  constructor() {
    this.sensitivePatterns = [
      /S=s\d+:U=[^:]+:[^:]+:[a-f0-9]+/gi, // Evernote tokens
      /oauth_token=[^&]+/gi,
      /oauth_token_secret=[^&]+/gi,
      /consumer_secret=[^&]+/gi,
      /password=[^&]+/gi,
      /api_key=[^&]+/gi
    ];
  }

  sanitize(data) {
    if (typeof data === 'string') {
      let sanitized = data;
      for (const pattern of this.sensitivePatterns) {
        sanitized = sanitized.replace(pattern, '[REDACTED]');
      }
      return sanitized;
    }

    if (typeof data === 'object' && data !== null) {
      const sanitized = Array.isArray(data) ? [] : {};

      for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(data)) {
        const lowerKey = key.toLowerCase();

        if (lowerKey.includes('token') ||
            lowerKey.includes('secret') ||
            lowerKey.includes('password') ||
            lowerKey.includes('key')) {
          sanitized[key] = '[REDACTED]';
        } else {
          sanitized[key] = this.sanitize(value);
        }
      }

      return sanitized;
    }

    return data;
  }

  log(level, message, data = null) {
    const entry = {
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      level,
      message,
      data: data ? this.sanitize(data) : undefined
    };

    console[level === 'error' ? 'error' : 'log'](JSON.stringify(entry));
  }

  info(message, data) {
    this.log('info', message, data);
  }

  error(message, data) {
    this.log('error', message, data);
  }

  warn(message, data) {
    this.log('warn', message, data);
  }
}

module.exports = new SecureLogger();
```

## Token Lifecycle

### Step 8: Token Expiration Handling

```javascript
// services/token-manager.js

class TokenManager {
  constructor(options = {}) {
    this.refreshThresholdDays = options.refreshThresholdDays || 30;
  }

  /**
   * Check if token needs refresh (approaching expiration)
   */
  needsRefresh(expirationTimestamp) {
    const now = Date.now();
    const expiresAt = expirationTimestamp;
    const thresholdMs = this.refreshThresholdDays * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;

    return (expiresAt - now) < thresholdMs;
  }

  /**
   * Check if token is expired
   */
  isExpired(expirationTimestamp) {
    return Date.now() > expirationTimestamp;
  }

  /**
   * Calculate days until expiration
   */
  daysUntilExpiration(expirationTimestamp) {
    const ms = expirationTimestamp - Date.now();
    return Math.floor(ms / (24 * 60 * 60 * 1000));
  }

  /**
   * Token status summary
   */
  getStatus(expirationTimestamp) {
    const daysLeft = this.daysUntilExpiration(expirationTimestamp);

    return {
      expiresAt: new Date(expirationTimestamp),
      daysUntilExpiration: daysLeft,
      isExpired: this.isExpired(expirationTimestamp),
      needsRefresh: this.needsRefresh(expirationTimestamp),
      status: this.isExpired(expirationTimestamp) ? 'EXPIRED' :
              daysLeft < 7 ? 'CRITICAL' :
              daysLeft < 30 ? 'WARNING' : 'OK'
    };
  }
}

module.exports = TokenManager;
```

## Security Checklist

```markdown
## Pre-Production Security Checklist

### Credentials
- [ ] API keys stored in environment variables or secret manager
- [ ] No credentials in source code
- [ ] .env files in .gitignore
- [ ] Different credentials for dev/staging/production

### OAuth
- [ ] CSRF protection implemented
- [ ] OAuth state parameter validated
- [ ] Request token timeout enforced
- [ ] Secure session storage (Redis, database)

### Sessions
- [ ] HttpOnly cookies enabled
- [ ] Secure flag enabled in production
- [ ] SameSite attribute set
- [ ] Session timeout configured

### Data Protection
- [ ] Tokens encrypted at rest
- [ ] Sensitive data not logged
- [ ] Input validation on all user data
- [ ] ENML content sanitized

### Transport
- [ ] HTTPS enforced in production
- [ ] TLS 1.2+ required
- [ ] Certificate validation enabled

### Error Handling
- [ ] No sensitive data in error messages
- [ ] Generic error messages to users
- [ ] Detailed errors only in secure logs
```

## Output

- Secure credential management
- CSRF-protected OAuth flow
- Encrypted token storage
- Input validation utilities
- Secure logging with data redaction
- Token lifecycle management

## Resources

- [OAuth Documentation](https://dev.evernote.com/doc/articles/authentication.php)
- [API Key Permissions](https://dev.evernote.com/doc/articles/permissions.php)
- [OWASP Security Guidelines](https://owasp.org/www-project-web-security-testing-guide/)

## Next Steps

For production deployment checklist, see `evernote-prod-checklist`.

Overview

This skill provides practical security best practices for Evernote API integrations, focusing on credential management, OAuth flows, token lifecycle, and safe data handling. It distills concrete patterns you can apply immediately to reduce credential exposure and harden your integration. The guidance is implementation-focused and compatible with typical Node.js and Python backends.

How this skill works

The skill inspects common integration points and prescribes secure patterns: environment or secret-manager storage for API keys, encrypted token storage, CSRF-protected OAuth flows, and session hardening. It provides validators and sanitizers for ENML and note metadata, a secure logging pattern that redacts secrets, and token lifecycle utilities to detect expiration and refresh needs. Use these components to replace insecure defaults and to enforce runtime validation and telemetry hygiene.

When to use it

  • When storing or retrieving Evernote API credentials in development or production.
  • When implementing OAuth 1.0a flows and you need CSRF, state, and timeout protections.
  • When persisting access tokens and you must encrypt tokens at rest and avoid client-side leaks.
  • When validating user-supplied note content, titles, tags, or GUIDs before calling the API.
  • When setting up session management and secure cookies for dashboard or multi-user apps.

Best practices

  • Keep credentials out of source control: use environment variables or a managed secret store (AWS/GCP/Azure).
  • Implement CSRF/state protection and enforce a short request-token timeout during OAuth flows.
  • Encrypt tokens at rest with a vetted algorithm and never log raw credentials or tokens.
  • Use HttpOnly, Secure, and SameSite cookie attributes; store sessions in a server-side store such as Redis.
  • Sanitize ENML and validate all user inputs (titles, tags, GUIDs) to prevent injection and malformed requests.

Example use cases

  • A web app adding Evernote sync: secure OAuth initiation, CSRF tokens, and encrypted server-side token store.
  • A backend microservice that creates notes: validate titles and ENML, and use secure logger to redact tokens.
  • CI/CD pipeline: ensure .env files are excluded, and deploy with secrets pulled from AWS Secrets Manager.
  • Multi-tenant dashboard: use Redis-backed sessions with rotating session secrets and same-site cookies.
  • Maintenance script that checks token health and triggers refresh when tokens approach expiry.

FAQ

Can I store Evernote consumer keys in environment variables?

Yes — environment variables are fine for dev; use a managed secret manager in production and never commit .env files.

How should I handle token expiration?

Track token expiry timestamps, use a refresh threshold (e.g., 30 days) to preemptively refresh, and mark expired tokens as invalid.