Enterprise-Grade Security

Your Data is Safe with Checkmate

We take the security and privacy of student data, teacher credentials, and school information seriously. Here's how we protect everything.

COPPA

COPPA Compliant

Checkmate is fully compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We collect only the minimum data necessary for educational purposes. Student accounts are created through teacher-issued class codes — never independently. We do not collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental or school consent, and we never sell, share, or use student data for advertising or marketing purposes.

256-bit TLS

Encrypted in Transit

Bcrypt Hashed

Passwords & Credentials

Encrypted at Rest

Database & Tokens

Role-Based Access

Strict Permissions

Student Data Protection

Minimal Data Collection

We only collect what's needed: name, date of birth, and email. No social media profiles, no tracking cookies, no behavioral analytics. Student data is used exclusively for educational purposes.

Passwords are Never Stored

Student passwords are hashed using bcrypt with unique salts. Even we can't see them. The original password is irreversibly transformed — it can only be verified, never retrieved.

Students Can Only See Their Own Data

Every request is verified server-side. Students can only access their own submissions, grades, and assignments. They cannot view other students' work or personal information.

Teacher-Controlled Access

Students can only join a class with a teacher-issued code. There's no open registration — teachers control exactly who enters their classroom.

Teacher & Admin Security

Secure Session Management

Teacher and admin sessions use cryptographically random tokens stored in HTTP-only, secure cookies. Sessions can't be accessed by JavaScript, can't be stolen via XSS attacks, and are only sent over HTTPS in production. Sessions automatically expire and are invalidated on logout.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Every user has a specific role that determines exactly what they can access. Permissions are enforced on the server — not the browser.

Org Owner

Full org control

Org Admin

Admin access

Dept. Head

Department level

Teacher

Class management

TA

Assist teachers

Student

Own data only

Organization Data Isolation

Each school's data is completely isolated. Teachers can only access their own classes. Organization admins can only see their own organization. Even Checkmate platform administrators cannot access private organization data — your school stays in your control.

PowerSchool Integration Security

We Never See PowerSchool Passwords

Checkmate uses OAuth 2.0 to connect to PowerSchool. Teachers log in to PowerSchool directly — their credentials are never sent to or stored by Checkmate. We only receive a limited-scope access token.

Teacher → PowerSchool Login → OAuth Token → Checkmate (encrypted storage)

Token Encryption

OAuth access and refresh tokens are stored encrypted in the database. They cannot be read without the encryption key. Teachers can revoke access at any time.

Scope Limitations

The integration only requests the minimum permissions needed to release grades. It cannot modify student records, change schedules, or access data beyond what's necessary.

CSRF Protection

The OAuth flow includes a state parameter that prevents cross-site request forgery attacks. Redirect URIs are strictly validated.

Secure API Gateway

All communication with PowerSchool goes through an encrypted API gateway. Traffic is encrypted both ways using TLS. No direct browser-to-PowerSchool communication.

Infrastructure & Technical Security

Encryption Everywhere

  • In transit: All traffic uses HTTPS/TLS encryption. Cookies are marked Secure and HttpOnly.
  • At rest: Database connections use SSL/TLS. Sensitive tokens are encrypted before storage.
  • Passwords: Bcrypt with cost factor 10 — adaptive, salted, and irreversible.

SQL Injection Prevention

We use Prisma ORM with parameterized queries. User input is never concatenated into SQL statements, making SQL injection attacks impossible.

Rate Limiting & Abuse Protection

AI-powered features are rate-limited to prevent abuse. Requests are tracked per-user with sliding window throttling. Excessive requests are queued gracefully rather than rejected.

Audit Logging

Every authentication event, permission change, and administrative action is logged with timestamps, user IDs, and IP addresses. Logs are searchable and retained for compliance purposes.

No Secrets in Code

Database credentials, API keys, and OAuth secrets are stored as environment variables — never hardcoded. The application runs in isolated Docker containers with minimal attack surface.

COPPA Compliance Details

No Direct Child Registration

Students cannot create accounts independently. They must use a teacher-issued class code, ensuring school consent is in place before any data is collected.

Data Minimization

We only collect information necessary for the educational service: name, date of birth, and email. No photos, locations, social profiles, or unnecessary personal details.

No Advertising or Marketing

Student data is never used for advertising, marketing, or profiling. There are no third-party ad trackers, no behavioral targeting, and no data sales — ever.

School Acts as Agent of Consent

Under COPPA's school exception, schools can consent on behalf of parents for educational services. Teachers and administrators control student account creation and data access.

Data Deletion Rights

Schools and parents can request deletion of a student's personal information at any time. We will promptly remove all associated data from our systems.

Secure Data Handling

All student data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Access is restricted by role-based permissions. We maintain comprehensive audit logs for accountability.

Security at a Glance

Authentication

Secure sessions, bcrypt passwords, HTTP-only cookies, automatic expiration

Authorization

Role-based access, data isolation, server-side enforcement, audit logs

Compliance

COPPA compliant, data minimization, no ads, school-controlled consent

Have security questions?

We're happy to answer any questions about how we protect your school's data.

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