Security hardening: 12 improvements across the stack

1. env.ts: APP_KEY placeholder detection with validation
2. schema.prisma: password column widened to varchar(255) for argon2id
3. auth.ts: trustHost restricted to development only
4. next.config.ts: added CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and other security headers
5. api.ts: CORS restricted to APP_URL instead of wildcard
6. register-form.tsx: migrated from REST API fetch to server action (useActionState)
7. twofactor.ts + 2fa page: TOTP recovery codes (8 one-time codes, generated and displayed)
8. register.ts: password min length 8 + complexity requirements (upper, lower, digit)
9. register.ts + help-tickets.ts + radio-shouts.ts: Zod schema validation
10. rate-limit.ts: improved periodic cleanup with aggressive eviction at 10k buckets
11. guard.ts + admin actions: rate-limited admin actions (30 req/min per staff)
12. help-tickets.ts + radio-shouts.ts: content moderation via moderateOrThrow

next.config.ts

@@ -1,17 +1,54 @@
 import type { NextConfig } from "next";
 import createNextIntlPlugin from "next-intl/plugin";
 
+const securityHeaders = [
+  { key: "X-DNS-Prefetch-Control", value: "on" },
+  { key: "Strict-Transport-Security", value: "max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload" },
+  { key: "X-Frame-Options", value: "DENY" },
+  { key: "X-Content-Type-Options", value: "nosniff" },
+  { key: "Referrer-Policy", value: "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" },
+  {
+    key: "Permissions-Policy",
+    value: "camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=(), interest-cohort=()",
+  },
+  {
+    key: "Content-Security-Policy",
+    value: [
+      "default-src 'self'",
+      "script-src 'self' 'unsafe-eval' 'unsafe-inline' https://challenges.cloudflare.com https://www.google.com/recaptcha/ https://www.gstatic.com/recaptcha/",
+      "style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'",
+      "img-src 'self' data: blob: https:",
+      "frame-src 'self' https://challenges.cloudflare.com https://www.google.com/recaptcha/",
+      "connect-src 'self' https: wss:",
+      "font-src 'self' data:",
+      "object-src 'none'",
+      "base-uri 'self'",
+      "form-action 'self'",
+    ].join("; "),
+  },
+];
+
 const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
   // This app lives inside the Laravel repo tree (which has its own lockfiles);
   // pin the Turbopack root so Next doesn't infer a parent directory.
   turbopack: { root: import.meta.dirname },
+  
   // Prisma + the MariaDB driver adapter are native/server-only — keep them out
   // of the bundle (same approach as the habbo-next reference).
   serverExternalPackages: ["@prisma/adapter-mariadb", "mariadb", "@prisma/client"],
+
+  async headers() {
+    return [
+      {
+        source: "/(.*)",
+        headers: securityHeaders,
+      },
+    ];
+  },
 };
 
 // next-intl WITHOUT i18n routing — locale comes from the NEXT_LOCALE cookie via
 // src/i18n/request.ts, so URLs and the access-guard middleware stay unchanged.
 const withNextIntl = createNextIntlPlugin("./src/i18n/request.ts");
 
-export default withNextIntl(nextConfig);
+export default withNextIntl(nextConfig);

prisma/schema.prisma

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ model User {
   id                Int          @id @default(autoincrement())
   username          String       @unique(map: "username") @db.VarChar(25)
   realName          String       @default("KREWS DEV") @map("real_name") @db.VarChar(25)
-  password          String       @db.VarChar(64)
+  password          String       @db.VarChar(255)
   mail              String?      @db.VarChar(500)
   mailVerified      String       @default("0") @map("mail_verified")
   accountCreated    Int          @map("account_created")

src/actions/admin-bans.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use server";
 
 import { revalidatePath } from "next/cache";
-import { requireStaff } from "@/lib/admin/guard";
+import { requireStaffRateLimited as requireStaff } from "@/lib/admin/guard";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
 import { rcon } from "@/lib/services/rcon";
 import { logStaffActivity } from "@/lib/services/staff-activity";

src/actions/admin-settings.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use server";
 
 import { revalidatePath } from "next/cache";
-import { requireStaff } from "@/lib/admin/guard";
+import { requireStaffRateLimited as requireStaff } from "@/lib/admin/guard";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
 import { siteSettings } from "@/lib/services/site-settings";
 

src/actions/admin-users.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use server";
 
 import { revalidatePath } from "next/cache";
-import { requireStaff } from "@/lib/admin/guard";
+import { requireStaff, requireStaffRateLimited } from "@/lib/admin/guard";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
 import { rcon } from "@/lib/services/rcon";
 import { type CurrencyName, sendCurrency } from "@/lib/services/send-currency";
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { logStaffActivity } from "@/lib/services/staff-activity";
 const CURRENCIES: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set(["credits", "duckets", "diamonds", "points"]);
 
 export async function giveCurrency(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
-  const staff = await requireStaff();
+  const staff = await requireStaffRateLimited();
   const userId = Number(formData.get("userId"));
   const type = String(formData.get("type"));
   const amount = Number(formData.get("amount"));
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export async function setMotto(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
 }
 
 export async function setRank(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
-  const staff = await requireStaff();
+  const staff = await requireStaffRateLimited();
   const userId = Number(formData.get("userId"));
   const rank = Number(formData.get("rank"));
   if (userId > 0 && rank > 0) {

src/actions/help-tickets.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 "use server";
 
 import { revalidatePath } from "next/cache";
+import { z } from "zod";
 import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
+import { moderateOrThrow } from "@/lib/services/moderation";
+import { clientIp, rateLimit } from "@/lib/rate-limit";
+
+const ticketSchema = z.object({
+  title: z.string().min(1, "Title is required").max(255),
+  content: z.string().min(1, "Content is required").max(5000),
+});
 
 export async function createTicket(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
   // Re-read the session user id server-side; never trust a form-supplied id.
@@ -10,9 +18,25 @@ export async function createTicket(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
   const userId = Number(session?.user?.id);
   if (!Number.isInteger(userId) || userId <= 0) return;
 
-  const title = String(formData.get("title") ?? "").trim().slice(0, 255);
+  const ip = await clientIp();
-  const content = String(formData.get("content") ?? "").trim().slice(0, 5000);
+  if (!rateLimit(`ticket:${userId}`, 3, 60_000).ok) return;
-  if (!title || !content) return;
+
+  const raw = {
+    title: String(formData.get("title") ?? "").trim().slice(0, 255),
+    content: String(formData.get("content") ?? "").trim().slice(0, 5000),
+  };
+
+  const parsed = ticketSchema.safeParse(raw);
+  if (!parsed.success) return;
+
+  const { title, content } = parsed.data;
+
+  // Moderation check
+  try {
+    await moderateOrThrow(`${title} ${content}`);
+  } catch {
+    return;
+  }
 
   const now = new Date();
   await prisma.websiteHelpCenterTickets.create({

src/actions/radio-shouts.ts

@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 "use server";
 
 import { revalidatePath } from "next/cache";
+import { z } from "zod";
 import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
+import { moderateOrThrow } from "@/lib/services/moderation";
+import { clientIp, rateLimit } from "@/lib/rate-limit";
 
-// radio_shouts.message is TEXT, but cap the write to keep shouts tweet-sized.
+const shoutSchema = z.object({
-const MESSAGE_MAX = 255;
+  message: z.string().min(1, "Message is required").max(255),
+});
 
 /**
  * Post a radio shout.
@@ -20,10 +24,24 @@ export async function postShout(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
   const userId = Number(session?.user?.id);
   if (!Number.isInteger(userId) || userId <= 0) return;
 
-  const message = String(formData.get("message") ?? "")
+  const ip = await clientIp();
-    .trim()
+  if (!rateLimit(`shout:${userId}`, 5, 30_000).ok) return;
-    .slice(0, MESSAGE_MAX);
+
-  if (!message) return;
+  const raw = {
+    message: String(formData.get("message") ?? "").trim().slice(0, 255),
+  };
+
+  const parsed = shoutSchema.safeParse(raw);
+  if (!parsed.success) return;
+
+  const { message } = parsed.data;
+
+  // Moderation check
+  try {
+    await moderateOrThrow(message);
+  } catch {
+    return;
+  }
 
   const now = new Date();
   try {

src/actions/register.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 "use server";
 
 import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
+import { z } from "zod";
 import { sendVerification } from "@/actions/email-verify";
 import { hashPassword } from "@/lib/auth/password";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
@@ -9,95 +10,101 @@ import { captchaConfig, verifyCaptcha } from "@/lib/services/captcha";
 import { checkVpn } from "@/lib/services/ip-lookup";
 import { siteSettings } from "@/lib/services/site-settings";
 
-const USERNAME_RE = /^[A-Za-z0-9_\-=?!@:.,]{3,25}$/;
+const registerSchema = z.object({
-const EMAIL_RE = /^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$/;
+  username: z
+    .string()
+    .min(3, "Username must be at least 3 characters")
+    .max(25, "Username must be at most 25 characters")
+    .regex(/^[A-Za-z0-9_\-=?!@:.,]+$/, "Username contains invalid characters"),
+  mail: z.string().email("Enter a valid email address"),
+  password: z
+    .string()
+    .min(8, "Password must be at least 8 characters")
+    .regex(/[A-Z]/, "Password must contain at least one uppercase letter")
+    .regex(/[a-z]/, "Password must contain at least one lowercase letter")
+    .regex(/[0-9]/, "Password must contain at least one digit"),
+  look: z.string().optional(),
+});
+
 // A valid starter Habbo figure so the avatar renders in-client immediately.
 const DEFAULT_LOOK = "hr-100-.hd-180-1.ch-255-66.lg-280-110.sh-305-62";
 
-export async function register(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
+export async function register(prevState: string | null, formData: FormData): Promise<string | null> {
-  const username = String(formData.get("username") ?? "").trim();
+  const raw = {
-  const mail = String(formData.get("mail") ?? "").trim().toLowerCase();
+    username: String(formData.get("username") ?? "").trim(),
-  const password = String(formData.get("password") ?? "");
+    mail: String(formData.get("mail") ?? "").trim().toLowerCase(),
+    password: String(formData.get("password") ?? ""),
+    look: String(formData.get("look") ?? "").trim() || DEFAULT_LOOK,
+  };
 
+  const parsed = registerSchema.safeParse(raw);
+  if (!parsed.success) {
+    return parsed.error.errors[0]?.message ?? "Invalid input";
+  }
+
+  const { username, mail, password, look } = parsed.data;
   const ip = await clientIp();
 
-  let error: string | null = null;
-  if (!USERNAME_RE.test(username)) error = "Username must be 3-25 valid characters";
-  else if (password.length < 6) error = "Password must be at least 6 characters";
-  else if (!EMAIL_RE.test(mail)) error = "Enter a valid email address";
-
   // Throttle sign-ups per IP (5 per 10 minutes) to curb account spam.
-  if (!error && !rateLimit(`register:${ip}`, 5, 10 * 60_000).ok) {
+  if (!rateLimit(`register:${ip}`, 5, 10 * 60_000).ok) {
-    error = "Too many sign-up attempts. Please wait a few minutes and try again.";
+    return "Too many sign-up attempts. Please wait a few minutes and try again.";
   }
 
   // CAPTCHA (Turnstile / reCAPTCHA) — only enforced when configured in settings.
-  if (!error) {
+  const cfg = await captchaConfig();
-    const cfg = await captchaConfig();
+  if (cfg.provider !== "none") {
-    if (cfg.provider !== "none") {
+    const token = String(formData.get(cfg.field) ?? "");
-      const token = String(formData.get(cfg.field) ?? "");
+    if (!(await verifyCaptcha(token, ip))) return "Captcha verification failed. Please try again.";
-      if (!(await verifyCaptcha(token, ip))) error = "Captcha verification failed. Please try again.";
-    }
   }
 
   // VPN/proxy block (only when enabled in /admin/vpn).
-  if (!error && (await checkVpn(ip)).blocked) {
+  if ((await checkVpn(ip)).blocked) {
-    error =
+    return (
-      (await siteSettings.get("vpn_block_message", "")) ||
+      await siteSettings.get("vpn_block_message", "")
-      "Registrations from VPN/proxy connections are not allowed.";
+    ) || "Registrations from VPN/proxy connections are not allowed.";
   }
 
   // Max accounts per IP (0 / unset = unlimited), mirrors AtomCMS.
-  if (!error) {
+  const max = Number(await siteSettings.get("max_accounts_per_ip", "0")) || 0;
-    const max = Number(await siteSettings.get("max_accounts_per_ip", "0")) || 0;
+  if (max > 0) {
-    if (max > 0) {
+    const count = await prisma.user.count({ where: { ipRegister: ip } }).catch(() => 0);
-      const count = await prisma.user.count({ where: { ipRegister: ip } }).catch(() => 0);
+    if (count >= max) return "You have reached the maximum number of accounts for your connection.";
-      if (count >= max) error = "You have reached the maximum number of accounts for your connection.";
-    }
   }
 
-  // Uniqueness check (kept out of the success path's try so NEXT_REDIRECT propagates).
+  // Uniqueness check.
-  if (!error) {
+  try {
+    const existing = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+      where: { username },
+      select: { id: true },
+    });
+    if (existing) return "That username is already taken";
+  } catch {
+    return "Registration is temporarily unavailable";
+  }
+
+  const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
+  try {
+    const created = await prisma.user.create({
+      data: {
+        username,
+        password: await hashPassword(password),
+        mail,
+        accountCreated: now,
+        ipRegister: ip,
+        ipCurrent: ip,
+        look,
+      },
+      select: { id: true },
+    });
+
     try {
-      const existing = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+      await sendVerification(created.id, mail);
-        where: { username },
-        select: { id: true },
-      });
-      if (existing) error = "That username is already taken";
     } catch {
-      error = "Registration is temporarily unavailable";
+      // No-op: account is created; user can request a new link later.
     }
+  } catch {
+    return "Could not create the account (is the username unique?)";
   }
 
-  if (!error) {
-    const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
-    try {
-      const created = await prisma.user.create({
-        data: {
-          username,
-          password: await hashPassword(password),
-          mail,
-          accountCreated: now,
-          ipRegister: ip,
-          ipCurrent: ip,
-          look: DEFAULT_LOOK,
-        },
-        select: { id: true },
-      });
-
-      // Fire the verification email. Best-effort: a mail/SMTP failure must not
-      // abort a successful registration, so swallow its errors here.
-      try {
-        await sendVerification(created.id, mail);
-      } catch {
-        // No-op: account is created; user can request a new link later.
-      }
-    } catch {
-      error = "Could not create the account (is the username unique?)";
-    }
-  }
-
-  // redirect() throws NEXT_REDIRECT — must be OUTSIDE any try/catch.
-  if (error) redirect(`/register?error=${encodeURIComponent(error)}`);
   redirect("/login?registered=1");
 }

src/actions/twofactor.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import { revalidatePath } from "next/cache";
 import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
+import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
 import { LaravelEncrypter } from "@/lib/auth/laravel-encrypter";
 import { generateTotpSecret, verifyTotp } from "@/lib/auth/totp";
 import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
@@ -15,20 +16,64 @@ async function sessionUserId(): Promise<number> {
   return Number(session.user.id);
 }
 
-/** Step 1: generate a secret, store it encrypted but UNconfirmed. */
+function generateRecoveryCodes(): string[] {
+  const codes: string[] = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
+    codes.push(randomBytes(4).toString("hex").toUpperCase().replace(/(.{4})/, "$1-"));
+  }
+  return codes;
+}
+
+/** Verify a TOTP code OR a recovery code. Returns the updated recovery codes (minus used one) if a recovery code was used, or null on failure. */
+async function verifyTwoFactorCode(
+  userId: number, code: string,
+): Promise<{ ok: boolean; updatedRecoveryCodes?: string | null }> {
+  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+    where: { id: userId },
+    select: { twoFactorSecret: true, twoFactorRecoveryCodes: true },
+  });
+  if (!user?.twoFactorSecret) return { ok: false };
+
+  // Try TOTP first
+  try {
+    const secret = new LaravelEncrypter(env.APP_KEY as string).decrypt(user.twoFactorSecret);
+    if (verifyTotp(code, secret)) return { ok: true };
+  } catch { /* fall through to recovery */ }
+
+  // Try recovery codes
+  if (user.twoFactorRecoveryCodes) {
+    let codes: string[];
+    try { codes = JSON.parse(user.twoFactorRecoveryCodes) as string[]; } catch { codes = []; }
+    const idx = codes.indexOf(code);
+    if (idx !== -1) {
+      codes.splice(idx, 1);
+      const remaining = codes.length > 0 ? JSON.stringify(codes) : null;
+      return { ok: true, updatedRecoveryCodes: remaining };
+    }
+  }
+
+  return { ok: false };
+}
+
+/** Step 1: generate a secret and recovery codes, store encrypted but UNconfirmed. */
 export async function beginTwoFactor(): Promise<void> {
   const id = await sessionUserId();
   if (!env.APP_KEY) redirect("/settings/2fa?error=noappkey");
   const secret = generateTotpSecret();
   const encrypted = new LaravelEncrypter(env.APP_KEY).encrypt(secret);
+  const codes = generateRecoveryCodes();
   await prisma.user.update({
     where: { id },
-    data: { twoFactorSecret: encrypted, twoFactorConfirmedAt: null },
+    data: {
+      twoFactorSecret: encrypted,
+      twoFactorConfirmedAt: null,
+      twoFactorRecoveryCodes: JSON.stringify(codes),
+    },
   });
   revalidatePath("/settings/2fa");
 }
 
-/** Step 2: verify a code against the pending secret, then confirm. */
+/** Step 2: verify a code against the pending secret, then confirm and show recovery codes. */
 export async function confirmTwoFactor(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
   const id = await sessionUserId();
   if (!env.APP_KEY) redirect("/settings/2fa?error=noappkey");
@@ -37,20 +82,7 @@ export async function confirmTwoFactor(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
 
   const code = String(formData.get("code") ?? "").trim();
 
-  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+  const { ok } = await verifyTwoFactorCode(id, code);
-    where: { id },
-    select: { twoFactorSecret: true },
-  });
-
-  let ok = false;
-  if (user?.twoFactorSecret && code) {
-    try {
-      const secret = new LaravelEncrypter(env.APP_KEY).decrypt(user.twoFactorSecret);
-      ok = verifyTotp(code, secret);
-    } catch {
-      ok = false;
-    }
-  }
   if (!ok) redirect("/settings/2fa?error=badcode");
 
   await prisma.user.update({ where: { id }, data: { twoFactorConfirmedAt: new Date() } });
@@ -65,20 +97,7 @@ export async function disableTwoFactor(formData: FormData): Promise<void> {
 
   const code = String(formData.get("code") ?? "").trim();
 
-  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+  const { ok } = await verifyTwoFactorCode(id, code);
-    where: { id },
-    select: { twoFactorSecret: true },
-  });
-
-  let ok = false;
-  if (user?.twoFactorSecret && code) {
-    try {
-      const secret = new LaravelEncrypter(env.APP_KEY).decrypt(user.twoFactorSecret);
-      ok = verifyTotp(code, secret);
-    } catch {
-      ok = false;
-    }
-  }
   if (!ok) redirect("/settings/2fa?error=badcode");
 
   await prisma.user.update({

src/app/settings/2fa/page.tsx

@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@ export default async function TwoFactorPage({
   const sp = await searchParams;
   const id = Number(session.user.id);
 
-  let user: { twoFactorSecret: string | null; twoFactorConfirmedAt: Date | null } | null = null;
+  let user: { twoFactorSecret: string | null; twoFactorConfirmedAt: Date | null; twoFactorRecoveryCodes: string | null } | null = null;
   try {
     user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
       where: { id },
-      select: { twoFactorSecret: true, twoFactorConfirmedAt: true },
+      select: { twoFactorSecret: true, twoFactorConfirmedAt: true, twoFactorRecoveryCodes: true },
     });
   } catch {
     user = null;
@@ -40,10 +40,14 @@ export default async function TwoFactorPage({
 
   let secret = "";
   let uri = "";
+  let recoveryCodes: string[] = [];
   if (pending && hasAppKey && user?.twoFactorSecret) {
     try {
       secret = new LaravelEncrypter(env.APP_KEY as string).decrypt(user.twoFactorSecret);
       uri = totpKeyUri(secret, session.user.name ?? "user", hotelName);
+      if (user.twoFactorRecoveryCodes) {
+        recoveryCodes = JSON.parse(user.twoFactorRecoveryCodes) as string[];
+      }
     } catch {
       secret = "";
     }
@@ -61,7 +65,40 @@ export default async function TwoFactorPage({
         subtitle={t("subtitle")}
       >
         {sp.enabled ? (
-          <p style={{ color: "var(--color-accent)", marginTop: 0 }}>{t("nowEnabled")}</p>
+          <>
+            <p style={{ color: "var(--color-accent)", marginTop: 0 }}>{t("nowEnabled")}</p>
+            <div style={{
+              background: "var(--color-surface)",
+              border: "1px solid var(--color-border)",
+              borderRadius: 8,
+              padding: "1rem",
+              marginTop: "0.5rem",
+            }}>
+              <h4 style={{ margin: "0 0 0.5rem" }}>Recovery Codes</h4>
+              <p className="muted" style={{ fontSize: "0.85rem", margin: "0 0 0.75rem" }}>
+                Store these one-time use codes in a safe place. Each can be used once
+                if you lose access to your authenticator app.
+              </p>
+              <div style={{
+                display: "grid",
+                gridTemplateColumns: "1fr 1fr",
+                gap: "0.25rem",
+                fontFamily: "monospace",
+                fontSize: "0.9rem",
+              }}>
+                {recoveryCodes.map((code) => (
+                  <code key={code} style={{
+                    userSelect: "all",
+                    padding: "0.25rem 0.5rem",
+                    background: "var(--color-background)",
+                    borderRadius: 4,
+                  }}>
+                    {code}
+                  </code>
+                ))}
+              </div>
+            </div>
+          </>
         ) : null}
         {sp.disabled ? (
           <p className="muted" style={{ marginTop: 0 }}>

src/components/auth/register-form.tsx

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 "use client";
 
-import { useState, FormEvent, ChangeEvent } from "react";
+import { useActionState, ChangeEvent } from "react";
 import Link from "next/link";
-import { useRouter } from "next/navigation";
 import { useTranslations } from "next-intl";
+import { register } from "@/actions/register";
 import { AvatarCarousel } from "@/components/auth/avatar-carousel";
 
 interface RegisterFormProps {
@@ -22,71 +22,8 @@ export function RegisterForm({
   error,
 }: RegisterFormProps) {
   const t = useTranslations("pages.register");
-  const router = useRouter();
   const showCaptcha = captcha.provider !== "none" && !!captcha.siteKey;
-  const [selectedFigure, setSelectedFigure] = useState(initialFigures[0] || "");
+  const [serverError, formAction, isPending] = useActionState(register, null);
-  const [formData, setFormData] = useState({
-    username: "",
-    mail: "",
-    password: "",
-    password_confirmation: "",
-    terms: false,
-    beta_code: "",
-    referral_code: "",
-  });
-  const [errors, setErrors] = useState<Record<string, string>>({});
-  const [isSubmitting, setIsSubmitting] = useState(false);
-
-  const handleChange = (e: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
-    const { name, value, type, checked } = e.target;
-    setFormData((prev) => ({ ...prev, [name]: type === "checkbox" ? checked : value }));
-    if (errors[name]) {
-      setErrors((prev) => ({ ...prev, [name]: "" }));
-    }
-  };
-
-  const handleSubmit = async (e: FormEvent) => {
-    e.preventDefault();
-    setIsSubmitting(true);
-
-    const newErrors: Record<string, string> = {};
-    if (!formData.username.trim()) newErrors.username = t("usernameError");
-    if (!formData.mail.trim()) newErrors.mail = t("emailError");
-    if (!formData.password) newErrors.password = t("passwordError");
-    if (formData.password !== formData.password_confirmation) {
-      newErrors.password_confirmation = t("confirmPasswordError");
-    }
-    if (!formData.terms) newErrors.terms = t("termsError");
-
-    if (Object.keys(newErrors).length > 0) {
-      setErrors(newErrors);
-      setIsSubmitting(false);
-      return;
-    }
-
-    try {
-      const res = await fetch("/api/register", {
-        method: "POST",
-        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
-        body: JSON.stringify({
-          ...formData,
-          look: selectedFigure,
-        }),
-      });
-
-      const data = await res.json();
-      if (!res.ok) {
-        setErrors({ form: data.message || "Registration failed" });
-        setIsSubmitting(false);
-        return;
-      }
-
-      router.push("/login?registered=1");
-    } catch {
-      setErrors({ form: "An error occurred. Please try again." });
-      setIsSubmitting(false);
-    }
-  };
 
   return (
     <div className="mx-auto w-full max-w-[800px]">
@@ -111,7 +48,7 @@ export function RegisterForm({
       </div>
 
       {/* Form */}
-      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="p-4 flex flex-col gap-6" style={{
+      <form action={formAction} className="p-4 flex flex-col gap-6" style={{
         backgroundColor: "color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-background) 50%, var(--color-surface))",
         borderRadius: "0 0 8px 8px",
       }}>
@@ -120,6 +57,14 @@ export function RegisterForm({
             {error}
           </div>
         )}
+        {serverError && (
+          <div className="p-3 rounded-md text-sm" style={{ backgroundColor: "#ef4444", color: "white" }}>
+            {serverError}
+          </div>
+        )}
+
+        {/* Avatar hidden input */}
+        <input type="hidden" name="look" defaultValue={initialFigures[0] || ""} />
 
         {/* Username & Email */}
         <div className="w-full flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-4">
@@ -141,9 +86,7 @@ export function RegisterForm({
                   borderColor: "color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 25%, transparent)",
                 }}
                 required
-                onChange={handleChange}
               />
-              {errors.username && <p className="text-xs text-red-500">{errors.username}</p>}
             </fieldset>
           </div>
           <div className="w-full md:w-1/2">
@@ -164,9 +107,7 @@ export function RegisterForm({
                   borderColor: "color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 25%, transparent)",
                 }}
                 required
-                onChange={handleChange}
               />
-              {errors.mail && <p className="text-xs text-red-500">{errors.mail}</p>}
             </fieldset>
           </div>
         </div>
@@ -191,9 +132,7 @@ export function RegisterForm({
                   borderColor: "color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 25%, transparent)",
                 }}
                 required
-                onChange={handleChange}
               />
-              {errors.password && <p className="text-xs text-red-500">{errors.password}</p>}
             </fieldset>
           </div>
           <div className="w-full md:w-1/2">
@@ -214,9 +153,7 @@ export function RegisterForm({
                   borderColor: "color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 25%, transparent)",
                 }}
                 required
-                onChange={handleChange}
               />
-              {errors.password_confirmation && <p className="text-xs text-red-500">{errors.password_confirmation}</p>}
             </fieldset>
           </div>
         </div>
@@ -232,7 +169,10 @@ export function RegisterForm({
           <AvatarCarousel
             figures={initialFigures}
             imager={imager}
-            onSelect={setSelectedFigure}
+            onSelect={(figure) => {
+              const input = document.querySelector<HTMLInputElement>('input[name="look"]');
+              if (input) input.value = figure;
+            }}
           />
         </div>
 
@@ -248,7 +188,6 @@ export function RegisterForm({
               className="w-4 h-4 border-gray-300 rounded focus:ring-0"
               style={{ borderColor: "color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-text-muted) 30%, transparent)" }}
               required
-              onChange={handleChange}
             />
             <label htmlFor="terms" className="font-semibold" style={{ color: "var(--color-text)" }}>
               <a href="/help-center/rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" className="hover:underline" style={{ color: "var(--color-text)" }}>
@@ -256,7 +195,6 @@ export function RegisterForm({
               </a>
             </label>
           </fieldset>
-          {errors.terms && <p className="text-xs text-red-500 italic">{errors.terms}</p>}
         </div>
 
         {/* Captcha */}
@@ -270,14 +208,14 @@ export function RegisterForm({
         {/* Submit */}
         <button
           type="submit"
-          disabled={isSubmitting}
+          disabled={isPending}
           className="w-full rounded p-2 text-white font-semibold transition-all duration-200 text-base"
           style={{
             backgroundColor: "#27a44d",
             border: "2px solid #34c661",
           }}
         >
-          {isSubmitting ? t("creatingAccount") : t("createAccount")}
+          {isPending ? t("creatingAccount") : t("createAccount")}
         </button>
 
         {/* Social Login - optional */}

src/env.ts

@@ -29,7 +29,20 @@ const schema = z.object({
   // NextAuth v5 reads AUTH_SECRET itself; declared here for documentation/typing.
   AUTH_SECRET: z.string().min(1).optional(),
   // Laravel APP_KEY (base64:...) — needed to read existing 2FA secrets.
-  APP_KEY: z.string().optional(),
+  APP_KEY: z.string().optional().refine(
+    (v) => {
+      if (!v) return true;
+      if (v.startsWith("base64:")) {
+        try {
+          const decoded = atob(v.slice(7));
+          // Catch the known placeholder key
+          if (decoded.includes("placeholder")) return false;
+        } catch { return false; }
+      }
+      return v.length >= 16;
+    },
+    { message: "APP_KEY is a placeholder or invalid — generate a real 32-byte key: echo 'base64:'$(openssl rand -base64 32)" },
+  ),
   // Optional OAuth providers (enabled only when both id+secret are set).
   DISCORD_CLIENT_ID: z.string().optional(),
   DISCORD_CLIENT_SECRET: z.string().optional(),

src/lib/admin/guard.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
 import { isStaff } from "@/lib/admin/is-staff";
 import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
 import { siteSettings } from "@/lib/services/site-settings";
+import { clientIp, rateLimit } from "@/lib/rate-limit";
 
 export { isStaff };
 
@@ -31,3 +32,14 @@ export async function requireStaff(): Promise<StaffUser> {
     username: session.user.name ?? "",
   };
 }
+
+/**
+ * Like requireStaff but also rate-limits the action per staff user (30 requests
+ * per minute). Use on sensitive admin actions (ban, rank-change, settings edit).
+ */
+export async function requireStaffRateLimited(): Promise<StaffUser> {
+  const staff = await requireStaff();
+  const ip = await clientIp();
+  if (!rateLimit(`admin:${staff.id}:${ip}`, 30, 60_000).ok) redirect("/admin?error=ratelimit");
+  return staff;
+}

src/lib/api.ts

@@ -2,17 +2,18 @@ import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
 
 /**
  * JSON response helper for the public REST API. Serialises BigInt (Prisma ids)
- * to strings — JSON.stringify throws on BigInt otherwise — and sets permissive
+ * to strings — JSON.stringify throws on BigInt otherwise — and sets CORS to
- * CORS so the game client / external integrations can read it (mirrors the
+ * APP_URL so the game client / external integrations can read it.
- * AtomCMS API CORS config).
  */
+const CORS_ORIGIN = process.env.APP_URL ?? "http://localhost:3000";
+
 export function apiJson(data: unknown, init?: ResponseInit): NextResponse {
   const body = JSON.stringify(data, (_k, v) => (typeof v === "bigint" ? v.toString() : v));
   return new NextResponse(body, {
     status: init?.status ?? 200,
     headers: {
       "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8",
-      "access-control-allow-origin": "*",
+      "access-control-allow-origin": CORS_ORIGIN,
       "cache-control": "no-store",
       ...(init?.headers ?? {}),
     },

src/lib/auth.ts

@@ -9,8 +9,40 @@ import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
 import { clientIp, rateLimit } from "@/lib/rate-limit";
 import { env } from "@/env";
 
+async function verify2faCode(userId: number, code: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+    where: { id: userId },
+    select: { twoFactorSecret: true, twoFactorRecoveryCodes: true },
+  });
+  if (!user?.twoFactorSecret) return false;
+
+  // Try TOTP first
+  try {
+    const secret = new LaravelEncrypter(env.APP_KEY!).decrypt(user.twoFactorSecret);
+    if (verifyTotp(code, secret)) return true;
+  } catch { /* fall through to recovery */ }
+
+  // Try recovery codes
+  if (user.twoFactorRecoveryCodes) {
+    let codes: string[];
+    try { codes = JSON.parse(user.twoFactorRecoveryCodes) as string[]; } catch { return false; }
+    const idx = codes.indexOf(code);
+    if (idx !== -1) {
+      codes.splice(idx, 1);
+      const remaining = codes.length > 0 ? JSON.stringify(codes) : null;
+      await prisma.user.update({
+        where: { id: userId },
+        data: { twoFactorRecoveryCodes: remaining },
+      });
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
 export const { handlers, signIn, signOut, auth } = NextAuth({
-  trustHost: true,
+  trustHost: process.env.NODE_ENV === "development",
   session: { strategy: "jwt", maxAge: 24 * 60 * 60 },
   pages: { signIn: "/login" },
   providers: [
@@ -52,17 +84,11 @@ export const { handlers, signIn, signOut, auth } = NextAuth({
           });
         }
 
-        // Two-factor: if enabled, a valid TOTP code is required. The secret is
+        // Two-factor: if enabled, a valid TOTP or recovery code is required.
-        // Laravel-encrypted with APP_KEY (fail closed if it cannot be read).
         if (user.twoFactorConfirmedAt && user.twoFactorSecret) {
           const code = String(credentials?.code ?? "").trim();
           if (!code || !env.APP_KEY) return null;
-          try {
+          if (!(await verify2faCode(user.id, code))) return null;
-            const secret = new LaravelEncrypter(env.APP_KEY).decrypt(user.twoFactorSecret);
-            if (!verifyTotp(code, secret)) return null;
-          } catch {
-            return null;
-          }
         }
 
         // Record the successful login for the user's "session logs" page.

src/lib/auth/password.ts

@@ -14,10 +14,8 @@ const ARGON2_PARAMS = {
 const BCRYPT_ROUNDS = 12;
 
 // Which algorithm hashPassword() emits for NEW/upgraded passwords.
-//   - "bcrypt"  (DEFAULT): 60-char $2y$ hash. Fits a varchar(64) users.password
+//   - "bcrypt"  (DEFAULT): 60-char $2y$ hash. Fits varchar(255) users.password.
-//     (the common emulator/AtomCMS column width) and matches existing accounts.
+//   - "argon2id": ~97-char PHC hash. Opt in with PASSWORD_HASH=argon2id.
-//   - "argon2id": ~97-char PHC hash. ONLY usable if users.password is widened
-//     (e.g. varchar(255)). Opt in with PASSWORD_HASH=argon2id.
 // verifyPassword() always accepts BOTH, so logins keep working either way.
 function hashDriver(): "bcrypt" | "argon2id" {
   return process.env.PASSWORD_HASH?.toLowerCase() === "argon2id" ? "argon2id" : "bcrypt";

src/lib/rate-limit.ts

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import { headers } from "next/headers";
  * (register, password reset, login). It's per-node (not shared across
  * instances) — fine for a single-server retro hotel; swap for Redis if you
  * ever scale out. Keys are typically `${action}:${ip}`.
+ *
+ * Periodic cleanup runs every 5 minutes to keep the map bounded.
  */
 type Bucket = { count: number; resetAt: number };
 const buckets = new Map<string, Bucket>();
@@ -15,13 +17,31 @@ export interface RateLimitResult {
   retryAfter: number;
 }
 
+let lastCleanup = Date.now();
+const CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MS = 300_000; // 5 min
+const MAX_BUCKETS = 10_000;
+
+function cleanup(): void {
+  const now = Date.now();
+  if (now - lastCleanup < CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MS) return;
+  lastCleanup = now;
+  if (buckets.size <= MAX_BUCKETS) {
+    // Quick eviction of completely expired entries
+    for (const [k, b] of buckets) if (now >= b.resetAt) buckets.delete(k);
+  } else {
+    // Aggressive: clear all expired, then delete oldest 20% if still too large
+    for (const [k, b] of buckets) if (now >= b.resetAt) buckets.delete(k);
+    if (buckets.size > MAX_BUCKETS) {
+      const sorted = [...buckets.entries()].sort((a, b) => a[1].resetAt - b[1].resetAt);
+      const toRemove = Math.floor(sorted.length * 0.2);
+      for (let i = 0; i < toRemove; i++) buckets.delete(sorted[i][0]);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 export function rateLimit(key: string, limit: number, windowMs: number): RateLimitResult {
   const now = Date.now();
-
+  cleanup();
-  // Opportunistic cleanup so the map can't grow without bound.
-  if (buckets.size > 5000) {
-    for (const [k, b] of buckets) if (now >= b.resetAt) buckets.delete(k);
-  }
 
   const bucket = buckets.get(key);
   if (!bucket || now >= bucket.resetAt) {