docs: add Contributor Covenant v2.1, SECURITY.md, and README pointers (#24)

* security: add SECURITY.md with vulnerability disclosure policy

Closes #5

* docs: add CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md and reference in README

---------

Co-authored-by: Bot <bot@example.com>

Author: ayomideadeniran

CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+# Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct
+
+## Our Pledge
+
+We as members, contributors, and leaders pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.
+
+We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.
+
+## Our Standards
+
+Examples of behavior that contributes to a positive environment for our community include:
+
+* Demonstrating empathy and kindness toward other people
+* Being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences
+* Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback
+* Accepting responsibility and apologizing to those affected by our mistakes, and learning from the experience
+* Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the overall community
+
+Examples of unacceptable behavior include:
+
+* The use of sexualized language or imagery, and sexual attention or advances of any kind
+* Trolling, insulting or derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
+* Public or private harassment
+* Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or email address, without their explicit permission
+* Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting
+
+## Enforcement Responsibilities
+
+Community leaders are responsible for clarifying and enforcing our standards of acceptable behavior and will take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any behavior that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.
+
+Community leaders have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct, and will communicate reasons for moderation decisions when appropriate.
+
+## Scope
+
+This Code of Conduct applies within all community spaces, and also applies when an individual is officially representing the community in public spaces. Examples of representing our community include using an official e-mail address, posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed representative at an online or offline event.
+
+## Enforcement
+
+Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported to the community leaders responsible for enforcement at maintainers@apexchainx.com. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated promptly and fairly.
+
+All community leaders are obligated to respect the privacy and security of the reporter of any incident.
+
+## Enforcement Guidelines
+
+Community leaders will follow these Community Impact Guidelines in determining the consequences for any action they deem in violation of this Code of Conduct:
+
+### 1. Correction
+
+**Community Impact**: Use of inappropriate language or other behavior deemed unprofessional or unwelcome in the community.
+
+**Consequence**: A private, written warning from community leaders, providing clarity around the nature of the violation and an explanation of why the behavior was inappropriate. A public apology may be requested.
+
+### 2. Warning
+
+**Community Impact**: A violation through a single incident or series of actions.
+
+**Consequence**: A warning with consequences for continued behavior. No interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction with those enforcing the Code of Conduct, for a specified period of time. This includes avoiding interactions in community spaces as well as external channels like social media. Violating these terms may lead to a temporary or permanent ban.
+
+### 3. Temporary Ban
+
+**Community Impact**: A serious violation of community standards, including sustained inappropriate behavior.
+
+**Consequence**: A temporary ban from any sort of interaction or public communication with the community for a specified period of time. No public or private interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction with those enforcing the Code of Conduct, is allowed during this period. Violating these terms may lead to a permanent ban.
+
+### 4. Permanent Ban
+
+**Community Impact**: Demonstrating a pattern of violation of community standards, including sustained inappropriate behavior, harassment of an individual, or aggression toward or disparagement of classes of individuals.
+
+**Consequence**: A permanent ban from any sort of public interaction within the community.
+
+## Attribution
+
+This Code of Conduct is adapted from the [Contributor Covenant][homepage], version 2.1, available at [https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html][v2.1].
+
+Community Impact Guidelines were inspired by [Mozilla's code of conduct enforcement ladder][Mozilla CoC].
+
+For answers to common questions about this code of conduct, see the FAQ at [https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq][FAQ]. Translations are available at [https://www.contributor-covenant.org/translations][translations].
+
+[homepage]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org
+[v2.1]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html
+[Mozilla CoC]: https://github.com/mozilla/diversity
+[FAQ]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq
+[translations]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org/translations

README.md

@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ apexchainx-contracts/
 ├── CONTRIBUTING.md
 ├── CHANGELOG.md
 ├── README.md
+├── SECURITY.md
 ├── TODO.md
 └── pers-store/                    # Persistent storage test fixtures
 ```
@@ -474,8 +475,14 @@ proposal. The active operator is unchanged.
 `unpause()` clears it. This gives backend operators operational context without
 requiring off-chain state tracking.
 
+## Code of Conduct
+
+This project adheres to a code of conduct that all contributors are expected to follow. Please read [CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) before contributing.
+
 ## Security Considerations
 
+Please refer to our [Security Policy](SECURITY.md) for information on supported versions, our disclosure policy, and how to report a vulnerability.
+
 ### Smart Contract Security
 
 - **Deterministic execution:** All calculations use integer math only — no floating point

SECURITY.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+# Security Policy
+
+## Supported Versions
+
+Use this section to tell people about which versions of your project are currently being supported with security updates.
+
+| Version | Supported          |
+| ------- | ------------------ |
+| v1.0.x  | :white_check_mark: |
+| < v1.0  | :x:                |
+
+## Scope
+
+This security policy applies to all smart contracts and related software within the ApexChainx-Contracts repository.
+
+## Reporting a Vulnerability
+
+We take the security of our smart contracts seriously. If you believe you have found a security vulnerability in our contracts, please report it to us as described below.
+
+**Please do not report security vulnerabilities through public GitHub issues.**
+
+Instead, please email your findings to [security@apexchainx.example.com]. 
+
+### Secure Reporting Method
+
+You can encrypt your communication using our PGP key:
+```
+-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
+...
+-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
+```
+*(Please contact us for the actual PGP key if needed, or use the email provided above securely.)*
+
+### Response Timeline
+
+- We will acknowledge receipt of your vulnerability report within 48 hours.
+- We will provide a more detailed response to your report within 7 days, including whether we have reproduced the issue and an estimated timeline for remediation.
+- We aim to resolve critical issues within 14 days of confirmation.
+
+## Disclosure Policy
+
+We ask that you do not disclose the vulnerability publicly until we have had a chance to address it. We will notify you when the issue has been patched and is safe to disclose. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our ecosystem secure.