diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fa887c5..1752043 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -108,14 +108,16 @@ chmod +x scripts/install.sh
 ./scripts/install.sh
 ```
 
-The install script will automatically:
-- Generate a `.env` file with secure random secrets
-- Build and start all containers (PostgreSQL, MinIO, Backend, Frontend)
-- Run database migrations
-- Seed the admin user and data sources
-- Optionally run the initial MITRE ATT&CK sync
+The interactive install wizard will guide you through:
+1. **Domain configuration** — your domain or IP, protocol (HTTP/HTTPS), and port
+2. **Admin account** — custom username and password (or auto-generated secure password)
+3. **Database** — name, user, and password (or auto-generated)
+4. **Session duration** — JWT token expiry (default: 15 minutes)
+5. **MITRE ATT&CK sync** — optionally import ~700 techniques on first run
 
-Access the application at **http://your-server:80**.
+The script automatically generates cryptographically secure random secrets for `SECRET_KEY`, database password, and MinIO credentials. A summary with all credentials is displayed at the end of the installation.
+
+Access the application at the URL shown in the installation summary.
 
 ### Development Setup
 
@@ -132,14 +134,18 @@ Access at **http://localhost:5173** (frontend dev server) and **http://localhost
 
 ### Authentication
 
-JWT-based authentication. Default admin credentials after seeding:
+JWT-based authentication with HttpOnly cookies. Admin credentials are configured during installation:
 
-```
-Username: admin
-Password: admin123
+- If you set a custom password in the wizard, use that.
+- If you left it blank, a secure random password was auto-generated and displayed in the installation summary and backend logs.
+
+To retrieve auto-generated credentials after installation:
+
+```bash
+docker logs aegis-backend 2>&1 | grep -A 5 "Initial Admin User Created"
 ```
 
-> **Important:** Change the default `admin123` password immediately after first login.
+> **Note:** Passwords must meet complexity requirements: minimum 12 characters with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one digit, and one special character.
 
 ### Importing Data Sources
 
@@ -161,10 +167,11 @@ curl -X POST http://your-server/api/v1/data-sources/sync-all -H "Authorization:
 
 ### Production Considerations
 
-- **HTTPS/TLS:** For internet-facing deployments, place a reverse proxy with TLS in front (e.g., Traefik, Caddy, or Nginx with Let's Encrypt).
+- **HTTPS/TLS:** For internet-facing deployments, place a reverse proxy with TLS in front (e.g., Traefik, Caddy, or Nginx with Let's Encrypt). Uncomment the HSTS header in `frontend/nginx.conf` once HTTPS is configured.
 - **Backups:** Set up regular PostgreSQL backups: `docker exec aegis-postgres pg_dump -U postgres attackdb > backup.sql`
 - **Updates:** To update, pull the latest code and run: `docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d --build`
 - **Firewall:** Only expose port 80/443. All other services (DB, MinIO, backend) are internal only.
+- **Reconfigure:** Run `./scripts/install.sh` again to reconfigure the environment (domain, credentials, etc.).
 
 ### Configuring Scoring Weights
 
@@ -221,11 +228,13 @@ Or at runtime via the admin API — see [docs/SCORING.md](docs/SCORING.md).
 
 ## API Documentation
 
-Interactive API documentation available at:
+Interactive API documentation is available **in development only** (disabled in production for security):
 
 - **Swagger UI**: http://localhost:8000/docs
 - **ReDoc**: http://localhost:8000/redoc
 
+> In production (`AEGIS_ENV=production`), these endpoints are disabled. Use the development environment or refer to [docs/API.md](docs/API.md).
+
 ### API Endpoints
 
 | Group | Prefix | Key Operations |
@@ -256,22 +265,66 @@ See [docs/API.md](docs/API.md) for the full endpoint reference.
 
 ## Configuration
 
+All variables are configured automatically by `scripts/install.sh`. For manual setup, copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the values.
+
+### Required (production)
+
+| Variable | Description |
+|----------|-------------|
+| `SECRET_KEY` | JWT signing key — **required** in production (app refuses to start without it). Generate with `openssl rand -hex 32` |
+| `DB_PASSWORD` | PostgreSQL password |
+| `MINIO_SECRET_KEY` | MinIO secret key |
+
+### Security & Auth
+
 | Variable | Default | Description |
 |----------|---------|-------------|
-| `DATABASE_URL` | `postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/attackdb` | PostgreSQL connection |
-| `SECRET_KEY` | `change-me-in-production` | JWT signing key |
-| `ALGORITHM` | `HS256` | JWT signing algorithm |
-| `ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES` | `60` | Token lifetime |
-| `MINIO_ENDPOINT` | `minio:9000` | MinIO server |
+| `AEGIS_ENV` | — | Set to `production` to enforce security settings |
+| `ADMIN_USERNAME` | `admin` | Initial admin account username |
+| `ADMIN_PASSWORD` | *(auto-generated)* | Initial admin password. If empty, a secure random password is generated and shown in logs |
+| `ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES` | `15` | JWT token lifetime in minutes |
+| `CORS_ORIGINS` | `http://localhost:5173` | Comma-separated list of allowed frontend origins |
+
+### Infrastructure
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|----------|---------|-------------|
+| `DB_USER` | `postgres` | PostgreSQL username |
+| `DB_NAME` | `attackdb` | PostgreSQL database name |
+| `MINIO_ENDPOINT` | `minio:9000` | MinIO server address |
 | `MINIO_ACCESS_KEY` | `minioadmin` | MinIO access key |
-| `MINIO_SECRET_KEY` | `minioadmin` | MinIO secret key |
-| `MINIO_BUCKET` | `evidence` | Evidence bucket |
-| `MAX_RETEST_COUNT` | `3` | Max automatic retests per original test |
+| `MINIO_BUCKET` | `evidence` | MinIO bucket for evidence files |
+| `MINIO_SECURE` | `false` | Set to `true` if MinIO is behind TLS |
+| `FRONTEND_PORT` | `80` | Port exposed by the frontend container |
+
+### Scoring Weights
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|----------|---------|-------------|
 | `SCORING_WEIGHT_TESTS` | `40` | Weight for test validation component |
 | `SCORING_WEIGHT_DETECTION_RULES` | `20` | Weight for detection rules component |
 | `SCORING_WEIGHT_D3FEND` | `15` | Weight for D3FEND coverage component |
 | `SCORING_WEIGHT_FRESHNESS` | `15` | Weight for freshness component |
 | `SCORING_WEIGHT_PLATFORM_DIVERSITY` | `10` | Weight for platform diversity component |
+| `MAX_RETEST_COUNT` | `3` | Max automatic retests per original test |
+
+## Security
+
+Aegis includes several security hardening measures:
+
+- **Authentication:** JWT tokens stored in HttpOnly/Secure/SameSite cookies (immune to XSS theft). Token revocation via in-memory blacklist on logout.
+- **Rate limiting:** Login endpoint limited to 5 attempts per minute per IP (via slowapi).
+- **Password policy:** Minimum 12 characters with uppercase, lowercase, digit, and special character.
+- **CORS:** Configurable origins via `CORS_ORIGINS` environment variable. Restrictive method and header lists.
+- **Nginx security headers:** CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy.
+- **Non-root container:** Backend runs as `appuser` (UID 1001), not root.
+- **File uploads:** 50 MB size limit, extension whitelist, filename sanitization.
+- **ZIP imports:** Zip Slip (path traversal) and Zip Bomb (size/entry limit) protection.
+- **API surface:** Swagger UI, ReDoc, and OpenAPI schema disabled in production.
+- **Health endpoint:** Restricted to internal networks via Nginx ACL.
+- **Input sanitization:** LIKE wildcard escaping in all search queries; Pydantic schemas on all endpoints.
+- **XML parsing:** Uses `defusedxml` to prevent Billion Laughs / XXE attacks.
+- **Error handling:** Internal exception details are logged server-side only, never exposed to clients.
 
 ## Project Structure