django-model-security-hardening

Use django-encrypted-model-fields to add EncryptedTextField or EncryptedCharField alongside existing plaintext fields, backfill data with a management command, then drop the plaintext column. Store the FIELD_ENCRYPTION_KEY in environment variables, never in code.

Install django-auditlog, add it to INSTALLED_APPS and middleware, then register models via auditlog.register() in a config module imported from AppConfig.ready(). You can exclude noisy fields like last_login or modified_at from tracking.

Both provide Fernet-based field encryption for Django. This workflow recommends django-encrypted-model-fields, which offers EncryptedTextField and EncryptedCharField classes that integrate with standard migrations and a non-destructive backfill strategy.

Encrypted fields store ciphertext in the database, so database-level string matching like __icontains and __startswith cannot work. Plan for this before encrypting searchable fields such as npi_number, or use a separate hashed lookup column.

The workflow uses a 7-year minimum retention period for clinical notes, risk screenings, appointments, and payment records per state medical records laws. Records past retention should be anonymized rather than hard deleted, and minors' records may require longer retention.