diff --git a/src/exceptions.py b/src/exceptions.py
index 23b5003..3e009e6 100644
--- a/src/exceptions.py
+++ b/src/exceptions.py
@@ -161,22 +161,38 @@ def handle_exception(request: Request, exc: Exception):
         )
 
     if isinstance(exc, (HTTPException, StarletteHTTPException)):
-        log.error(
-            f"HTTP exception occurred | Error ID: {error_id}",
-            extra={
-                "error_id": error_id,
-                "error_category": "http",
-                "status_code": exc.status_code,
-                "detail": exc.detail if hasattr(exc, "detail") else str(exc),
-                "request": request_info,
-            },
-        )
+        # Log as warning for 4xx, error for 5xx
+        status_code = exc.status_code if hasattr(exc, "status_code") else 500
+        detail = exc.detail if hasattr(exc, "detail") else str(exc)
+        
+        if 400 <= status_code < 500:
+            log.warning(
+                f"HTTP {status_code} occurred | Error ID: {error_id} | Detail: {detail}",
+                extra={
+                    "error_id": error_id,
+                    "error_category": "http",
+                    "status_code": status_code,
+                    "detail": detail,
+                    "request": request_info,
+                },
+            )
+        else:
+            log.error(
+                f"HTTP {status_code} occurred | Error ID: {error_id} | Detail: {detail}",
+                extra={
+                    "error_id": error_id,
+                    "error_category": "http",
+                    "status_code": status_code,
+                    "detail": detail,
+                    "request": request_info,
+                },
+            )
 
         return JSONResponse(
-            status_code=exc.status_code,
+            status_code=status_code,
             content={
                 "data": None,
-                "message": str(exc.detail) if hasattr(exc, "detail") else str(exc),
+                "message": str(detail),
                 "status": ResponseStatus.ERROR,
                 "error_id": error_id
             },
@@ -184,16 +200,29 @@ def handle_exception(request: Request, exc: Exception):
 
     if isinstance(exc, SQLAlchemyError):
         error_message, status_code = handle_sqlalchemy_error(exc)
-        log.error(
-            f"Database error occurred | Error ID: {error_id}",
-            extra={
-                "error_id": error_id,
-                "error_category": "database",
-                "error_message": error_message,
-                "request": request_info,
-                "exception": str(exc),
-            },
-        )
+        # Log integrity errors as warning, others as error
+        if 400 <= status_code < 500:
+            log.warning(
+                f"Database integrity/validation error occurred | Error ID: {error_id}",
+                extra={
+                    "error_id": error_id,
+                    "error_category": "database",
+                    "error_message": error_message,
+                    "request": request_info,
+                    "exception": str(exc),
+                },
+            )
+        else:
+            log.error(
+                f"Database error occurred | Error ID: {error_id}",
+                extra={
+                    "error_id": error_id,
+                    "error_category": "database",
+                    "error_message": error_message,
+                    "request": request_info,
+                    "exception": str(exc),
+                },
+            )
 
         return JSONResponse(
             status_code=status_code,
diff --git a/src/middleware.py b/src/middleware.py
index 312696e..8da5584 100644
--- a/src/middleware.py
+++ b/src/middleware.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import json
 import re
+import logging
 from collections import Counter
 from fastapi import Request, HTTPException
 from starlette.middleware.base import BaseHTTPMiddleware
@@ -99,7 +100,9 @@ ALLOWED_HEADERS = {
     "x-csrf-token",
     "x-xsrf-token",
     "postman-token",
-    "x-internal-key",
+    "x-forwarded-path",
+    "x-forwarded-prefix",
+    "cookie",
 }
 
 MAX_QUERY_PARAMS = 50
@@ -107,32 +110,56 @@ MAX_QUERY_LENGTH = 2000
 MAX_JSON_BODY_SIZE = 1024 * 500  # 500 KB
 
 XSS_PATTERN = re.compile(
-    r"(<script|<iframe|<embed|<object|<svg|<img|<video|<audio|<base|<link|<meta|<form|<button|"
-    r"javascript:|vbscript:|data:text/html|onerror\s*=|onload\s*=|onmouseover\s*=|onfocus\s*=|"
-    r"onclick\s*=|onscroll\s*=|ondblclick\s*=|onkeydown\s*=|onkeypress\s*=|onkeyup\s*=|"
-    r"onloadstart\s*=|onpageshow\s*=|onresize\s*=|onunload\s*=|style\s*=\s*['\"].*expression\s*\(|"
-    r"eval\s*\(|setTimeout\s*\(|setInterval\s*\(|Function\s*\()",
+    r"("
+    r"<(script|iframe|embed|object|svg|img|video|audio|base|link|meta|form|button|details|animate)\b|"
+    r"javascript\s*:|vbscript\s*:|data\s*:[^,]*base64[^,]*|data\s*:text/html|"
+    r"\bon[a-z]+\s*=|" # Catch-all for any 'on' event (onerror, onclick, etc.)
+    r"style\s*=.*expression\s*\(|" # Old IE specific
+    r"\b(eval|setTimeout|setInterval|Function)\s*\("
+    r")",
     re.IGNORECASE,
 )
 
 SQLI_PATTERN = re.compile(
-    r"(\bUNION\b|\bSELECT\b|\bINSERT\b|\bUPDATE\b|\bDELETE\b|\bDROP\b|\bALTER\b|\bCREATE\b|\bTRUNCATE\b|"
-    r"\bEXEC\b|\bEXECUTE\b|\bDECLARE\b|\bWAITFOR\b|\bDELAY\b|\bGROUP\b\s+\bBY\b|\bHAVING\b|\bORDER\b\s+\bBY\b|"
-    r"\bINFORMATION_SCHEMA\b|\bSYS\b\.|\bSYSOBJECTS\b|\bPG_SLEEP\b|\bSLEEP\b\(|--|/\*|\*/|#|\bOR\b\s+['\"]?\d+['\"]?\s*=\s*['\"]?\d+|"
-    r"\bAND\b\s+['\"]?\d+['\"]?\s*=\s*['\"]?\d+|"
-    r"\bXP_CMDSHELL\b|\bLOAD_FILE\b|\bINTO\s+OUTFILE\b)",
-    re.IGNORECASE,
+    r"("
+    # 1. Keywords followed by whitespace and common SQL characters
+    r"\b(UNION|SELECT|INSERT|UPDATE|DELETE|DROP|ALTER|CREATE|TRUNCATE|EXEC(UTE)?|DECLARE)\b\s+[\w\*\(\']|"
+    
+    # 2. Time-based attacks (more specific than just 'SLEEP')
+    r"\b(WAITFOR\b\s+DELAY|PG_SLEEP|SLEEP\s*\()|"
+    
+    # 3. System tables/functions
+    r"\b(INFORMATION_SCHEMA|SYS\.|SYSOBJECTS|XP_CMDSHELL|LOAD_FILE|INTO\s+OUTFILE)\b|"
+    
+    # 4. Logical Tautologies (OR 1=1) - Optimized for boundaries
+    r"\b(OR|AND)\b\s+['\"]?\d+['\"]?\s*=\s*['\"]?\d+|"
+    
+    # 5. Comments
+    # Match '--' if at start or preceded by whitespace
+    r"(?<!\S)--|"
+    # Match block comments, ensuring they aren't part of mime patterns like */*
+    r"(?<!\*)/\*|(?<!\*)\*/(?!\*)|"
+    # Match '#' if at start or preceded by whitespace
+    r"(?<!\S)#|"
+    
+    # 6. Hex / Stacked Queries
+    r";\s*\b(SELECT|DROP|DELETE|UPDATE|INSERT)\b"
+    r")",
+    re.IGNORECASE
 )
 
 RCE_PATTERN = re.compile(
-    r"(\$\(|`.*`|[;&|]\s*(cat|ls|id|whoami|pwd|ifconfig|ip|netstat|nc|netcat|nmap|curl|wget|python|php|perl|ruby|bash|sh|cmd|powershell|pwsh|sc\s+|tasklist|taskkill|base64|sudo|crontab|ssh|ftp|tftp)|"
-    r"\b(cat|ls|id|whoami|pwd|ifconfig|ip|netstat|nc|netcat|nmap|curl|wget|python|php|perl|ruby|bash|sh|cmd|powershell|pwsh|base64|sudo|crontab)\b|"
-    r"/etc/passwd|/etc/shadow|/etc/group|/etc/issue|/proc/self/|/windows/system32/|C:\\Windows\\)",
+    r"("
+    r"\$\(.*\)|`.*`|"  # Command substitution $(...) or `...`
+    r"[;&|]\s*(cat|ls|id|whoami|pwd|ifconfig|ip|netstat|nc|netcat|nmap|curl|wget|python|php|perl|ruby|bash|sh|cmd|powershell|pwsh|sc\s+|tasklist|taskkill|base64|sudo|crontab|ssh|ftp|tftp)|"
+    # Only flag naked commands if they are clearly standalone or system paths
+    r"\b(/etc/passwd|/etc/shadow|/etc/group|/etc/issue|/proc/self/|/windows/system32/|C:\\Windows\\)\b"
+    r")",
     re.IGNORECASE,
 )
 
 TRAVERSAL_PATTERN = re.compile(
-    r"(\.\./|\.\.\\|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e/|\.\.%2f|%2e%2e%5c)",
+    r"(\.\.[/\\]|%2e%2e%2f|%2e%2e/|\.\.%2f|%2e%2e%5c|%252e%252e%252f|\\00)",
     re.IGNORECASE,
 )
 
@@ -153,39 +180,70 @@ DYNAMIC_KEYS = {
     "program_data"
 }
 
-# =========================
-# Helpers
-# =========================
+log = logging.getLogger("security_logger")
+
 
 def has_control_chars(value: str) -> bool:
     return any(ord(c) < 32 and c not in ("\n", "\r", "\t") for c in value)
 
 
 def inspect_value(value: str, source: str):
+    if not isinstance(value, str) or value == "*/*":
+        return
+    
+
     if XSS_PATTERN.search(value):
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Potential XSS payload detected in {source}")
+        log.warning(f"Security violation: Potential XSS payload detected in {source}")
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=422,
+            detail=f"Potential XSS payload detected in {source}",
+        )
 
     if SQLI_PATTERN.search(value):
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Potential SQL injection payload detected in {source}")
+        log.warning(f"Security violation: Potential SQL injection payload detected in {source}")
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=422,
+            detail=f"Potential SQL injection payload detected in {source}",
+        )
 
     if RCE_PATTERN.search(value):
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Potential RCE payload detected in {source}")
+        log.warning(f"Security violation: Potential RCE payload detected in {source}")
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=422,
+            detail=f"Potential RCE payload detected in {source}",
+        )
 
     if TRAVERSAL_PATTERN.search(value):
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Potential Path Traversal payload detected in {source}")
+        log.warning(f"Security violation: Potential Path Traversal payload detected in {source}")
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=422,
+            detail=f"Potential Path Traversal payload detected in {source}",
+        )
 
     if has_control_chars(value):
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Invalid control characters detected in {source}")
+        log.warning(f"Security violation: Invalid control characters detected in {source}")
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=422,
+            detail=f"Invalid control characters detected in {source}",
+        )
 
 
 def inspect_json(obj, path="body", check_whitelist=True):
     if isinstance(obj, dict):
         for key, value in obj.items():
             if key in FORBIDDEN_JSON_KEYS:
-                raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Forbidden JSON key detected: {path}.{key}")
+                log.warning(f"Security violation: Forbidden JSON key detected: {path}.{key}")
+                raise HTTPException(
+                    status_code=422,
+                    detail=f"Forbidden JSON key detected: {path}.{key}",
+                )
             
             if check_whitelist and key not in ALLOWED_DATA_PARAMS:
-                raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Unknown JSON key detected: {path}.{key}")
+                log.warning(f"Security violation: Unknown JSON key detected: {path}.{key}")
+                raise HTTPException(
+                    status_code=422,
+                    detail=f"Unknown JSON key detected: {path}.{key}",
+                )
             
             # Recurse. If the key is a dynamic container, we stop whitelist checking for children.
             should_check_subkeys = check_whitelist and (key not in DYNAMIC_KEYS)
@@ -215,14 +273,22 @@ class RequestValidationMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
         ALLOW_DUPLICATE_HEADERS = {'accept', 'accept-encoding', 'accept-language', 'accept-charset', 'cookie'}
         real_duplicates = [h for h in duplicate_headers if h not in ALLOW_DUPLICATE_HEADERS]
         if real_duplicates:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Duplicate headers are not allowed: {real_duplicates}")
+            log.warning(f"Security violation: Duplicate headers detected: {real_duplicates}")
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=422,
+                detail=f"Duplicate headers are not allowed: {real_duplicates}",
+            )
             
         # Whitelist headers
         unknown_headers = [key for key in header_keys if key not in ALLOWED_HEADERS]
         if unknown_headers:
              filtered_unknown = [h for h in unknown_headers if not h.startswith('sec-')]
              if filtered_unknown:
-                raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Unknown headers detected: {filtered_unknown}")
+                log.warning(f"Security violation: Unknown headers detected: {filtered_unknown}")
+                raise HTTPException(
+                    status_code=422,
+                    detail=f"Unknown headers detected: {filtered_unknown}",
+                )
              
         # Inspect header values
         for key, value in request.headers.items():
@@ -233,17 +299,29 @@ class RequestValidationMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
         # 1. Query string limits
         # -------------------------
         if len(request.url.query) > MAX_QUERY_LENGTH:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail="Query string too long")
+            log.warning(f"Security violation: Query string too long")
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=422,
+                detail="Query string too long",
+            )
 
         params = request.query_params.multi_items()
 
         if len(params) > MAX_QUERY_PARAMS:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail="Too many query parameters")
+            log.warning(f"Security violation: Too many query parameters")
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=422,
+                detail="Too many query parameters",
+            )
 
         # Check for unknown query parameters
         unknown_params = [key for key, _ in params if key not in ALLOWED_DATA_PARAMS]
         if unknown_params:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Unknown query parameters detected: {unknown_params}")
+            log.warning(f"Security violation: Unknown query parameters detected: {unknown_params}")
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=422,
+                detail=f"Unknown query parameters detected: {unknown_params}",
+            )
 
         # -------------------------
         # 2. Duplicate parameters
@@ -255,7 +333,11 @@ class RequestValidationMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
         ]
 
         if duplicates:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Duplicate query parameters are not allowed: {duplicates}")
+            log.warning(f"Security violation: Duplicate query parameters detected: {duplicates}")
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=422,
+                detail=f"Duplicate query parameters are not allowed: {duplicates}",
+            )
 
         # -------------------------
         # 3. Query param inspection & Pagination
@@ -269,11 +351,23 @@ class RequestValidationMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
                 try:
                     size_val = int(value)
                     if size_val > 50:
-                        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Pagination size '{key}' cannot exceed 50")
+                        log.warning(f"Security violation: Pagination size too large ({size_val})")
+                        raise HTTPException(
+                            status_code=422,
+                            detail=f"Pagination size '{key}' cannot exceed 50",
+                        )
                     if size_val % 5 != 0:
-                        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Pagination size '{key}' must be a multiple of 5")
+                        log.warning(f"Security violation: Pagination size not multiple of 5 ({size_val})")
+                        raise HTTPException(
+                            status_code=422,
+                            detail=f"Pagination size '{key}' must be a multiple of 5",
+                        )
                 except ValueError:
-                    raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=f"Pagination size '{key}' must be an integer")
+                    log.warning(f"Security violation: Pagination size invalid value ({value})")
+                    raise HTTPException(
+                        status_code=422,
+                        detail=f"Pagination size '{key}' must be an integer",
+                    )
 
         # -------------------------
         # 4. Content-Type sanity
@@ -283,6 +377,7 @@ class RequestValidationMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
             content_type.startswith(t)
             for t in ("application/json", "multipart/form-data", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded")
         ):
+            log.warning(f"Security violation: Unsupported Content-Type: {content_type}")
             raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail="Unsupported Content-Type")
 
         # -------------------------
@@ -299,7 +394,11 @@ class RequestValidationMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
                 has_body = True
                 
         if has_query and has_body:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail="Parameters must be from a single source (query string or JSON body), mixed sources are not allowed")
+            log.warning(f"Security violation: Mixed parameters (query + JSON body)")
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=422,
+                detail="Parameters must be from a single source (query string or JSON body), mixed sources are not allowed",
+            )
 
         # -------------------------
         # 6. JSON body inspection