diff --git a/src/RemoteAgent/Files/FileService.cs b/src/RemoteAgent/Files/FileService.cs
index 0e2e998..8635489 100644
--- a/src/RemoteAgent/Files/FileService.cs
+++ b/src/RemoteAgent/Files/FileService.cs
@@ -75,7 +75,10 @@ private async Task HandleAsync(HttpListenerContext ctx)
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
-            try { ctx.Response.StatusCode = 500; var b = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(ex.Message); ctx.Response.OutputStream.Write(b); ctx.Response.Close(); } catch { /* client gone */ }
+            // Log the detail server-side; return a generic, non-reflective body so no request-controlled
+            // data is echoed back into the response.
+            logger.LogWarning(ex, "File service request failed.");
+            try { ctx.Response.StatusCode = 500; ctx.Response.ContentType = "text/plain; charset=utf-8"; var b = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("Operation failed."); ctx.Response.OutputStream.Write(b); ctx.Response.Close(); } catch { /* client gone */ }
         }
     }
 
@@ -139,7 +142,8 @@ private static async Task WriteJsonAsync(HttpListenerContext ctx, FsList list)
 
     private static void Ok(HttpListenerContext ctx) { ctx.Response.StatusCode = 200; ctx.Response.Close(); }
 
-    private void Audit(string op, string detail) => logger.LogInformation("file {Op}: {Detail}", op, detail);
+    // Strip CR/LF from the request-controlled detail so a crafted path cannot forge extra audit-log lines.
+    private void Audit(string op, string detail) => logger.LogInformation("file {Op}: {Detail}", op, detail.Replace('\r', ' ').Replace('\n', ' '));
 
     /// <summary>Logged-in user's home (best-effort): the system drive's Users\&lt;active console user&gt;, else the drive root.</summary>
     private static string HomeDir()
diff --git a/src/RemoteAgent/RemoteAgent.csproj b/src/RemoteAgent/RemoteAgent.csproj
index 786ac1c..e57f9b6 100644
--- a/src/RemoteAgent/RemoteAgent.csproj
+++ b/src/RemoteAgent/RemoteAgent.csproj
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <RootNamespace>RemoteAgent</RootNamespace>
     <AssemblyName>RemoteAgent</AssemblyName>
-    <Version>1.7.0.0</Version>
+    <Version>1.7.1.0</Version>
     <ApplicationIcon>..\..\icon\app.ico</ApplicationIcon>
 
     <!-- The service runs under SYSTEM with no user interaction. -->
diff --git a/src/RemoteAgent/Services/VncProvisioningService.cs b/src/RemoteAgent/Services/VncProvisioningService.cs
index 714c298..0d1b81b 100644
--- a/src/RemoteAgent/Services/VncProvisioningService.cs
+++ b/src/RemoteAgent/Services/VncProvisioningService.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 using System.Net.Http.Json;
+using System.Security.Cryptography;
+using System.Text;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Options;
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
             try
             {
                 var secretFile = Path.Combine(_opt.EnrollmentDir, "vnc.secret");
-                string? password = File.Exists(secretFile) ? File.ReadAllText(secretFile).Trim() : null;
+                string? password = ReadSecret(secretFile);
 
                 var msi = Path.Combine(AppContext.BaseDirectory, "vnc", "tightvnc.msi");
 
@@ -48,7 +50,7 @@ protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
                     {
                         await VncProvisioner.EnsureInstalledAsync(msi);
                         VncProvisioner.ApplyHardening(password);
-                        File.WriteAllText(secretFile, password);
+                        WriteSecret(secretFile, password);
                         logger.LogInformation(L.VncProvisioningService_VNCProvisionedPerDevicePassword);
                     }
                     catch (Exception ex)
@@ -87,7 +89,7 @@ protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
             try
             {
                 var secretFile = Path.Combine(_opt.EnrollmentDir, "vnc.secret");
-                var pw = File.Exists(secretFile) ? File.ReadAllText(secretFile).Trim() : null;
+                var pw = ReadSecret(secretFile);
                 if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(pw))
                     await VncProvisioner.EnsureHealthyAsync(pw, msiPath);
             }
@@ -95,6 +97,25 @@ protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
         }
     }
 
+    // vnc.secret stores the local VNC password. Encrypt it at rest with DPAPI (machine scope; the agent
+    // runs as SYSTEM), transparently migrating any legacy plaintext file the first time it is read.
+    private static string? ReadSecret(string file)
+    {
+        if (!File.Exists(file)) return null;
+        var raw = File.ReadAllBytes(file);
+        if (raw.Length == 0) return null;
+        try { return Encoding.UTF8.GetString(ProtectedData.Unprotect(raw, null, DataProtectionScope.LocalMachine)).Trim(); }
+        catch
+        {
+            var plain = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(raw).Trim();   // legacy plaintext
+            try { WriteSecret(file, plain); } catch { /* best-effort migration */ }
+            return plain;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void WriteSecret(string file, string password) =>
+        File.WriteAllBytes(file, ProtectedData.Protect(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(password), null, DataProtectionScope.LocalMachine));
+
     private async Task ReportSecretAsync(string password, CancellationToken ct)
     {
         if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(_opt.Telemetry.IngestUrl))