diff --git a/docker-entrypoint.sh b/docker-entrypoint.sh
index d0720e2..2e8cdf8 100644
--- a/docker-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,29 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-set -e
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if ! command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: curl is required but was not found in PATH." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: jq is required but was not found in PATH." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Allow operators to override the genesis URL and expected checksum.
+GENESIS_URL=${GENESIS_URL:-"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bettergovph/govchain/refs/heads/main/genesis.json"}
+GENESIS_SHA256=${GENESIS_SHA256:-""}
 
 # Exit if the MONIKER environment variable is not set.
-if [ -z "$MONIKER" ]; then
+if [ -z "${MONIKER:-}" ]; then
   echo "Error: The MONIKER environment variable is not set."
   echo "Please set it using -e MONIKER='your-moniker' with docker run, or in your docker-compose.yml."
   exit 1
 fi
 
+EXTERNAL_IP=${EXTERNAL_IP:-""}
+
 # Ensure the config directory exists
 mkdir -p "/home/nonroot/.govchain/config"
 chown nonroot:nonroot "/home/nonroot/.govchain/config"
@@ -16,11 +32,30 @@ chown nonroot:nonroot "/home/nonroot/.govchain/config"
 if [ ! -f "/home/nonroot/.govchain/config/genesis.json" ]; then
   # Define the path for the actual genesis.json
   ACTUAL_GENESIS_PATH="/home/nonroot/.govchain/config/genesis.json"
-  TEMP_GENESIS_PATH="/tmp/genesis.json" # Use a temporary path for download
+  TEMP_GENESIS_PATH=$(mktemp /tmp/genesis.XXXXXX)
+
+  cleanup() {
+    [ -f "$TEMP_GENESIS_PATH" ] && rm -f "$TEMP_GENESIS_PATH"
+  }
+  trap cleanup EXIT
 
   # Download the actual genesis.json to a temporary location
-  echo "📥 Downloading actual genesis file to extract chain-id..."
-  env 'HOME=/home/nonroot' curl -sL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bettergovph/govchain/refs/heads/main/genesis.json" -o "$TEMP_GENESIS_PATH"
+  echo "📥 Downloading actual genesis file from $GENESIS_URL to extract chain-id..."
+  if ! env 'HOME=/home/nonroot' curl -fSL --retry 3 --retry-delay 2 "$GENESIS_URL" -o "$TEMP_GENESIS_PATH"; then
+    echo "Error: failed to download genesis file from $GENESIS_URL" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  if [ -n "$GENESIS_SHA256" ]; then
+    if ! command -v sha256sum >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      echo "Error: sha256sum is required when GENESIS_SHA256 is provided." >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "🔐 Verifying genesis checksum..."
+    echo "$GENESIS_SHA256  $TEMP_GENESIS_PATH" | sha256sum -c -
+  else
+    echo "⚠️  Warning: GENESIS_SHA256 not provided. Skipping checksum verification."
+  fi
 
   # Extract chain-id from the downloaded genesis.json
   CHAIN_ID=$(jq -r '.chain_id' "$TEMP_GENESIS_PATH")
@@ -37,6 +72,7 @@ if [ ! -f "/home/nonroot/.govchain/config/genesis.json" ]; then
   # Replace the dummy genesis.json created by init with the actual downloaded one
   echo "Replacing dummy genesis.json with the actual genesis file..."
   mv "$TEMP_GENESIS_PATH" "$ACTUAL_GENESIS_PATH"
+  trap - EXIT
 
   # Set the minimum gas price in app.toml
   env 'HOME=/home/nonroot' sed -i 's/minimum-gas-prices = ""/minimum-gas-prices = "0stake"/' "/home/nonroot/.govchain/config/app.toml"
diff --git a/docs/security_assessment.md b/docs/security_assessment.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4084904
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/security_assessment.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Security Assessment Summary
+
+This document captures the primary security weaknesses identified during the review and the remediation steps implemented in this change-set. A hands-on proof-of-concept that recreates the original vulnerability and demonstrates the hardened mitigation is available in [`docs/poc/genesis_poisoning.md`](poc/genesis_poisoning.md).
+
+## 1. Insecure Genesis File Bootstrap
+
+### Issue
+- Both the Docker entrypoint (`docker-entrypoint.sh`) and the volunteer helper script (`scripts/join-as-volunteer.sh`) downloaded the network genesis file directly from the `main` branch without integrity checks.
+- The downloads used silent `curl` invocations that ignored HTTP errors and offered no tamper detection. Any man-in-the-middle attack, compromised CDN, or unexpected upstream change could silently deliver a malicious genesis file. A poisoned genesis file allows an attacker to modify the validator set or bootstrap nodes onto a hostile fork.
+
+### Remediation
+- Added strict download options (`curl -fSL --retry 3 --retry-delay 2`) so HTTP failures surface immediately.
+- Introduced optional `GENESIS_URL` and `GENESIS_SHA256` overrides and checksum verification in both scripts.
+- Added dependency checks for `curl`, `jq`, and `sha256sum` to fail fast when prerequisites are missing.
+- Hardened scripts with `set -euo pipefail`, temporary-file handling, and cleanup traps to avoid partial writes.
+
+### Operator Action Items
+- Publish an official `GENESIS_SHA256` alongside every release and configure the environment variables (or script arguments) accordingly.
+- When hosting alternative genesis mirrors, ensure the checksum matches the canonical release artifact.
+- Consider pinning `GENESIS_URL` to an immutable tag or release asset rather than a moving branch reference.
+
+## 2. General Operational Guidance
+
+- Monitor CI/CD pipelines to ensure scripts remain executable and dependencies such as `jq` and `sha256sum` stay available in container images.
+- Document the expected checksum management process in validator onboarding materials so volunteers consistently verify genesis integrity.
+
+The combination of these mitigations closes the immediate loophole around silent genesis tampering and establishes a clearer operational posture for secure node provisioning.
diff --git a/scripts/join-as-volunteer.sh b/scripts/join-as-volunteer.sh
index 5eddc48..f6e6542 100755
--- a/scripts/join-as-volunteer.sh
+++ b/scripts/join-as-volunteer.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,12 @@
 # govchain Volunteer Node Setup
 # Allows volunteers to join the network as validators without tokens
 
-set -e
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if ! command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "❌ Error: curl is required but was not found in PATH." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
 
 echo "================================"
 echo "govchain Volunteer Node Setup"
@@ -11,16 +16,17 @@ echo "================================"
 echo ""
 
 if [ "$#" -lt 2 ]; then
-    echo "Usage: $0 <node-name> <genesis-file-url>"
+    echo "Usage: $0 <node-name> <genesis-file-url> [genesis-sha256]"
     echo ""
     echo "Example:"
-    echo "  $0 volunteer-node-1 https://raw.githubusercontent.com/org/govchain/main/genesis.json"
+    echo "  $0 volunteer-node-1 https://raw.githubusercontent.com/org/govchain/main/genesis.json <sha256>"
     echo ""
     exit 1
 fi
 
 NODE_NAME="$1"
 GENESIS_URL="$2"
+GENESIS_SHA256="${3:-}"
 
 echo "📝 Node Name: $NODE_NAME"
 echo "🌐 Genesis URL: $GENESIS_URL"
@@ -48,7 +54,31 @@ echo "🔧 Initializing volunteer node..."
 
 # Download genesis file
 echo "📥 Downloading genesis file..."
-curl -s "$GENESIS_URL" -o "$HOME/.govchain/config/genesis.json"
+TEMP_GENESIS=$(mktemp /tmp/genesis.XXXXXX)
+
+cleanup() {
+    [ -f "$TEMP_GENESIS" ] && rm -f "$TEMP_GENESIS"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+if ! curl -fSL --retry 3 --retry-delay 2 "$GENESIS_URL" -o "$TEMP_GENESIS"; then
+    echo "❌ Error: failed to download genesis from $GENESIS_URL" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ -n "$GENESIS_SHA256" ]; then
+    if ! command -v sha256sum >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "❌ Error: sha256sum is required when providing a genesis checksum." >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "🔐 Verifying genesis checksum..."
+    echo "$GENESIS_SHA256  $TEMP_GENESIS" | sha256sum -c -
+else
+    echo "⚠️  Warning: No genesis checksum provided. Skipping integrity verification."
+fi
+
+mv "$TEMP_GENESIS" "$HOME/.govchain/config/genesis.json"
+trap - EXIT
 
 # Create validator key
 echo "🔑 Creating validator key..."