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code-review-security

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Security-focused code review checklist and automated scanning patterns. Use when reviewing pull requests for security issues, auditing authentication/authorization code, checking for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, or validating input sanitization. Covers SQL injection prevention, XSS protection, CSRF tokens, authentication flow review, secrets detection, dependency vulnerability scanning, and secure coding patterns for Python (FastAPI) and React. Does NOT cover deployment security (use docker-best-practices) or incident handling (use incident-response).

Web Devscripts

What this skill does


# Code Review Security

## When to Use

Activate this skill when:
- Reviewing pull requests for security vulnerabilities
- Auditing authentication or authorization code changes
- Reviewing code that handles user input, file uploads, or external data
- Checking for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities in new features
- Validating that secrets are not committed to the repository
- Scanning dependencies for known vulnerabilities
- Reviewing API endpoints that expose sensitive data

**Output:** Write findings to `security-review.md` with severity, file:line, description, and recommendations.

Do NOT use this skill for:
- Deployment infrastructure security (use `docker-best-practices`)
- Incident response procedures (use `incident-response`)
- General code quality review without security focus (use `pre-merge-checklist`)
- Writing implementation code (use `python-backend-expert` or `react-frontend-expert`)

## Instructions

### OWASP Top 10 Checklist

Review every PR against the OWASP Top 10 (2021 edition). Each category below includes specific checks for Python/FastAPI and React codebases.

---

#### A01: Broken Access Control

**What to look for:**
- Missing authorization checks on endpoints
- Direct object reference without ownership verification
- Endpoints that expose data without role-based filtering
- Missing `Depends()` for auth on new routes

**Python/FastAPI checks:**
```python
# BAD: No authorization check -- any authenticated user can access any user
@router.get("/users/{user_id}")
async def get_user(user_id: int, db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
    return await user_repo.get(user_id)

# GOOD: Verify the requesting user owns the resource or is admin
@router.get("/users/{user_id}")
async def get_user(
    user_id: int,
    current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user),
    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
):
    if current_user.id != user_id and current_user.role != "admin":
        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Forbidden")
    return await user_repo.get(user_id)
```

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] Every route has authentication (`Depends(get_current_user)`)
- [ ] Resource access is verified against the requesting user
- [ ] Admin-only endpoints check `role == "admin"`
- [ ] List endpoints filter by user ownership (unless admin)
- [ ] No IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) vulnerabilities

---

#### A02: Cryptographic Failures

**What to look for:**
- Passwords stored in plaintext or with weak hashing
- Sensitive data in logs or error messages
- Hardcoded secrets, API keys, or tokens
- Weak JWT configuration

**Python checks:**
```python
# BAD: Weak password hashing
import hashlib
password_hash = hashlib.md5(password.encode()).hexdigest()

# GOOD: Use bcrypt via passlib
from passlib.context import CryptContext
pwd_context = CryptContext(schemes=["bcrypt"], deprecated="auto")
password_hash = pwd_context.hash(password)

# BAD: Secret in code
SECRET_KEY = "my-super-secret-key-123"

# GOOD: Secret from environment
SECRET_KEY = os.environ["SECRET_KEY"]
```

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] Passwords hashed with bcrypt (never MD5, SHA1, or plaintext)
- [ ] JWT secret loaded from environment, not hardcoded
- [ ] Sensitive data excluded from logs (passwords, tokens, PII)
- [ ] HTTPS enforced for all external communication
- [ ] No secrets in source code (check `.env.example` has placeholders only)

---

#### A03: Injection

**What to look for:**
- Raw SQL queries with string interpolation
- `eval()`, `exec()`, `compile()` with user input
- `subprocess` calls with `shell=True`
- Template injection

**Python checks:**
```python
# BAD: SQL injection via string formatting
query = f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = '{email}'"
db.execute(text(query))

# GOOD: Parameterized query
db.execute(text("SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = :email"), {"email": email})

# GOOD: SQLAlchemy ORM (always parameterized)
user = db.query(User).filter(User.email == email).first()

# BAD: Command injection
subprocess.run(f"convert {filename}", shell=True)

# GOOD: Pass arguments as a list
subprocess.run(["convert", filename], shell=False)

# BAD: Code execution with user input
result = eval(user_input)

# GOOD: Never eval user input. Use ast.literal_eval for safe parsing.
result = ast.literal_eval(user_input)  # Only for literal structures
```

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] No raw SQL with string interpolation (use ORM or parameterized queries)
- [ ] No `eval()`, `exec()`, or `compile()` with external input
- [ ] No `subprocess.run(..., shell=True)` with dynamic arguments
- [ ] No `pickle.loads()` on untrusted data
- [ ] All user input validated by Pydantic schemas before use

---

#### A04: Insecure Design

**What to look for:**
- Missing rate limiting on authentication endpoints
- No account lockout after failed login attempts
- Missing CAPTCHA on public-facing forms
- Business logic flaws (e.g., negative amounts, self-privilege-escalation)

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] Rate limiting on login, registration, and password reset
- [ ] Account lockout or exponential backoff after 5+ failed attempts
- [ ] Business logic validates constraints (positive amounts, valid transitions)
- [ ] Sensitive operations require re-authentication

---

#### A05: Security Misconfiguration

**What to look for:**
- Debug mode enabled in production
- CORS configured with wildcard `*` origins
- Default credentials or admin accounts
- Verbose error messages exposing stack traces

**Python/FastAPI checks:**
```python
# BAD: Wide-open CORS
app.add_middleware(CORSMiddleware, allow_origins=["*"])

# GOOD: Explicit allowed origins
app.add_middleware(
    CORSMiddleware,
    allow_origins=["https://app.example.com"],
    allow_methods=["GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"],
    allow_headers=["Authorization", "Content-Type"],
)

# BAD: Debug mode in production
app = FastAPI(debug=True)

# GOOD: Debug only in development
app = FastAPI(debug=settings.DEBUG)  # DEBUG=False in production
```

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] CORS origins are explicit (no wildcard in production)
- [ ] Debug mode disabled in production configuration
- [ ] Error responses do not expose stack traces or internal details
- [ ] Default admin credentials are changed or removed
- [ ] Security headers set (X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, etc.)

---

#### A06: Vulnerable and Outdated Components

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] No known CVEs in Python dependencies (`pip-audit` or `safety check`)
- [ ] No known CVEs in npm dependencies (`npm audit`)
- [ ] Dependencies pinned to specific versions in lock files
- [ ] No deprecated packages still in use

---

#### A07: Identification and Authentication Failures

**What to look for:**
- Weak password policies
- Session tokens that do not expire
- Missing multi-factor authentication for admin actions
- JWT tokens without expiration

**Python checks:**
```python
# BAD: JWT without expiration
token = jwt.encode({"sub": user_id}, SECRET_KEY, algorithm="HS256")

# GOOD: JWT with expiration
token = jwt.encode(
    {"sub": user_id, "exp": datetime.utcnow() + timedelta(minutes=30)},
    SECRET_KEY,
    algorithm="HS256",
)
```

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] JWT tokens have expiration (`exp` claim)
- [ ] Refresh tokens are stored securely and can be revoked
- [ ] Password policy enforces minimum length (12+) and complexity
- [ ] Session invalidation on password change or logout
- [ ] No user enumeration via login error messages

---

#### A08: Software and Data Integrity Failures

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] CI/CD pipeline validates artifact integrity
- [ ] No unsigned or unverified packages
- [ ] Deserialization of untrusted data uses safe methods (no `pickle.loads`)
- [ ] Database migrations are reviewed before execution

---

#### A09: Security Logging and Monitoring Failures

**Review checklist:**
- [ ] Authentication events are logged (login, logout, failed attempts)
- [ ] Authorization failures are logged with context
- [ ] Sensitive data is NOT included in logs (passwords, tokens, PII)
- [ ] Log entries 
Files: 2
Size: 30.3 KB
Complexity: 59/100
Category: Web Dev

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