Security Code Testing

Python
# Basic security scan checklist
def quick_security_scan(codebase_path):
    checks = [
        "SQL injection vulnerabilities",
        "XSS attack vectors", 
        "Authentication bypasses",
        "Input validation gaps",
        "Privilege escalation paths",
        "Data exposure risks"
    ]
    return run_security_analysis(codebase_path, checks)

Progress:

• Static Analysis - Scan code for known vulnerability patterns
• Dynamic Testing - Test running application with malicious inputs
• Authentication Review - Verify access controls and session management
• Data Flow Analysis - Trace sensitive data handling
• Dependency Audit - Check third-party libraries for known CVEs
• Configuration Review - Validate security settings and environment
• Report Generation - Document findings with severity levels

Static Analysis Phase

1. Run automated tools (Bandit, SemGrep, CodeQL)
2. Manual code review focusing on:
   • Input sanitization
   • Output encoding
   • Cryptographic implementations
   • Error handling

Dynamic Testing Phase

1. Deploy to test environment
2. Perform penetration testing:
   • Injection attacks (SQL, NoSQL, LDAP, OS)
   • Broken authentication
   • Sensitive data exposure
   • Security misconfiguration

Example 1: SQL Injection Detection Input:

Python
query = f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = {user_id}"
cursor.execute(query)

Output:

CRITICAL: SQL Injection vulnerability
Location: line 23, user_controller.py
Fix: Use parameterized queries
Recommended: cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = %s", (user_id,))

Example 2: XSS Vulnerability Input:

JavaScript
document.innerHTML = "<div>" + userInput + "</div>";

Output:

HIGH: XSS vulnerability - unescaped user input
Location: line 45, profile.js  
Fix: Sanitize input before DOM insertion
Recommended: Use textContent or DOMPurify library

• Automate first - Use SAST/DAST tools before manual review
• Test early - Integrate security testing in CI/CD pipeline
• Prioritize by risk - Focus on high-impact, high-probability vulnerabilities
• Document everything - Maintain detailed logs of tests and findings
• Retest fixes - Verify vulnerabilities are properly resolved
• Stay updated - Monitor OWASP Top 10 and CVE databases

• Testing only happy paths - Always test edge cases and malformed inputs
• Ignoring business logic flaws - Look beyond technical vulnerabilities
• Assuming frameworks are secure - Verify security configurations
• Testing in production - Use isolated environments for security testing
• Incomplete threat modeling - Consider all attack vectors for the application
• False sense of security - Automated tools miss context-specific vulnerabilities