SecurityChecklist.md

Security Checklist

Configuration Security

• Store secrets in environment variables or dedicated secret management systems
• Never commit secrets to version control
• Implement secret rotation policies
• Use different credentials for different environments
• Encrypt sensitive configuration values

Authentication & Authorization

• Implement proper authentication mechanisms
• Use OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect where appropriate
• Implement role-based access control (RBAC)
• Follow the principle of least privilege
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for sensitive operations

Data Protection

• Encrypt data at rest
• Encrypt data in transit (TLS/HTTPS)
• Implement proper key management
• Sanitize and validate all inputs
• Implement output encoding to prevent XSS attacks
• Apply proper database security controls

API Security

• Implement rate limiting
• Set appropriate timeouts
• Use API keys/tokens with proper scopes
• Validate and sanitize all API inputs
• Implement proper error handling that doesn't leak sensitive information

Infrastructure Security

• Use container security scanning
• Implement network segmentation
• Apply security hardening to containers and hosts
• Use Web Application Firewalls (WAF) where appropriate
• Implement proper egress filtering

Logging & Monitoring

• Implement security event logging
• Use centralized log collection and analysis
• Configure alerts for suspicious activities
• Implement audit trails for sensitive operations
• Ensure logs don't contain sensitive information

Dependency Management

• Regularly scan dependencies for vulnerabilities
• Implement a process for updating vulnerable dependencies
• Use dependency lockfiles for deterministic builds
• Vet third-party libraries before inclusion
• Minimize dependency footprint

Resilience & Availability

• Implement proper error handling
• Design for graceful degradation
• Protect against DoS attacks
• Implement circuit breakers for external services
• Have a tested disaster recovery plan

SDLC Security

• Perform regular security testing (SAST, DAST, IAST)
• Implement secure code review processes
• Conduct regular penetration testing
• Maintain a vulnerability management program
• Implement proper CI/CD security controls

Compliance & Governance

• Document security controls
• Implement proper data retention policies
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)
• Conduct regular security awareness training
• Establish incident response procedures