Security Audit

Overview

Find vulnerabilities an attacker can actually reach, prove each one with code, and say exactly how to fix it. A short list of real, exploitable findings beats a long list of maybes.

Method

1. Scope. Identify entry points: HTTP routes, CLI args, file uploads, message consumers, webhooks, scheduled jobs. Note the framework and auth mechanism.
2. Map trust boundaries. For each entry point, follow untrusted input to where it is used (query, shell, file path, HTML, redirect, deserializer, template).
3. Sweep by class. Search systematically with the patterns in checklist.md. Do not stop at the first hit per class.
4. Verify every candidate before reporting:
   • Is the input attacker-controlled? Trace it.
   • Is there validation, escaping, parameterisation or an auth check on the path?
   • Is the code reachable in production (not a test, fixture, or dead code)? If any answer removes the risk, drop it or mark it Low confidence.
5. Check configuration and dependencies: CORS, cookies, headers, debug flags, secrets in repo, known-vulnerable versions in lockfiles.
6. Report using the contract below.

Output contract

Start with one line: N findings: X critical, Y high, Z medium, W low. Then one block per finding, highest severity first:

### [SEVERITY] Title
- Location: path/to/file.ext:line
- Evidence: the 1-5 lines of code that are vulnerable
- Attack: concrete input or request an attacker sends and what they get
- Fix: the corrected code, or the exact change
- Confidence: High | Medium | Low

End with Checked and clean: the classes you searched that had no findings. If nothing was found, say so plainly. Do not pad.

Severity

Common mistakes

• Reporting a query() call as SQL injection without checking it is parameterised.
• Flagging secrets in .env.example, tests or docs as leaked credentials.
• Missing authorization bugs (IDOR) because every route "has auth" — check that the record belongs to the caller.
• Listing generic advice ("use HTTPS") instead of findings in this code.
• Stopping after the first file. Audit every entry point.

Made by Wageesha Tripathi · LinkedIn · Email · More skills