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Security Review
ASecurityUse this skill when adding authentication, handling user input, working with secrets, creating API endpoints, or implementing payment/sensitive features. Provides comprehensive security checklist and patterns.
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- Added October 9, 2026
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Security analysis
96/100- Installs packages at runtime which could introduce malicious dependencies
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[](https://www.skillsdirectory.com/skills/comeonoliver-security-review-skillshub)---
name: security-review
description: Use this skill when adding authentication, handling user input, working with secrets, creating API endpoints, or implementing payment/sensitive features. Provides comprehensive security checklist and patterns.
---
# Security Review Skill
This skill ensures all code follows security best practices and identifies potential vulnerabilities.
## When to Activate
- Implementing authentication or authorization
- Handling user input or file uploads
- Creating new API endpoints
- Working with secrets or credentials
- Implementing payment features
- Storing or transmitting sensitive data
- Integrating third-party APIs
## Security Checklist
### 1. Secrets Management
#### ❌ NEVER Do This
```typescript
const apiKey = "sk-proj-xxxxx" // Hardcoded secret
const dbPassword = "password123" // In source code
```
#### ✅ ALWAYS Do This
```typescript
const apiKey = process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY
const dbUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL
// Verify secrets exist
if (!apiKey) {
throw new Error('OPENAI_API_KEY not configured')
}
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] No hardcoded API keys, tokens, or passwords
- [ ] All secrets in environment variables
- [ ] `.env.local` in .gitignore
- [ ] No secrets in git history
- [ ] Production secrets in hosting platform (Cloudflare, CI)
### 2. Input Validation
#### Always Validate User Input
```typescript
import { z } from 'zod'
// Define validation schema
const CreateUserSchema = z.object({
email: z.string().email(),
name: z.string().min(1).max(100),
age: z.number().int().min(0).max(150)
})
// Validate before processing
export async function createUser(input: unknown) {
try {
const validated = CreateUserSchema.parse(input)
return await db.users.create(validated)
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof z.ZodError) {
return { success: false, errors: error.errors }
}
throw error
}
}
```
#### File Upload Validation
```typescript
function validateFileUpload(file: File) {
// Size check (5MB max)
const maxSize = 5 * 1024 * 1024
if (file.size > maxSize) {
throw new Error('File too large (max 5MB)')
}
// Type check
const allowedTypes = ['image/jpeg', 'image/png', 'image/gif']
if (!allowedTypes.includes(file.type)) {
throw new Error('Invalid file type')
}
// Extension check
const allowedExtensions = ['.jpg', '.jpeg', '.png', '.gif']
const extension = file.name.toLowerCase().match(/\.[^.]+$/)?.[0]
if (!extension || !allowedExtensions.includes(extension)) {
throw new Error('Invalid file extension')
}
return true
}
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] All user inputs validated with schemas
- [ ] File uploads restricted (size, type, extension)
- [ ] No direct use of user input in queries
- [ ] Whitelist validation (not blacklist)
- [ ] Error messages don't leak sensitive info
### 3. SQL Injection Prevention
#### ❌ NEVER Concatenate SQL
```typescript
// DANGEROUS - SQL Injection vulnerability
const query = `SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = '${userEmail}'`
await db.query(query)
```
#### ✅ ALWAYS Use Parameterized Queries
```typescript
// Safe - parameterized query
const { data } = await supabase
.from('users')
.select('*')
.eq('email', userEmail)
// Or with raw SQL
await db.query(
'SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = $1',
[userEmail]
)
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] All database queries use parameterized queries
- [ ] No string concatenation in SQL
- [ ] ORM/query builder used correctly
- [ ] PostgreSQL queries properly sanitized (Drizzle/Kysely)
### 4. Authentication & Authorization
#### JWT Token Handling
```typescript
// ❌ WRONG: localStorage (vulnerable to XSS)
localStorage.setItem('token', token)
// ✅ CORRECT: httpOnly cookies
res.setHeader('Set-Cookie',
`token=${token}; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=Strict; Max-Age=3600`)
```
#### Authorization Checks
```typescript
export async function deleteUser(userId: string, requesterId: string) {
// ALWAYS verify authorization first
const requester = await db.users.findUnique({
where: { id: requesterId }
})
if (requester.role !== 'admin') {
return NextResponse.json(
{ error: 'Unauthorized' },
{ status: 403 }
)
}
// Proceed with deletion
await db.users.delete({ where: { id: userId } })
}
```
#### Row Level Security (PostgreSQL)
```sql
-- Enable RLS on all tables
ALTER TABLE users ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
-- Users can only view their own data
CREATE POLICY "Users view own data"
ON users FOR SELECT
USING (current_setting('app.user_id')::uuid = id);
-- Users can only update their own data
CREATE POLICY "Users update own data"
ON users FOR UPDATE
USING (current_setting('app.user_id')::uuid = id);
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] Tokens stored in httpOnly cookies (not localStorage)
- [ ] Authorization checks before sensitive operations
- [ ] Row Level Security enabled where applicable (PostgreSQL)
- [ ] Role-based access control implemented
- [ ] Session management secure
### 5. XSS Prevention
#### Sanitize HTML
```typescript
import DOMPurify from 'isomorphic-dompurify'
// ALWAYS sanitize user-provided HTML
function renderUserContent(html: string) {
const clean = DOMPurify.sanitize(html, {
ALLOWED_TAGS: ['b', 'i', 'em', 'strong', 'p'],
ALLOWED_ATTR: []
})
return <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: clean }} />
}
```
#### Content Security Policy
```typescript
// next.config.js
const securityHeaders = [
{
key: 'Content-Security-Policy',
value: `
default-src 'self';
script-src 'self' 'unsafe-eval' 'unsafe-inline';
style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';
img-src 'self' data: https:;
font-src 'self';
connect-src 'self' https://api.example.com;
`.replace(/\s{2,}/g, ' ').trim()
}
]
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] User-provided HTML sanitized
- [ ] CSP headers configured
- [ ] No unvalidated dynamic content rendering
- [ ] React's built-in XSS protection used
### 6. CSRF Protection
#### CSRF Tokens
```typescript
import { csrf } from '@/lib/csrf'
export async function POST(request: Request) {
const token = request.headers.get('X-CSRF-Token')
if (!csrf.verify(token)) {
return NextResponse.json(
{ error: 'Invalid CSRF token' },
{ status: 403 }
)
}
// Process request
}
```
#### SameSite Cookies
```typescript
res.setHeader('Set-Cookie',
`session=${sessionId}; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=Strict`)
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] CSRF tokens on state-changing operations
- [ ] SameSite=Strict on all cookies
- [ ] Double-submit cookie pattern implemented
### 7. Rate Limiting
#### API Rate Limiting
```typescript
import rateLimit from 'express-rate-limit'
const limiter = rateLimit({
windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
max: 100, // 100 requests per window
message: 'Too many requests'
})
// Apply to routes
app.use('/api/', limiter)
```
#### Expensive Operations
```typescript
// Aggressive rate limiting for searches
const searchLimiter = rateLimit({
windowMs: 60 * 1000, // 1 minute
max: 10, // 10 requests per minute
message: 'Too many search requests'
})
app.use('/api/search', searchLimiter)
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] Rate limiting on all API endpoints
- [ ] Stricter limits on expensive operations
- [ ] IP-based rate limiting
- [ ] User-based rate limiting (authenticated)
### 8. Sensitive Data Exposure
#### Logging
```typescript
// ❌ WRONG: Logging sensitive data
console.log('User login:', { email, password })
console.log('Payment:', { cardNumber, cvv })
// ✅ CORRECT: Redact sensitive data
console.log('User login:', { email, userId })
console.log('Payment:', { last4: card.last4, userId })
```
#### Error Messages
```typescript
// ❌ WRONG: Exposing internal details
catch (error) {
return NextResponse.json(
{ error: error.message, stack: error.stack },
{ status: 500 }
)
}
// ✅ CORRECT: Generic error messages
catch (error) {
console.error('Internal error:', error)
return NextResponse.json(
{ error: 'An error occurred. Please try again.' },
{ status: 500 }
)
}
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] No passwords, tokens, or secrets in logs
- [ ] Error messages generic for users
- [ ] Detailed errors only in server logs
- [ ] No stack traces exposed to users
### 9. Payments and Messaging Security
#### Webhook Verification
```typescript
import crypto from 'crypto'
function verifyWebhookSignature(
payload: string,
signature: string,
secret: string
) {
const expected = crypto
.createHmac('sha256', secret)
.update(payload)
.digest('hex')
return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
Buffer.from(signature),
Buffer.from(expected)
)
}
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] Webhooks verified before processing (RevenueCat, Twilio, Resend)
- [ ] Idempotency enforced on webhook handlers
- [ ] Rate limits on public webhook endpoints
- [ ] No sensitive data in logs or responses
### 10. Dependency Security
#### Regular Updates
```bash
# Check for vulnerabilities
pnpm audit
# Fix automatically fixable issues
pnpm audit --fix
# Update dependencies
pnpm update
# Check for outdated packages
pnpm outdated
```
#### Lock Files
```bash
# ALWAYS commit lock files
git add package-lock.json
# Use in CI/CD for reproducible builds
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile # CI-safe install
```
#### Verification Steps
- [ ] Dependencies up to date
- [ ] No known vulnerabilities (pnpm audit clean)
- [ ] Lock files committed
- [ ] Dependabot enabled on GitHub
- [ ] Regular security updates
## Security Testing
### Automated Security Tests
```typescript
// Test authentication
test('requires authentication', async () => {
const response = await fetch('/api/protected')
expect(response.status).toBe(401)
})
// Test authorization
test('requires admin role', async () => {
const response = await fetch('/api/admin', {
headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${userToken}` }
})
expect(response.status).toBe(403)
})
// Test input validation
test('rejects invalid input', async () => {
const response = await fetch('/api/users', {
method: 'POST',
body: JSON.stringify({ email: 'not-an-email' })
})
expect(response.status).toBe(400)
})
// Test rate limiting
test('enforces rate limits', async () => {
const requests = Array(101).fill(null).map(() =>
fetch('/api/endpoint')
)
const responses = await Promise.all(requests)
const tooManyRequests = responses.filter(r => r.status === 429)
expect(tooManyRequests.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
})
```
## Pre-Deployment Security Checklist
Before ANY production deployment:
- [ ] **Secrets**: No hardcoded secrets, all in env vars
- [ ] **Input Validation**: All user inputs validated
- [ ] **SQL Injection**: All queries parameterized
- [ ] **XSS**: User content sanitized
- [ ] **CSRF**: Protection enabled
- [ ] **Authentication**: Proper token handling
- [ ] **Authorization**: Role checks in place
- [ ] **Rate Limiting**: Enabled on all endpoints
- [ ] **HTTPS**: Enforced in production
- [ ] **Security Headers**: CSP, X-Frame-Options configured
- [ ] **Error Handling**: No sensitive data in errors
- [ ] **Logging**: No sensitive data logged
- [ ] **Dependencies**: Up to date, no vulnerabilities
- [ ] **Row Level Security**: Enabled where applicable (PostgreSQL)
- [ ] **CORS**: Properly configured
- [ ] **File Uploads**: Validated (size, type)
- [ ] **Webhook Signatures**: Verified (payments/messaging)
## Resources
- [OWASP Top 10](https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/)
- [Next.js Security](https://nextjs.org/docs/security)
- [PostgreSQL Row Level Security](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/ddl-rowsecurity.html)
- [Web Security Academy](https://portswigger.net/web-security)
---
**Remember**: Security is not optional. One vulnerability can compromise the entire platform. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.
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