Done with your security testing tools and development process? Are you just hours away from going live with your software application? Ready to release it right?
Sorry but you’re wrong! Before passing a green signal to your security process, You are still left with the last, yet the most important step towards your release of application i.e A Secure Code Review. In many industries, reviewing codes is a requisite of the compliance requirement. Code reviews offer an added value to your security process of software products, that’s why many organizations today have indulged the security code review services of experts.
What exactly is a Security Code Review?
You may have clarity that your application is ready to go live if you’ve ensured security testing throughout the development life-cycle process. But still, you can’t be sure about the last-minute vulnerabilities of security tools and mechanisms.
That’s the stage where SCR involves. There isn’t any rocket science to digest what actually SCR is? Just like we review a document before its final submission, software products/applications also require a “final gaze”, to ensure that the application and its features are free of security blemishes.
Tips and tricks for better secure code reviews
Want your code reviews to be more fruitful and better than before? Of Course, you would! Here are some tips.
1. Ensuring consistency between reviews via different developers with code review checklists
Ensure that all the reviewers are working by the same comprehensive checklist while conducting manual coding reviews. Because reviewers are also humans and possibility is to have neglect and human errors, if there isn’t any well-designed checklist.
Adding more to it for better results, enforcement of time constraints, mandatory breaks, and allotting a specific amount of time to a source code review, will keep the reviewers motivated throughout the coding review process.
2. Establishment of a positive security culture
Ensuring a positive security culture is essential to refrain from playing blame games with developers. Provide your developers with specific security education and awareness, they’ll not be going to improve their mistakes if they’ll feel someone’s keeping an eye on their shoulders and pinching them.
3. Review code every time a change is introduced in the code
It is recommended to have manual reviews each time new changes are introduced in codes, test codes on a regular basis, hence saving time and manpower by having the app reviewed in chunks.
4. Manual Reviews along with tools to detect flaws
The best combination to avoid glitches in the code is to use a mix of static analysis testing along with manual reviews. Tools are not having the ability to think like a human mind, therefore tools are sometimes unable to detect issues in the logic of codes and in risk estimation for the concerned organization.
5. Constantly monitor and track patterns of insecure code
Keeping track of your code offers great cognizance into the patterns that could be the main cause of certain flaws, and will support you when you’re updating your review guide.
Final Thoughts
Software applications usually have hundreds to thousands of lines of codes, as your application security program gets matured, you’ll experience how important it is to have manual and automated code reviews hand in hand. It is here recommended that if your budget allows you to bear the cost of a tool and a resource for reviewing codes, then go for it. Having a mix of both can be very helpful for your organization and would result in a better secure code review.