A secure code review checklist aligned with OWASP standards must validate more than 120 individual security controls to protect modern software. These controls span authentication, input validation, secrets management, and security logging. The latest OWASP Top 10: 2025 report reveals that Broken Access Control alone compromises 3.73% of all applications, which explains why every engineering team needs an OWASP-aligned secure code review process.
The same dataset (175,000 application-testing records) shows that Software Supply Chain Failures and Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions are now first-class risks. Embedding this secure code review checklist into your SDLC lets you systematically check parameterized queries, session-token entropy, cryptographic algorithm strength, and audit trail completeness to meet SOC 2 and ISO 42001 requirements.
TL;DR
Security teams without a structured code review process miss critical vulnerabilities that automated scanners overlook. Broken Access Control affects 3.73% of applications and takes a median of 315 days to remediate. OWASP 2025 adds two new risk categories (Software Supply Chain Failures and Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions) while expanding its dataset to 175,000 applications. This checklist covers authentication verification, injection prevention, secrets management, logging requirements, and compliance mapping to SOC 2 and ISO 42001 controls.
Why Security Teams Need an OWASP 2025-Aligned Secure Code Review Checklist
60% of enterprise applications ship with first-party code vulnerabilities, and the median remediation window is 315 days. A data-driven secure code review checklist aligned with OWASP offers an evidence-based path to prioritize fixes by leveraging the 175,000-app dataset (a 40% increase since 2021).
OWASP 2025 adds two new categories: Software Supply Chain Failures (A03: 2025) and Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions (A10: 2025). Security Misconfiguration now ranks second with a 3.80% incidence rate. Broken Access Control remains the top risk.
Augment Code's Context Engine scores 70.6% on SWE-bench Verified and analyzes 400,000+ files to surface security-critical paths and compliance gaps. Start security-focused code review →
Authentication and Authorization Verification Checklist for Secure Code Review
Broken Access Control remains the most severe application security issue in the OWASP 2025 Top 10, spanning 40 CWEs and affecting 3.73% of apps. Teams implementing AI-powered code review catch authorization flaws earlier in the development cycle.
Preventing URL Parameter Tampering and Forced Browsing
Every database query that consumes URL parameters must include ownership verification. The insecure pattern:
SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?
ignores record ownership and enables horizontal privilege escalation (CWE-639). The secure variant:
SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ? AND owner_id = ?
binds the current user's ID to block unauthorized record access.
Review all routes for authentication decorators. Hunt for commented-out logic or @AllowAnonymous / @PermitAll() on sensitive endpoints.
Session Token Security and Cookie Flags
Session tokens should use a cryptographically secure random generator with at least 64 bits of entropy. Regenerate tokens post-login to mitigate session fixation (CWE-384). Cookies must include Secure, HttpOnly, SameSite=Strict, plus absolute (2-8 h) and idle (15-30 min) timeouts per OWASP's Session Management Cheat Sheet.
JWT Algorithm Confusion and Key Management
Follow JWT security implementation standards: explicitly declare expected JWT algorithms, reject "none," and use HMAC keys ≥ 256 bits or RSA keys ≥ 2048 bits (3072 or 4096 bits preferred). These checks mitigate CWE-347 risks.
When reviewing authentication flows across large codebases, Augment Code's Context Engine traces session-management patterns and ownership checks across 400,000+ files to ensure thorough coverage.
Input Validation and Injection Prevention Checklist
Injection vulnerabilities span CWE-79 (XSS with 30,000+ CVEs) and CWE-89 (SQL Injection with 14,000+ CVEs). Understanding static code analysis techniques helps teams identify these patterns systematically.
Parameterized Query and Output Encoding
All queries need prepared statements. Avoid string concatenation like "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = " + userId. Apply context-specific output encoding (HTML, JS, CSS, URL) as recommended in the OWASP XSS Prevention Cheat Sheet. Use a restrictive nonce- or hash-based Content Security Policy (CSP) as described in the OWASP Content Security Policy Cheat Sheet.
Command Injection and System Call Analysis
Identify every call to system(), exec(), popen(), or Runtime.exec(). Use parameterized command APIs to thwart argument injection (CWE-88). Avoid shell interpreters when feasible.
Augment Code's Context Engine maps security-critical code paths across 400,000+ files, correlating user input with DB queries, rendering sinks, and shell execution points to expose injection vulnerabilities that span multiple services. See security-aware code analysis in action →
Secrets Management and Cryptographic Security Checklist
Cryptographic Failures (A04: 2025) demand checks across hardcoded secrets, algorithm choices, and key lifecycles. Teams evaluating enterprise AI coding tools should verify secrets detection capabilities.
Detecting Hardcoded Credentials and API Keys
Search code and configs for keys, tokens, and connection strings (CWE-321). Verify that default credentials are replaced. Confirm secrets aren't committed to repositories.
Cryptographic Algorithm and Key Strength Requirements
Disallowed or deprecated algorithms: DES, 3DES, RC4, MD5, SHA-1. Approved standards: AES-256, RSA ≥ 2048 bits, ECC curves P-256/P-384/P-521 per NIST SP 800-57 guidelines.
Security Logging and Monitoring Verification Items
Logging & Alerting Failures (A09: 2025) spotlight the need for actionable alerts rather than passive logs.
Audit Trail and Sensitive Data Protection
Log authentication attempts (user, timestamp, action, outcome) and authorization denials (user, resource, reason). Never log passwords, tokens, or PII (CWE-532). Sanitize log entries per CWE-117. Synchronize timestamps to NTP with time zones (NIST SP 800-92). Real-time alerts for failed logins, privilege-escalation attempts, and access-control violations are recommended best practices, though OWASP A09:2025 and the referenced standards do not explicitly mandate them.
Augment Code maps every log statement to its data source, flagging sensitive-data leaks and deprecated crypto patterns across enterprise codebases.
SOC 2 and ISO 42001 Compliance Mapping
SOC 2 Type II audits require 3-12 months of evidence showing consistent, secure development. ISO 42001:2023 adds 38 AI-specific controls. Organizations pursuing compliance should review AI governance frameworks that align with both standards.
- SOC 2: Use the COSO framework as a complementary reference for internal controls as appropriate. Maintain documented procedures and retain suitable evidence (such as secure code review records) to support secure development controls.
- ISO 42001: Clause 8.4 mandates AI System Impact Assessments. Controls across A.6, A.7, and A.2 focus on data validation, access control, and secure model storage.
Augment Code's Context Engine analyzes security-critical paths across 400,000+ files, supporting teams in gathering compliance evidence through comprehensive code review coverage.
What to Do Next
OWASP 2025 focuses on 10 risk categories with associated CWEs and high-level guidance rather than outlining 120+ actionable checks. Broken Access Control (3.73%) and Security Misconfiguration (3.80%) top the risk chart, making an OWASP-aligned secure code review checklist essential.
Integrating this secure code review checklist into every sprint gives engineering teams end-to-end visibility of vulnerabilities across services, dependencies, and auth boundaries.
Augment Code's Context Engine delivers security-aware analysis and compliance mapping across enterprise codebases. Explore security-focused code review capabilities →
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Written by
Molisha Shah
GTM and Customer Champion