How do you create a front-end security audit checklist?

One specific item to add in your front-end security checklist is to identify all your OSS dependencies that may have vulnerabilities reported on your code security scans. After identifying these dependencies, it's important to segregate between build dependencies and runtime dependencies so that you can prioritise on addressing any runtime vulnerabilities head on. Build time dependency vulnerabilities are less likely to affect your code because in theory, they will not be shipped in production.

Potential threats to your application can be categorized into two groups: 1. Malicious Actors: These include hackers, bots, and competitors who may attempt to steal, manipulate, or damage your data, user accounts, or reputation. Example: Hackers targeting a financial institution's front-end to gain unauthorized access to customer accounts. 2. Accidental or Unintentional Errors: Threats can also arise from bugs, misconfigurations, or user mistakes that compromise security or functionality. Example: Misconfigured settings exposing sensitive data on a cloud storage platform. To systematically identify these threats, consider using frameworks like STRIDE or OWASP Top 10, ensuring a robust foundation for your security audit checklist.

To create a front-end security audit checklist: 1. Validate inputs and implement server-side validation. 2. Prevent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) with input sanitation. 3. Use anti-CSRF tokens for Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) protection. 4. Set up a robust Content Security Policy (CSP) header. 5. Enforce HTTPS and secure communication protocols. 6. Review authentication, authorization, and password management. 7. Check session handling and error message exposure. 8. Ensure browser security and third-party library updates. 9. Secure data storage, transmission, and file uploads. 10. Optimize for mobile, performance, and accessibility. 11. Conduct security testing and monitoring. 12. Comply with relevant security standards.

"Web Guardians: Digital Defenses Enhanced" 1. Input: Use threat modeling, fuzzing, `X-Content-Type: nosniff`, Web Crypto. 2. CSP/CORS: Set `report-to`, `strict-dynamic`, restrict credentials, tailored policies. 3. Data/Sessions: Apply encryption, obfuscation, WebAuthn, token bind. 4. Libraries/CSRF: Analyze, sandbox, `SameSite=Strict` cookies, dynamic token rotation. 5. Content/Clickjacking: Employ HSTS `includeSubDomains`, Framebusters, `frame-ancestors`. 6. Errors/Workers: Mask errors, central logs, worker refresh/scope. 7. JS/Scanning: Monitor JS sinks, contain WebAssembly, CI/CD, differential scan. 8. Monitoring/Misc: Use AI alerts, SNI encrypt, manage fetches, strict `Fetch Metadata` headers. For a stronger, secure web realm.

Add validation of user inputs on both the client and server sides. User inputs are properly sanitized to prevent XSS attacks. Verify that user-generated content is properly escaped before rendering. Ensure that anti-CSRF tokens are used for state-changing operations. Add CSP headers to reduce XSS and data injection attacks. Make sure that all communication between the client and server is encrypted using HTTPS. If file uploads are supported, validate file types and check for malicious content. Perform security scan on JavaScript code to identify potential vulnerabilities. Check for sensitive data leakage through client-side logs or requests. Implement security headers like X-Frame-Options and X-XSS-Protection. etc.. cant add more

Review code is an important step to secure your app: 1. Review code manually by following security checklist (such as XSS, SQL injection, IDOR and so on). 2. Use tools such as SonarQube to scan for code smell and security issues. You can also integrate this tool into your CI/CD pipeline to automatically scan your code, which helps you discover problems as soon as possible.

Look for common security vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and broken authentication. You can use automated tools to help you scan your code for vulnerabilities, but it's also important to manually review your code for potential security issues.

When reviewing your code, it's essential to pay special attention to potential threats related to network/API interactions Weak Authentication: Ensure robust authentication methods like OAuth or API keys are used and securely stored. Insufficient Data Validation: Validate input data to prevent injection attacks (e.g., SQL injection) using input validation and parameterization. Poor Error Handling: Use generic error messages for external users and avoid exposing sensitive details. Secure Secrets Handling: Store sensitive info like API keys securely, avoiding exposure in code. Logging and Monitoring: Establish monitoring for quick detection of anomalies and security incidents.

This part of the article could be a little bit more concrete on things that developers should pay attention to. Like for example: - Try to use native browser technologies and APIs available in the browser, before introducing a new external dependency to your project. Like use `fetch` instead of `axios`. - On another hand you should not reinvent things, especially relatad to the security topic. Like don't create your own solution to escape/encode users input. Rely on something already existed, that has been audited and tested.

1. Ensure form input field values are escaped to prevent malicious scripts from running on your application 2. Ensure you only link to trusted websites and keep on top of iframe embeds to ensure you are not introducing security risks to your end users

Once you have reviewed your code and implemented security controls, you need to test your application to make sure that it is secure. This includes conducting penetration tests and vulnerability scans.

• Automated Testing: Implement automated security tests as part of your CI/CD pipeline. • Manual Testing: Conduct manual security testing, focusing on critical functionalities such as authentication and data handling. • Penetration Testing: Hire security experts to perform penetration testing and uncover hidden vulnerabilities.

In my experience, small team and companies is hard to have a dedicate person for check vulnerabilities or even pay someone to do that. There are some ways to protect: - Form a internal dev to know how to conduct the essentials of penetration tests - Pay once a company to run those test, (there are several flavours and costs) then implement any suggestion that comes out and follow the rules for future implementation But honestly, senior developers MUST know at least the most threat when it comes to vulnerability

Testing functionality is crucial in front-end security. I learned this the hard way when a session management issue got missed. It was only through thorough testing with tools like browser dev tools and interceptors, simulating various user scenarios, that we caught it. Testing must cover all scenarios like authenticated/unauthenticated users, valid/invalid inputs, and normal/extreme conditions. It's about thinking like both a user and a hacker, exposing potential weaknesses. The key lesson is "never assume security". Extensive testing is vital to uncover hidden flaws and strengthen your application's security.

Not all sites are vulnerable to security attacks, i.e. static websites which involves no user input. Sanitize user inputs and use caution when working with user inputs. work with Frameworks, most of the frameworks handle the basic security fallback out of the box.

When possible prefer go to a well know framework instead your own code. Need an Authentication logic ? go with a well know lib. Need sanitize users' input? go with a lib dont to it yourself

- Flow logic is the most thing I check on design. - Following by input made by user (sanitize'ish) - User interface can describe a persona

You must know all cookies' properties and why they exists. HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite, etc... Also think about X-XRSF-TOKEN and implement it, to be a fool when you read someone written "SPA or Rest-full API doesnt need a CRSF-TOKEN verification.

I would like to also note the Cookies configuration. Cookies are often used to store session information and other sensitive data, so it's essential to ensure their security as well. You should follow best practices, such as setting the "HttpOnly" and "Secure" flags on cookies to prevent client-side access and ensure they are transmitted only over secure HTTPS connections. Additionally, you should consider implementing mechanisms like "SameSite" attributes to prevent cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks.

Good idea to inform user about security threats they should be aware of. e.g. when open developer tool. Facebook shows clear warning that if you execute any script in the developer tool especially when you copy pasted from somewhere, they might actually steal your sensitive information.

If you don't keep track of what you did, how you did it, and why you did it, you could expose yourself and your users to risk. For example, you might forget to patch a vulnerability, or you might use outdated or obsolete libraries or frameworks. You can also make your code difficult for other developers to understand and maintain, which can lead to errors or breaches.

Make sure you use a framework only which has an extensive security guide, an active community and then use their tools. Enforce security in CI and local development with pipelines, use tools like dependabot. Install static code analysers for security. Use tools like metasploit for pentesting regularly. Last but not least: You can't think Frontend security without the backend. Put the team together on this.

Here is a sample front-end security audit checklist: Cross-site scripting (XSS) Are all user input fields properly sanitized before being displayed to the user? Are all output fields properly encoded to prevent XSS attacks? Are all HTTP headers properly validated to prevent XSS attacks? SQL injection Are all database queries properly parameterized to prevent SQL injection attacks? Are all user input fields properly validated to prevent SQL injection attacks? Broken authentication Are all passwords properly salted and hashed? Is two-factor authentication enabled? Are session tokens secure and do they expire after a reasonable amount of time?

I would emphatize a few key points regarding scope reduction, for example: the project size; whether we're dealing with frameworks and libraries; the possibility of using cloud services that handle the distribution and stability of the front-end. Because, given these considerations, there may be a reduction or expansion of my scope with a focus on front-end security.

Don't expose your server. Use nginx, or apache, always updated. It's easy to find security holes on almost all frameworks, but using a proxy server you can block undesired calls. Also you can create cached content using this layer.

Don't forget, that some users in your system are always there to exploit your existing system. If you can use something that identifies them, blocks their access, and forces them to contact your support, it is the best we can ever imagine!