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Mar 17, 2024
2 min read

Code Security Analysis: A Step-by-Step Vulnerability Hunting Process

A project showcasing a detailed methodology for code review, focusing on the systematic identification of both internal and external vulnerabilities.

This project outlines a structured approach to code security analysis, a critical process for identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities at the source. The goal is to provide a comprehensive security review of an application’s codebase, ensuring its resilience against both internal and external threats. My methodology is a step-by-step process designed to uncover flaws that automated scanners might miss.

The process begins with a static code analysis (SAST) to identify potential vulnerabilities without executing the code. This involves:

  1. Codebase Mapping: Understanding the application’s architecture and data flow to prioritize key components.
  2. Internal Vulnerability Hunting: Looking for logical flaws, insecure coding practices, and improper handling of data within the application’s logic. This includes issues like improper error handling, weak cryptographic implementations, and business logic flaws.
  3. External Vulnerability Analysis: Focusing on how the application interacts with the outside world. This step involves identifying potential injection points (e.g., SQL, XSS), insecure configurations, and vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and dependencies.

After the static analysis, dynamic analysis (DAST) is performed to test the application in a running state. This phase simulates real-world attacks to validate the findings from the static review and discover new vulnerabilities that only appear at runtime.

The final deliverable is a detailed security report that categorizes each vulnerability by severity, provides a clear explanation of the threat, and offers actionable recommendations for remediation. This project demonstrates a thorough and systematic approach to securing software from the inside out, providing a higher level of assurance and protection for the company’s digital assets.