Code Review for Security

Security-focused code reviews catch vulnerabilities that automated tools miss while spreading security knowledge throughout the team. Establish specific security checkpoints in your review process: verify that all user input is properly encoded, check for dangerous functions like innerHTML or eval, ensure new endpoints include authentication and authorization checks, and confirm that security headers are properly configured.

Train reviewers to spot subtle XSS patterns. A review checklist helps ensure consistency: Are all outputs encoded appropriately for their context? Do new features introduce new input vectors? Are client-side security measures backed by server-side validation? Has the feature been tested with malicious input? Reviews should examine not just the code but also the security implications of the feature design.

Make security review findings educational opportunities. When vulnerabilities are found, document them as learning examples (anonymized to avoid blame). Create a library of "vulnerability patterns" from real code reviews that helps reviewers recognize similar issues. Regular security review training using actual code from your applications makes the learning relevant and immediately applicable.