domains / security / code-security-audit / security-reviewer

security-reviewer

Skill card

combined

Both copies define a security-reviewer skill, but they are not the same procedure. The Jeffallan copy is a full audit workflow with explicit tool commands (semgrep, bandit, gitleaks, npm audit, trivy), CVSS severity, written authorization and rules of engagement, a reference-guide table, and a report template. The Vibe-Skills copy is a routing-focused, OWASP-oriented checklist with a different severity scale (CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW), a high-risk pattern audit, and pairing guidance with other skills. Each has material steps the other lacks, and they disagree on severity taxonomy and on whether active testing/authorization is in scope, so crowning one would hide a real alternative.

Repositories

Other copies

Combined skill

# Security Reviewer

Use this skill when the task is explicitly a security audit, vulnerability review, OWASP review, secret-leak check, auth/authz review, or infrastructure security review. Do not use it as the default owner for ordinary maintainability review; if security is only one item in a general PR review, a general code-reviewer can flag it, but explicit security-audit wording should route here.

## When to Use
- Code review and SAST scanning
- Vulnerability scanning and dependency audits
- Secrets scanning and credential detection
- Penetration testing and reconnaissance (only with written authorization)
- Infrastructure and cloud security audits
- DevSecOps pipelines and compliance automation

## Routing Boundary
Use this skill when security is the main question:
- OWASP/security audit/security review
- secret leak, token exposure, unsafe logging
- auth bypass, authorization gaps, session/token handling
- injection, XSS, SSRF, unsafe file upload or command execution

## Core Workflow

1. **Scope** — Map attack surface and critical paths. Confirm written authorization and rules of engagement before proceeding. Verify written scope authorization before any active testing.
2. **Initial Scan** — Locate auth, API endpoints, DB queries, file handling, and external calls. Check for hardcoded secrets and unsafe config defaults.
3. **Automated Scan** — Run SAST, dependency, and secrets tools. Example commands:
   - `semgrep --config=auto .`
   - `bandit -r ./src`
   - `gitleaks detect --source=.`
   - `npm audit --audit-level=moderate`
   - `trivy fs .`
4. **OWASP-Oriented Checks**
   - Injection: parameterized queries, sanitized inputs.
   - AuthZ/AuthN: enforce authorization per route, secure session/token handling.
   - Data exposure: secrets/PII protection and safe logging.
   - XSS/SSRF: output encoding, URL allowlist, no blind fetch of user URLs.
   - Dependency risk: audit vulnerable dependencies.
5. **High-Risk Pattern Audit**
   - Hardcoded secrets/tokens
   - Command execution with user input
   - SQL string concatenation
   - Missing auth check
   - Missing rate limiting on sensitive endpoints
   - Unsafe crypto/password handling
6. **Manual Review** — Manual review of auth, input handling, and crypto. Tools miss context — manual review is mandatory.
7. **Test and Classify** — **Verify written scope authorization before active testing.** Validate findings, rate severity using CVSS (Critical/High/Medium/Low/Info) or the simplified scale (CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW). Confirm exploitability with proof-of-concept only; do not exceed it.
8. **Report** — Confirm findings with stakeholder before finalizing. Document with location, impact, and remediation. Report critical findings immediately.

## Reference Guide

Load detailed guidance based on context:

| Topic | Reference | Load When |
|-------|-----------|-----------|
| SAST Tools | `references/sast-tools.md` | Running automated scans |
| Vulnerability Patterns | `references/vulnerability-patterns.md` | SQL injection, XSS, manual review |
| Secret Scanning | `references/secret-scanning.md` | Gitleaks, finding hardcoded secrets |
| Penetration Testing | `references/penetration-testing.md` | Active testing, reconnaissance, exploitation |
| Infrastructure Security | `references/infrastructure-security.md` | DevSecOps, cloud security, compliance |
| Report Template | `references/report-template.md` | Writing security report |

## Constraints

### MUST DO
- Check authentication/authorization first
- Run automated tools before manual review
- Provide specific file/line locations
- Include remediation for each finding
- Rate severity consistently
- Check for secrets in code
- Verify scope and authorization before active testing
- Document all testing activities
- Follow rules of engagement
- Report critical findings immediately

### MUST NOT DO
- Skip manual review (tools miss things)
- Test on production systems without authorization
- Ignore "low" severity issues
- Assume frameworks handle everything
- Share detailed exploits publicly
- Exploit beyond proof of concept
- Cause service disruption or data loss
- Test outside defined scope

## Output Templates

1. Executive summary with risk assessment
2. Findings table with severity counts
3. Detailed findings with location, impact, and remediation
4. Prioritized recommendations

### Example Finding Entry

```
ID: FIND-001
Severity: High (CVSS 8.1)
Title: SQL Injection in user search endpoint
File: src/api/users.py, line 42
Description: User-supplied input is concatenated directly into a SQL query without parameterization.
Impact: An attacker can read, modify, or delete database contents.
Remediation: Use parameterized queries or an ORM. Replace `cursor.execute(f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE name='{name}'")`
             with `cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE name=%s", (name,))`.
References: CWE-89, OWASP A03:2021
```

## Vibe Integration

- Security gate skill usable at any grade.
- Pair with `security-best-practices` for language/framework-specific guidance.
- Pair with `code-reviewer` for combined correctness + security review.

## Knowledge Reference

OWASP Top 10, CWE, Semgrep, Bandit, ESLint Security, gosec, npm audit, gitleaks, trufflehog, CVSS scoring, nmap, Burp Suite, sqlmap, Trivy, Checkov, HashiCorp Vault, AWS Security Hub, CIS benchmarks, SOC2, ISO27001