{"id":99459,"date":"2024-12-01T10:18:30","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T08:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.checkmarx.com\/?post_type=learn&p=99459"},"modified":"2026-03-24T16:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:08:01","slug":"secure-code-review-6-best-practices-every-developer-should-follow","status":"publish","type":"learn","link":"https:\/\/checkmarx.com\/learn\/developers\/secure-code-review-6-best-practices-every-developer-should-follow\/","title":{"rendered":"Secure Code Review: 6 Best Practices Every Developer Should Follow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n

Secure code review is a crucial part of application security, and the right tools and processes can help developers to integrate secure coding practices without being a blocker to innovation and developer velocity. This article looks at secure code review best practices, including prioritization, automation, and the right scanning tools. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

In a reality where applications quickly move from code to cloud, security across the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) must be a priority in every phase. Ensuring secure coding practices in code reviews are a critical checkpoint, providing developers the ability to identify and address vulnerabilities early in the process, before they can become costly or complex to fix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the right secure code review best practices, code reviews can go beyond finding bugs to actively enhancing the security posture of applications. This article highlights actionable, security-focused tips specifically tailored for developers conducting code reviews to ensure code security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Prioritize High-Risk Code Segments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Gartner explains, many organizations have a misguided idea that they can pursue and achieve zero-vulnerability applications. Instead, when conducting a code review, developers should prioritize areas known for higher security risks, such as authentication, authorization, and data handling code. These segments, if compromised, often lead to the most damaging vulnerabilities. Prioritization enables reviewers to spend more time on these critical sections rather than attempting to manually assess the entire codebase.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Vulnerability<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s also beneficial to establish security-focused code review guidelines that identify these high-risk areas, allowing all reviewers to focus on the most sensitive portions of the code for every review session. This focused approach reduces risk and supports consistent, secure development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Integrate Automated Security Scans Early<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Incorporating code scanning tools such as Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Software Composition Analysis (SCA) into the CI\/CD pipeline allows automated security scanning before formal code review. By doing this, developers and reviewers can catch vulnerabilities and open-source security risks early, providing a more comprehensive review experience. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"SCM<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When automated scanning occurs early and continuously in the SDLC, reviewers can concentrate on validating the effectiveness of security fixes, reviewing code architecture, and identifying complex security flaws that automated tools might miss. This practice not only reduces manual effort but also helps ensure that high-impact vulnerabilities are addressed before they progress through the development lifecycle, supporting a seamless transition from code to cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Verify Against Secure Coding Practices and Standards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Secure coding standards, such as those from OWASP, help establish consistency in the code review process and reinforce best practices across teams. Check that your application security platform allows reviewers to check code for adherence to standards that mitigate common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and insecure deserialization. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Appsec<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take API security risks<\/a> for example, as outlined in the OWASP API top ten.<\/a> To meet the risks, within Checkmarx One API documentation is scanned in design, before developers start coding, and then scanning is integrated in the tools that developers are already using to avoid the issues of context switching. Source code is then scanned again at check-in or code merge, with findings aggregated and cross-referenced against API documentation. This ensures no shadow or zombie APIs are missed. Once in the CI\/CD pipeline, developers receive updates on any flaws, and deployments are secured using Infrastructure as Code. Insecure configurations that could expose APIs are then flagged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Don\u2019t Forget Cloud Security Compliance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Modern applications often depend heavily on cloud infrastructure, so it\u2019s essential to include cloud security configuration as part of the code review. With Checkmarx IaC (Infrastructure as Code<\/a>) scanning, reviewers can identify risky configurations such as open S3 buckets, exposed keys, and insecure network rules. <\/p>\n\n\n