detecting-security-vulnerabilities
Security Lint & Threat Detector
When to use this skill
- User asks to scan code for security issues
- User mentions OWASP vulnerabilities
- User wants to find leaked credentials or secrets
- User asks about XSS, SQL injection, or CSRF risks
- User wants to audit code before deployment
Workflow
- Identify files to scan (changed or full codebase)
- Run automated security scanners
- Perform pattern-based detection
- Categorize findings by severity
- Provide remediation suggestions
- Generate security report
Instructions
Step 1: Identify Scan Scope
For changed files:
git diff --cached --name-only --diff-filter=ACMR | grep -E '\.(js|jsx|ts|tsx|py|rb|php|java|go)$'
For full codebase:
find src -type f \( -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.tsx" -o -name "*.js" -o -name "*.jsx" \)
Step 2: Run Security Scanners
JavaScript/TypeScript — npm audit:
npm audit --json
JavaScript/TypeScript — Snyk (if available):
npx snyk test --json
ESLint security plugin:
npx eslint --plugin security --rule 'security/*: error' <files>
Semgrep (multi-language):
npx @semgrep/semgrep --config=auto --json .
Gitleaks (secrets detection):
gitleaks detect --source . --report-format json
Step 3: Pattern-Based Detection
Scan for these high-risk patterns:
Credential Leakage
| Pattern | Risk | Regex |
|---|---|---|
| API keys | Critical | ['"]?(api[_-]?key|apikey)['"]?\s*[:=]\s*['"][a-zA-Z0-9]{16,}['"] |
| AWS keys | Critical | AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16} |
| Private keys | Critical | -----BEGIN (RSA|DSA|EC|OPENSSH) PRIVATE KEY----- |
| Passwords | High | ['"]?(password|passwd|pwd)['"]?\s*[:=]\s*['"][^'"]{4,}['"] |
| Tokens | High | ['"]?(token|secret|auth)['"]?\s*[:=]\s*['"][a-zA-Z0-9_-]{20,}['"] |
| Connection strings | High | (mongodb|postgres|mysql):\/\/[^:]+:[^@]+@ |
grep -rn --include="*.{ts,js,tsx,jsx,json,env}" -E "AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}" .
grep -rn --include="*.{ts,js,tsx,jsx}" -E "(api[_-]?key|apikey)\s*[:=]\s*['\"][^'\"]{16,}['\"]" .
Unsafe Code Patterns
| Pattern | Risk | Detection |
|---|---|---|
eval() |
Critical | Direct code execution |
dangerouslySetInnerHTML |
High | XSS vulnerability in React |
v-html |
High | XSS vulnerability in Vue |
innerHTML assignment |
High | DOM-based XSS |
document.write |
High | DOM manipulation risk |
new Function() |
High | Dynamic code execution |
child_process.exec |
High | Command injection risk |
sql + string concat |
Critical | SQL injection |
http:// URLs |
Medium | Insecure transport |
grep -rn --include="*.{ts,js,tsx,jsx}" -E "\beval\s*\(" .
grep -rn --include="*.tsx" "dangerouslySetInnerHTML" .
grep -rn --include="*.vue" "v-html" .
grep -rn --include="*.{ts,js}" -E "\.exec\s*\(.*\$\{" .
OWASP Top 10 Checks
| OWASP | Vulnerability | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| A01 | Broken Access Control | Missing auth checks, direct object refs |
| A02 | Cryptographic Failures | Weak algorithms (MD5, SHA1), hardcoded keys |
| A03 | Injection | SQL/NoSQL/Command injection patterns |
| A04 | Insecure Design | Missing rate limiting, no input validation |
| A05 | Security Misconfiguration | CORS *, debug modes, default creds |
| A06 | Vulnerable Components | Outdated dependencies |
| A07 | Auth Failures | Weak password rules, session issues |
| A08 | Data Integrity | Unsafe deserialization, unverified updates |
| A09 | Logging Failures | Sensitive data in logs, missing audit |
| A10 | SSRF | Unvalidated URL fetches |
Step 4: Categorize Findings
Severity levels:
| Level | Examples | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | Exposed secrets, RCE, SQL injection | Block deployment |
| High | XSS, CSRF, auth bypass | Fix before merge |
| Medium | Insecure cookies, weak crypto | Fix in sprint |
| Low | Info disclosure, best practices | Track for later |
Step 5: Generate Report
Format findings clearly:
## Security Scan Report
### Critical (2)
#### 1. Hardcoded API Key
- **File**: src/api/client.ts:42
- **Pattern**: `apiKey = "sk_live_..."`
- **Risk**: Credential exposure in source control
- **Fix**: Move to environment variable
```typescript
// Before
const apiKey = "sk_live_abc123...";
// After
const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY;
```
2. SQL Injection Risk
- File: src/db/users.ts:23
- Pattern: String concatenation in query
- Risk: SQL injection allows data theft
- Fix: Use parameterized queries
// Before
db.query(`SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ${userId}`);
// After
db.query("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1", [userId]);
High (1)
1. XSS via dangerouslySetInnerHTML
- File: src/components/Article.tsx:15
- Risk: User content rendered as HTML
- Fix: Sanitize with DOMPurify
import DOMPurify from "dompurify";
<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: DOMPurify.sanitize(content) }} />;
Summary
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Critical | 2 |
| High | 1 |
| Medium | 3 |
| Low | 5 |
## Common Remediation Patterns
**Environment variables for secrets:**
```typescript
// Use dotenv or platform env
const secret = process.env.SECRET_KEY;
if (!secret) throw new Error('SECRET_KEY required');
Parameterized queries:
// Prisma (safe by default)
await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: userId } });
// Raw SQL with parameters
await db.query("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1", [userId]);
XSS prevention:
// React - avoid dangerouslySetInnerHTML
// If needed, sanitize first
import DOMPurify from "dompurify";
const clean = DOMPurify.sanitize(userContent);
CSRF protection:
// Use CSRF tokens in forms
<input type="hidden" name="_csrf" value={csrfToken} />
// Validate on server
if (req.body._csrf !== req.session.csrfToken) {
throw new Error('CSRF validation failed');
}
Secure headers:
// Next.js next.config.js
const securityHeaders = [
{ key: "X-Content-Type-Options", value: "nosniff" },
{ key: "X-Frame-Options", value: "DENY" },
{ key: "X-XSS-Protection", value: "1; mode=block" },
{
key: "Strict-Transport-Security",
value: "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains",
},
];
Validation
Before completing:
- All critical issues addressed
- High severity issues have remediation plan
- No secrets in committed code
- Dependencies updated for known CVEs
- Security headers configured
Error Handling
- Scanner not installed: Run
npm install -g <tool>or use npx. - Too many results: Filter by severity or scope to changed files.
- False positives: Review context before reporting; exclude test fixtures.
- Unsure about severity: Default to higher severity; security errs on caution.
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