Secure Code Review
Shipping code is one thing. Shipping secure code is another.
Source-assisted review to catch the high-impact flaws that automated SAST consistently misses.
Free 30-min scoping call · No commitment · Usually reply within 24 hours
What Gets Reviewed
This isn't running a linter and calling it a security review. It's a manual read of security-critical logic — the kind where a missing if statement or a reversed condition is the whole vulnerability.
- Authentication & session token handling
- Authorization and access control logic
- Cryptographic implementation (weak algos, hardcoded keys, IV reuse)
- SQL queries, ORM usage & injection vectors
- Output encoding & XSS prevention
- Hardcoded secrets & credential exposure
- Unsafe deserialization patterns
- File handling & path traversal risks
- Third-party library & dependency vulnerabilities
- Error handling & information leakage
- Business logic edge cases & race conditions
- Security-critical configuration files
- SSRF & request-forgery patterns in server code
- Secrets in git history & environment variables
Language-agnostic: works with Python, Node.js, Go, Java, PHP, Ruby, and most web stacks. Happy to look at infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Dockerfiles, CI pipelines) too.
Why Manual Review, Not Just SAST?
Automated tools are great at pattern matching. They're bad at understanding intent — which is where the real vulnerabilities live.
Logic flaws
SAST can't tell that your "admin check" runs after the sensitive operation completes. I can — because I read the flow, not just the patterns.
Business context
A discount calculation that's technically valid code but exploitable at scale. Requires understanding what the code is supposed to do, not just what it does.
Crypto misuse
Using AES-ECB, reusing IVs, rolling your own token scheme — all pass SAST. None of them are secure. I catch these by reading implementation choices.
False positive reduction
SAST tools generate hundreds of warnings. I triage what matters, dismiss noise, and give you a report your team can actually act on without spending a week just to prioritize.
Root cause insight
After a pentest, code review finds exactly why a vulnerability exists — not just that it does — which leads to more effective and lasting fixes.
Secrets & key exposure
Hardcoded keys, tokens in comments, secrets in git history — code review is the most reliable way to catch credential exposure before it's someone else's problem.
Who Benefits Most
Pre-Launch Teams
Review before your app goes live — catch design flaws when they're cheap to fix, not after a breach when they're not.
Post-Pentest Fix Validation
After remediation, a code review confirms the root cause was actually fixed — not just the symptom.
Security-Critical Modules
Auth systems, payment handlers, encryption layers, API gateways — focused review of the code that matters most.
Compliance Requirements
SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS often ask for manual code review evidence alongside SAST results.
What You Receive
A developer-first report: line-level findings your team can open in an editor and fix the same day, not an abstract summary of "insecure coding patterns."
- Executive summary for non-technical stakeholders
- File + line references for every finding
- Severity rating with exploitability context
- Code snippets showing the vulnerable pattern
- Remediation with corrected code examples
- Architecture-level observations where relevant
- Findings walkthrough call with your team
- Follow-up review of patched code included
Download a redacted sample — real format, real depth, real findings. Judge the quality before you decide.
Accessible Security Review
Scoped by focus area, not lines of code — so a targeted auth or payment module review costs a fraction of a full codebase audit. Early-stage teams can get the security review they need without waiting for a Series A.
Starting from
Final price quoted after understanding what you want reviewed. Focused reviews cost less.
What's always included
- Manual review of agreed scope
- File-and-line-referenced findings
- Remediation with code examples
- SAST result triage (if you have one)
- Findings walkthrough call
- Follow-up review of patched code
What affects the final price
Code is shared securely and handled under NDA. I review it confidentially and delete it after report delivery.
Common Questions
How do I share code securely?
Most clients share via a private GitHub/GitLab repo (read-only access), a temporary repo clone, or a secure file transfer. We'll agree on the method before the engagement. Code is treated as confidential and deleted after report delivery. NDA signed before you share anything.
Can you review a specific module rather than the whole codebase?
Absolutely — and it often makes more sense. Focused reviews of your auth system, payment handler, or API layer deliver higher-impact findings faster than a shallow pass over everything. I'll recommend the best scope on the scoping call.
We already ran SonarQube / Semgrep. Is this redundant?
No. SAST tools are good at known patterns — SQL concatenation, missing input validation. They consistently miss multi-step logic flaws, business logic abuse, cryptographic misuse, and authorization gaps. Manual review fills the gap SAST leaves, and I can triage the SAST output to cut noise too.
Is this better combined with a pentest?
Often yes. A pentest finds what's externally exploitable; code review finds why and catches things the pentest couldn't see from the outside. Running both in sequence — pentest first, code review after — is the most thorough approach. I offer a combined-engagement discount when both are booked together.
Get a Second Set of Security Eyes on Your Code
Start with a free 30-minute call. Tell me what you've built, what your main security concerns are, and which parts you'd most like reviewed — I'll scope it honestly from there.