security-checklist.md

Security Checklist

Comprehensive security checklists for development, deployment, and operations of Fund-My-Cause.

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1. Development Security Checklist

1.1 Code Review Checklist

Before merging any code, verify:

Authentication & Authorization

• All sensitive operations require proper authentication
• Role-based access control is enforced
• User input is validated before authorization checks
• No hardcoded credentials or API keys
• Secrets are stored in environment variables or GitHub Secrets

Input Validation

• All user inputs are validated for type and format
• Input length limits are enforced
• Special characters are properly escaped
• No SQL injection or command injection vulnerabilities
• File uploads are validated (type, size, content)

Error Handling

• Errors do not leak sensitive information
• Stack traces are not exposed to users
• Error messages are generic and helpful
• Logging includes sufficient context for debugging
• Sensitive data is not logged

Cryptography & Secrets

• No custom cryptographic implementations
• Industry-standard libraries are used (e.g., libsodium, ring)
• Secrets are never logged or exposed in error messages
• Secrets are rotated regularly
• Private keys are never stored in version control

Dependencies

• All dependencies are from trusted sources
• Dependency versions are pinned (not floating)
• No known vulnerabilities in dependencies
• License compliance is verified
• Transitive dependencies are reviewed

Code Quality

• Code follows project style guidelines
• No dead code or commented-out code
• Functions are well-documented
• Complex logic has explanatory comments
• No TODO or FIXME comments without issues

Testing

• Unit tests cover security-relevant code paths
• Edge cases are tested (zero, max, negative values)
• Error conditions are tested
• Integration tests verify end-to-end flows
• Security tests are included (e.g., unauthorized access)

1.2 Smart Contract Security Checklist

Contract Logic

• All state transitions are validated
• Invariants are maintained (e.g., total raised ≤ goal)
• No reentrancy vulnerabilities
• No integer overflow/underflow
• Access control is enforced for all sensitive functions
• Deadline logic is correct
• Refund calculations are accurate

Testing

• Unit tests for all contract functions
• Integration tests for multi-step flows
• Edge case tests (zero amounts, max values, deadline edge cases)
• Negative tests (unauthorized access, invalid inputs)
• Gas usage is within limits

Documentation

• Contract functions are documented
• State variables are documented
• Invariants are documented
• Error conditions are documented
• Security assumptions are documented

1.3 Frontend Security Checklist

Input Validation

• All user inputs are validated
• Input length limits are enforced
• Special characters are properly escaped
• No XSS vulnerabilities
• No CSRF vulnerabilities

API Integration

• All API calls use HTTPS
• API responses are validated
• Error responses do not leak sensitive information
• Rate limiting is implemented
• Request timeouts are set

Wallet Integration

• Wallet connection is explicit and user-approved
• Transaction details are displayed before signing
• Contract addresses are verified
• No automatic transaction signing
• Wallet errors are handled gracefully

Data Handling

• Sensitive data is not stored in localStorage
• Session data is cleared on logout
• No sensitive data in URLs or query parameters
• No sensitive data in error messages
• No sensitive data in console logs

Security Headers

• Content-Security-Policy is set
• X-Frame-Options is set
• X-Content-Type-Options is set
• Strict-Transport-Security is set
• Referrer-Policy is set

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2. Deployment Security Checklist

2.1 Pre-Deployment Checklist

Code & Build

• All tests pass: cargo test --workspace
• All tests pass: npm run test (frontend)
• No security warnings from cargo audit
• No security warnings from npm audit
• Build is reproducible
• WASM hash is verified

Review & Approval

• Code review completed by at least 2 team members
• Security review completed
• Architecture review completed (if applicable)
• Deployment plan is reviewed
• Rollback plan is documented

Configuration

• Environment variables are correctly set
• Secrets are stored in GitHub Secrets
• No secrets in code or configuration files
• Configuration is validated
• Feature flags are set correctly

Documentation

• Deployment steps are documented
• Rollback steps are documented
• Known issues are documented
• Breaking changes are documented
• Migration steps are documented (if applicable)

2.2 Deployment Checklist

Smart Contract Deployment

• Contract is deployed to the correct network
• Contract ID is verified
• Contract is initialized with correct parameters
• Registry is updated with new contract ID
• Contract is tested on testnet first
• Deployment is announced in release notes

Frontend Deployment

• Frontend is built with production configuration
• Environment variables are set correctly
• Contract IDs are verified
• RPC endpoints are verified
• HTTPS is enforced
• Security headers are set
• Deployment is announced in release notes

Infrastructure

• Monitoring and alerting are active
• Logs are being collected
• Backups are in place
• Disaster recovery plan is ready
• Incident response team is on standby

2.3 Post-Deployment Checklist

Verification

• Contract is deployed to the correct network
• Contract ID is verified on Stellar Expert
• WASM hash matches the published hash
• Campaign initialization parameters are correct
• Registry contract is updated
• Frontend is accessible and functional
• Wallet integration is working
• Transactions are being processed correctly

Monitoring

• Monitoring dashboards are active
• Alerting is configured
• Logs are being collected
• Performance metrics are being tracked
• Error rates are within acceptable limits

Communication

• Deployment is announced to users
• Release notes are published
• Known issues are communicated
• Support team is notified
• Stakeholders are informed

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3. Operational Security Checklist

3.1 Daily Operations

• Monitor error logs for anomalies
• Check system performance metrics
• Verify backups are completed
• Review security alerts
• Check for failed transactions

3.2 Weekly Operations

• Review access logs
• Check for security updates
• Verify monitoring and alerting
• Review incident reports
• Update security documentation

3.3 Monthly Operations

• Conduct security audit
• Review and update security policies
• Verify disaster recovery procedures
• Conduct penetration testing (if applicable)
• Review and update incident response procedures

3.4 Quarterly Operations

• Conduct comprehensive security review
• Update threat model
• Review and update security checklist
• Conduct security training
• Plan security improvements

3.5 Annual Operations

• Conduct formal security audit
• Penetration testing
• Security training for all team members
• Update security policies and procedures
• Review and update incident response procedures

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4. Incident Response Checklist

4.1 Incident Detection

• Anomaly detected in logs or metrics
• Security alert triggered
• User reports security issue
• Vulnerability discovered in dependency
• Suspicious activity detected

4.2 Incident Reporting

• Incident is reported via GitHub Security Advisories
• Reporter provides description and reproduction steps
• Impact assessment is provided
• Incident response team is notified
• Incident is logged in incident tracking system

4.3 Initial Assessment

• Verify the vulnerability
• Assess the scope and impact
• Determine if funds are at risk
• Classify the severity
• Notify stakeholders
• Activate incident response team

4.4 Containment

• Isolate affected systems (if necessary)
• Pause operations (if necessary)
• Revoke compromised credentials
• Block malicious traffic
• Preserve evidence for investigation

4.5 Investigation

• Root cause analysis
• Determine affected components
• Identify all instances of the vulnerability
• Review logs and audit trails
• Document findings

4.6 Remediation

• Develop fix or mitigation
• Test fix on testnet
• Conduct security review of fix
• Deploy fix to production
• Verify fix is effective
• Monitor for recurrence

4.7 Communication

• Notify affected users
• Publish security advisory
• Credit security researcher (if applicable)
• Update documentation
• Post-mortem analysis

4.8 Post-Incident Review

• Document lessons learned
• Update security procedures
• Implement preventive measures
• Schedule follow-up security audit
• Close incident ticket

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5. Access Control Checklist

5.1 GitHub Access

• Only authorized team members have repository access
• Branch protection rules are enforced
• Code review is required for all PRs
• Secrets are stored in GitHub Secrets
• Deploy keys are rotated regularly
• Access logs are reviewed regularly

5.2 Deployment Access

• Only authorized team members can deploy
• Deployment requires approval
• Deployment is logged and audited
• Deployment credentials are rotated regularly
• Deployment access is revoked when team members leave

5.3 Secret Management

• Secrets are stored in GitHub Secrets
• Secrets are never logged or exposed
• Secrets are rotated regularly
• Secret access is logged
• Secrets are revoked when team members leave

5.4 Infrastructure Access

• Only authorized team members have infrastructure access
• Access is logged and audited
• Multi-factor authentication is required
• Access is revoked when team members leave
• Access is reviewed regularly

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6. Dependency Management Checklist

6.1 Dependency Review

• Dependency is from a trusted source
• Dependency has active maintenance
• Dependency has no known vulnerabilities
• Dependency license is compatible
• Dependency is necessary (no bloat)

6.2 Dependency Updates

• Security updates are applied within 7 days
• Minor updates are applied within 30 days
• Major updates are tested thoroughly
• Changelog is reviewed for breaking changes
• Tests are run after updates

6.3 Dependency Auditing

• npm audit is run regularly
• cargo audit is run regularly
• Vulnerabilities are tracked and remediated
• Audit results are reviewed
• Audit results are documented

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7. Compliance Checklist

7.1 Code Standards

• Code follows project style guidelines
• Code is formatted correctly
• Linting passes without warnings
• Type checking passes (TypeScript, Rust)
• Tests pass with good coverage

7.2 Documentation Standards

• Code is documented
• Functions have docstrings
• Complex logic has explanatory comments
• Security assumptions are documented
• Known limitations are documented

7.3 Testing Standards

• Unit tests cover all functions
• Integration tests cover all flows
• Edge cases are tested
• Error conditions are tested
• Security tests are included

7.4 Security Standards

• No hardcoded secrets
• No dangerous functions
• No unsafe code (without justification)
• Input validation is present
• Error handling is appropriate

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8. Checklist Usage

When to Use

• Before code review: Developer completes development checklist
• Before deployment: DevOps completes deployment checklist
• During incident: Incident response team uses incident response checklist
• During operations: Operations team uses operational checklist
• Quarterly: Security team reviews all checklists

How to Use

1. Print or copy the relevant checklist
2. Go through each item systematically
3. Mark items as complete
4. Document any issues or deviations
5. Escalate any unchecked items
6. Archive completed checklists for audit trail

Checklist Maintenance

• Checklists are reviewed quarterly
• Checklists are updated based on lessons learned
• Checklists are updated when procedures change
• Checklists are updated when new threats are identified
• Checklists are version-controlled in this repository

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Last Updated: 2026-06-01
Next Review: 2026-09-01
Maintained By: Security Team