Security Design Review Checklist

Architecture and Design Principles

• Secure Architecture Design: Evaluate if the architecture follows secure design principles (e.g., layered defense, separation of concerns, secure defaults).

• Attack Surface Analysis: Identify and assess the potential attack surface exposed by the design.

• Threat Modeling: Conduct threat modeling exercises to identify potential threats, threat actors, and attack vectors.

• Security Requirements Alignment: Verify that the design adheres to defined security requirements and baselines.

Authentication and Access Control

• Authentication Design: Review the design of authentication mechanisms (e.g., multi-factor authentication, federated authentication).

• Access Control Models: Evaluate the access control models and mechanisms (e.g., role-based, attribute-based, context-aware).

• Authorization Workflows: Assess the design of authorization workflows and decision points.

• Privilege Separation: Ensure that the design incorporates appropriate separation of privileges and least privilege principles.

Data Protection

• Data Flow Analysis: Perform data flow analysis to identify potential data leakage or exposure points.

• Encryption Design: Review the design of encryption mechanisms, key management, and secure key storage.

• Data Validation and Sanitization: Evaluate the mechanisms for data validation and sanitization at trust boundaries.

• Secure Data Handling: Assess the design for secure data handling, masking, and anonymization (if applicable).

System Hardening

• Secure Configuration Design: Verify that the design incorporates secure configuration baselines and hardening practices.

• Secure Defaults: Ensure that the design follows the principle of secure defaults and disables unnecessary services or components.

• Secure Deployment: Review the design for secure deployment processes, including secure provisioning and patching mechanisms.

Network Security

• Network Segmentation: Evaluate the design for appropriate network segmentation and isolation techniques.

• Secure Communication Design: Review the design of secure communication protocols and mechanisms (e.g., TLS, IPsec, mutual authentication).

• Firewall and Access Controls: Assess the design of firewall rules, access controls, and network filtering mechanisms.

• Remote Access Design: Evaluate the design of remote access and remote administration mechanisms.

Logging and Monitoring

• Audit and Logging Design: Review the design of auditing and logging mechanisms for security-related events.

• Log Protection: Assess the design for protecting log files from tampering or unauthorized access.

• Log Analysis and Monitoring Design: Evaluate the design of log analysis and monitoring processes for security incidents.

Incident Response and Recovery

• Incident Response Integration: Ensure that the design incorporates incident response processes and procedures.

• Backup and Disaster Recovery Design: Review the design of data backup and disaster recovery mechanisms.

• Business Continuity Design: Assess the design for ensuring business continuity in the event of a security incident.

Third-Party Dependencies

• Third-Party Software and Libraries: Evaluate the security of third-party software and libraries integrated into the design.

• Supply Chain Security: Assess the design for incorporating supply chain security measures and practices.

Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

• Regulatory Compliance: Verify that the design adheres to relevant industry-specific regulations and data privacy requirements.

This tailored checklist focuses specifically on the design review aspects of the security design review framework. It covers various areas such as architecture, data protection, system hardening, network security, logging and monitoring, incident response, and compliance. Adapt and modify this checklist as needed to align with your organization's specific requirements and the complexity of the systems or applications being reviewed.