Source code audit
Our security experts read your source code line by line and combine it with automated analysis, to uncover the flaws a blackbox scan or a scanner alone would never see.
What is a source code audit?
A source code audit is a thorough, line-by-line examination of an application's source code, carried out to identify vulnerabilities, programming errors, and security flaws before they ever reach production or get exploited by an attacker.
Unlike a blackbox penetration test, a source code audit gives us full visibility into how the application actually works. This makes it possible to detect subtle logic flaws, insecure design decisions, and issues that are simply invisible from the outside.
We combine automated static analysis (SAST) with manual, expert-led review to detect vulnerabilities such as SQL injections, XSS, authentication and session management flaws, insecure deserialization, and many others, while assessing compliance with secure coding standards and best practices.
Whatever your stack, PHP, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Java, Go, .NET, or mobile applications, we adapt our methodology and tooling to your codebase.
What is our approach?
To ensure the security of your applications, we conduct a thorough analysis of your source code to identify vulnerabilities and security flaws. Our approach includes:
-
Manual vulnerability discovered on code base
-
Automated code analysis using specialized tools
-
Review of coding standards and best practices
-
Identification of potential security risks and vulnerabilities
-
Business logic and access-control flaw analysis
-
Detailed report with findings and recommendations for remediation
-
Depending on your technology stack, we can support your teams in fixing the vulnerabilities found, or fix them ourselves directly if you prefer
Our audit methodology
To make our source code audits as reliable and accurate as possible, we rely on industry standards such as the OWASP Code Review Guide and the OWASP ASVS. We combine automated tooling with numerous manual checks to automate and deepen certain tasks.
1. Scoping
Together, we define the scope of the audit: languages, frameworks, sensitive modules (authentication, payments, personal data...) and the access we'll need to your repository.
This lets us prioritize our time on the parts of the codebase that matter most to your business.
2. Automated analysis
We run specialized static analysis (SAST) and dependency-scanning tools across the codebase to quickly surface known vulnerability patterns and outdated or vulnerable third-party libraries.
This gives broad, fast coverage of the codebase before we dive into manual review.
3. Manual review
This is where our experts really go to work: reading the code by hand to find the logic flaws, access-control issues, and business-logic vulnerabilities that automated tools cannot detect.
We also check that every finding raised by our automated tools is a real, exploitable issue rather than a false positive.
4. Verification
For the vulnerabilities we identify, we build a proof of concept to confirm they are genuinely exploitable and to assess their real-world impact on your application.
This allows us to prioritize findings accurately and give you recommendations you can act on with confidence.
What we look for in your code
Every audit covers the same major vulnerability categories, adapted to the specifics of your application and technology stack.
Injection flaws
SQL, NoSQL, OS command, LDAP injections... that could compromise your data or your server.
Authentication & sessions
Review of authentication mechanisms, session management, and password handling.
Access control
Verification of authorization rules to catch privilege-escalation flaws and unauthorized access to data.
Cryptography & sensitive data
Review of encryption, storage, and transmission of sensitive data.
Configuration & dependencies
Detection of insecure configurations and outdated or vulnerable third-party libraries.
Business logic
Identification of business-logic flaws specific to how your application actually works.
Results presentation
In the interests of transparency and efficiency, it's vital to understand how the results of your source code audit are structured and communicated. Here's a detailed overview of what's included in the report, and how we present it to you and support you through the next steps.
What does the audit report contain?
-
All identified vulnerabilities, classified by severity (CVSS) and category (CWE).
-
For each vulnerability, a description, its business impact, and the exact location in the code.
-
Technical details and, where relevant, a proof of concept enabling you to reproduce the issue.
-
Concrete, code-level remediation recommendations for each finding.
How do we proceed?
-
We will e-mail you to let you know that the audit is over.
-
We agree to meet by videoconference.
-
We present the source code audit report.
-
After the presentation, we send you the audit report securely.
-
If you wish, we can schedule a phase to verify the corrections applied to your code.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a source code audit cost?
The cost depends on the size of the codebase, the number of languages and modules involved, and the depth of review required. We provide a customized quote once we understand the scope of your application.
How is a source code audit different from a penetration test?
A penetration test evaluates your application from the outside, in real-world conditions, without access to the code. A source code audit gives us full visibility into the codebase, allowing us to detect logic flaws and design issues that would be very difficult, or impossible, to find with a blackbox pentest alone. The two approaches are complementary.
Which programming languages and frameworks do you cover?
We regularly audit applications written in PHP (Symfony, Laravel, WordPress), JavaScript/TypeScript (Node.js, React, Vue, Angular), Python (Django, Flask), Java, Go, .NET, as well as mobile applications. Let us know your stack and we'll confirm our coverage.
Can you help us fix the vulnerabilities you find?
Yes. Depending on your technology stack, we can guide your teams through the remediation of each vulnerability we identify, or implement the fixes directly ourselves if you'd rather we take care of it.
Do you need access to our production environment?
A source code audit is primarily performed on your codebase, typically via read-only access to your Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or an archive), so production access isn't required to carry out the audit itself. Access to a staging or production environment can be a useful complement, for example to validate the real-world exploitability of a finding, but that's entirely up to you.
Is our source code kept confidential?
Yes. Access to your code is restricted to the audit team only, and all code and audit materials are deleted at the end of the mission unless you ask us to keep them.
Can you audit code that is still under development?
Yes, and it's actually one of the most valuable times to do it. Identifying vulnerabilities before an application goes live is far less costly than fixing them once it's in production.
What happens after we fix the vulnerabilities you found?
If you wish, we can schedule a verification phase once your team has applied the recommended fixes, to confirm that the vulnerabilities have been properly corrected and no new issues were introduced.
How long does a source code audit take?
It depends on the size of the codebase and the depth of review required. A focused audit on a specific module can take a few days, while a comprehensive audit of a large application can take several weeks.
Contact us
Do you have any questions or would you like to request a pentest? Please do not hesitate to contact us.