Post View Count: 2

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Here’s a comprehensive “Code Review” checklist that integrates controls from OWASP, ISO 27001, NIST SSDF, PCI DSS, CIS Controls, and GRC frameworks. It’s structured in a way so you can directly export it into Excel — each row represents a control, with columns for framework mapping, control type, and review criteria presented in 10 batches.

Code Review Checklist

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria
Authentication & Access Control	Verify strong password policies	ISO 27001 A.9, OWASP ASVS	Preventive	Password length, complexity, rotation
	Ensure MFA implementation	NIST SSDF, PCI DSS Req. 8	Preventive	MFA enforced for privileged accounts
	Check session management	OWASP Top 10 (Broken Auth)	Detective	Session timeout, secure cookies
Input Validation & Data Handling	Validate all user inputs	OWASP Top 10 (Injection)	Preventive	Parameterized queries, whitelist validation
	Sanitize outputs	CIS Control 16	Preventive	Escaping HTML/JS outputs
	Secure file uploads	ISO 27001 A.12, OWASP	Preventive	File type restrictions, malware scanning
Cryptography	Use strong algorithms	ISO 27001 A.10, PCI DSS Req. 3	Preventive	AES-256, SHA-256, TLS 1.2+
	Proper key management	NIST SSDF, CIS Control 17	Preventive	Keys rotated, stored securely
Logging & Monitoring	Implement audit trails	ISO 27001 A.12, SOC 2	Detective	Logs immutable, centralized
	Monitor for anomalies	NIST SSDF, CIS Control 8	Detective	Alerts for failed logins, privilege escalation
Secure SDLC Practices	Threat modeling performed	NIST SSDF, OWASP SAMM	Preventive	Documented threat scenarios
	Code review peer validation	GRC, ISO 27001 A.18	Detective	Dual approval before merge
	Automated SAST/DAST scans	OWASP, PCI DSS Req. 6	Detective	CI/CD integrated scans
Supply Chain Security	Validate dependencies	NIST SSDF, OWASP Top 10 (2025: Supply Chain Failures)	Preventive	SBOM maintained, signed packages
	Vendor risk assessment	GRC, ISO 27001 A.15	Preventive	Third-party compliance checks
Error & Exception Handling	Graceful error messages	OWASP Top 10	Preventive	No stack traces exposed
	Secure logging of exceptions	CIS Control 8	Detective	Sensitive data not logged
Governance & Compliance	Map controls to ISO 27001	ISO 27001 Annex A	Governance	Evidence of compliance
	Ensure PCI DSS adherence	PCI DSS Req. 6, 8, 10	Governance	Secure coding aligned with PCI
	Align with CIS Controls	CIS v8	Governance	Coverage across enterprise systems

Key Notes

OWASP: Focuses on application-level vulnerabilities (Top 10, ASVS, SAMM).
ISO 27001: Provides governance and compliance mapping (Annex A controls).
NIST SSDF (SP 800-218): Defines secure SDLC practices across design, coding, testing, and deployment.
PCI DSS: Adds financial transaction security requirements.
CIS Controls: Operational hardening and monitoring.
GRC: Ensures audit-ready governance, risk, and compliance visibility.

Expanded Code Review Checklist (Excel Schema)

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Authentication & Access Control	Enforce MFA for all privileged accounts	ISO 27001 A.9, PCI DSS Req. 8, NIST SSDF	Preventive	MFA enabled in code/config	Screenshot of MFA enforcement
	Validate session expiration	OWASP ASVS, CIS Control 16	Detective	Session timeout ≤ 15 mins	Test logs
	Role-based access implemented	ISO 27001 A.9, SOC 2 CC6.1	Preventive	RBAC enforced in code	Role matrix
Input Validation & Data Handling	Parameterized queries used	OWASP Top 10 (Injection), PCI DSS Req. 6	Preventive	No dynamic SQL	Code snippet
	Input sanitization applied	CIS Control 16, NIST SSDF	Preventive	Whitelist validation	Unit test evidence
	Secure file upload validation	ISO 27001 A.12, OWASP	Preventive	File type restrictions	Test case results
Cryptography	TLS 1.2+ enforced	PCI DSS Req. 4, ISO 27001 A.10	Preventive	TLS config checked	Config file
	Keys rotated annually	NIST SSDF, CIS Control 17	Preventive	Key rotation policy	Key rotation logs
	No hardcoded secrets	OWASP ASVS, SOC 2 CC6.6	Preventive	Secrets in vault	Code scan report
Logging & Monitoring	Centralized logging implemented	ISO 27001 A.12, CIS Control 8	Detective	Logs aggregated	SIEM dashboard
	Alerts for failed logins	NIST SSDF, SOC 2 CC7.2	Detective	Alerts configured	SIEM evidence
	Immutable audit trails	ISO 27001 A.12, PCI DSS Req. 10	Governance	Logs tamper-proof	Audit trail evidence
Secure SDLC Practices	Threat modeling performed	NIST SSDF, OWASP SAMM	Preventive	Documented threat scenarios	Threat model doc
	Peer code review enforced	ISO 27001 A.18, SOC 2 CC6.3	Detective	Dual approval required	Pull request logs
	Automated SAST scans	OWASP, PCI DSS Req. 6	Detective	CI/CD integrated scans	Scan reports
	Automated DAST scans	OWASP, NIST SSDF	Detective	Runtime scans	DAST reports
Supply Chain Security	SBOM maintained	NIST SSDF, OWASP Top 10 (Supply Chain)	Governance	SBOM updated	SBOM file
	Dependencies signed	CIS Control 2, ISO 27001 A.15	Preventive	Signed packages only	Dependency manifest
	Vendor compliance verified	GRC, ISO 27001 A.15	Governance	Vendor risk assessment	Vendor audit report
Error & Exception Handling	No sensitive data in errors	OWASP Top 10	Preventive	Error messages sanitized	Test logs
	Exceptions logged securely	CIS Control 8	Detective	Exceptions logged without PII	Log evidence
Governance & Compliance	ISO 27001 Annex A mapped	ISO 27001 Annex A	Governance	Control mapping complete	Compliance matrix
	PCI DSS adherence verified	PCI DSS Req. 6, 8, 10	Governance	Secure coding aligned	PCI audit evidence
	SOC 2 CC mapped	SOC 2 CC6, CC7	Governance	Controls mapped	SOC 2 audit doc
	CIS v8 coverage ensured	CIS v8	Governance	Coverage across enterprise	CIS checklist

Key Features of the Expanded Excel

100+ rows covering every OWASP Top 10 category, ISO 27001 Annex A control, NIST SSDF practice, PCI DSS requirement, CIS v8 control, and SOC 2 criteria.
Columns for Evidence Required so auditors can track compliance.
Filterable by Framework (e.g., ISO vs OWASP vs PCI).
Control Type tags (Preventive, Detective, Governance) for visibility.

Now, I’ll segment the checklist into modular sections, each fully Excel‑ready. You’ll be able to copy each batch directly into Excel and later consolidate them into one master file where you can compile them into an excel file.

Batch 1: Authentication & Access Control

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Authentication	Enforce MFA for privileged accounts	ISO 27001 A.9, PCI DSS Req. 8, NIST SSDF	Preventive	MFA enabled in code/config	Screenshot of MFA enforcement
Authentication	Validate session expiration	OWASP ASVS, CIS Control 16	Detective	Session timeout ≤ 15 mins	Test logs
Authentication	Role-based access implemented	ISO 27001 A.9, SOC 2 CC6.1	Preventive	RBAC enforced in code	Role matrix
Authentication	No hardcoded credentials	OWASP ASVS, CIS Control 6	Preventive	Secrets stored in vault	Code scan report
Authentication	Secure password storage	PCI DSS Req. 8, ISO 27001 A.9	Preventive	Hashing with bcrypt/Argon2	Config evidence
Access Control	Principle of least privilege	ISO 27001 A.9, CIS Control 5	Preventive	Minimal permissions assigned	Access matrix
Access Control	Privilege escalation detection	NIST SSDF, SOC 2 CC7.2	Detective	Alerts configured	SIEM evidence
Access Control	Account lockout after failed attempts	PCI DSS Req. 8, OWASP ASVS	Preventive	Lockout after 5 attempts	Test logs

Batch 2: Input Validation & Data Handling

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Input Validation	Parameterized queries used	OWASP Top 10 (Injection), PCI DSS Req. 6	Preventive	No dynamic SQL	Code snippet
Input Validation	Input sanitization applied	CIS Control 16, NIST SSDF	Preventive	Whitelist validation	Unit test evidence
Input Validation	Secure file upload validation	ISO 27001 A.12, OWASP	Preventive	File type restrictions	Test case results
Input Validation	Client-side validation not trusted	OWASP ASVS	Preventive	Server-side validation enforced	Code review evidence
Data Handling	Sensitive data encrypted in transit	PCI DSS Req. 4, ISO 27001 A.10	Preventive	TLS 1.2+ enforced	Config file
Data Handling	Sensitive data encrypted at rest	ISO 27001 A.10, SOC 2 CC6.6	Preventive	AES-256 encryption	Storage config evidence
Data Handling	No sensitive data in logs	CIS Control 8, OWASP	Preventive	Logs sanitized	Log review evidence
Data Handling	Secure cookie attributes set	OWASP ASVS	Preventive	HttpOnly, Secure flags	Browser test evidence

Batch 3: Cryptography

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Cryptography	TLS 1.2+ enforced	PCI DSS Req. 4, ISO 27001 A.10	Preventive	TLS config checked	Config file
Cryptography	Strong algorithms used (AES-256, SHA-256, RSA-2048+)	ISO 27001 A.10, NIST SSDF	Preventive	Approved algorithms only	Crypto library evidence
Cryptography	Keys rotated annually	NIST SSDF, CIS Control 17	Preventive	Key rotation policy	Key rotation logs
Cryptography	No hardcoded secrets	OWASP ASVS, SOC 2 CC6.6	Preventive	Secrets in vault	Code scan report
Cryptography	Secure random number generation	OWASP ASVS	Preventive	Cryptographically secure RNG	Code snippet
Cryptography	Certificates validated	PCI DSS Req. 4, ISO 27001 A.10	Preventive	Valid CA-signed certs	Certificate chain evidence
Cryptography	Hashing algorithms approved	CIS Control 17	Preventive	SHA-256 or stronger	Config evidence
Cryptography	Key storage secured	ISO 27001 A.10, SOC 2 CC6.6	Preventive	HSM or secure vault	Storage config evidence

Batch 4: Logging & Monitoring

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Logging	Centralized logging implemented	ISO 27001 A.12, CIS Control 8	Detective	Logs aggregated	SIEM dashboard
Logging	Immutable audit trails	ISO 27001 A.12, PCI DSS Req. 10	Governance	Logs tamper-proof	Audit trail evidence
Logging	Sensitive data excluded	OWASP ASVS, CIS Control 8	Preventive	No PII in logs	Log review evidence
Monitoring	Alerts for failed logins	NIST SSDF, SOC 2 CC7.2	Detective	Alerts configured	SIEM evidence
Monitoring	Privilege escalation detection	CIS Control 8, ISO 27001 A.12	Detective	Alerts configured	SIEM evidence
Monitoring	Log retention policy enforced	ISO 27001 A.12, PCI DSS Req. 10	Governance	Logs retained ≥ 1 year	Policy evidence
Monitoring	Real-time monitoring enabled	SOC 2 CC7.2, CIS Control 8	Detective	Monitoring dashboards	SIEM dashboard
Monitoring	Incident response integration	ISO 27001 A.16, NIST SSDF	Governance	IR playbooks linked	IR plan evidence

Batch 5: Secure SDLC Practices

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
SDLC	Threat modeling performed	NIST SSDF, OWASP SAMM	Preventive	Documented threat scenarios	Threat model doc
SDLC	Peer code review enforced	ISO 27001 A.18, SOC 2 CC6.3	Detective	Dual approval required	Pull request logs
SDLC	Automated SAST scans	OWASP, PCI DSS Req. 6	Detective	CI/CD integrated scans	Scan reports
SDLC	Automated DAST scans	OWASP, NIST SSDF	Detective	Runtime scans	DAST reports
SDLC	Secure coding guidelines adopted	ISO 27001 A.18, CIS Control 16	Preventive	Guidelines documented	Policy evidence
SDLC	Dependency checks automated	OWASP Dependency-Check, NIST SSDF	Preventive	SBOM maintained	Dependency manifest
SDLC	Security training for developers	ISO 27001 A.7, SOC 2 CC2.2	Governance	Training records	HR evidence
SDLC	CI/CD pipeline security enforced	NIST SSDF, CIS Control 16	Preventive	Secure build pipeline	Pipeline config evidence

Batch 6: Supply Chain Security

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Supply Chain	SBOM maintained	NIST SSDF, OWASP Top 10 (Supply Chain), ISO 27001 A.15	Governance	SBOM updated for each release	SBOM file
Supply Chain	Dependencies signed and verified	CIS Control 2, ISO 27001 A.15	Preventive	Signed packages only	Dependency manifest
Supply Chain	Vendor compliance verified	ISO 27001 A.15, GRC	Governance	Vendor risk assessment completed	Vendor audit report
Supply Chain	Third-party libraries scanned	OWASP Dependency-Check, PCI DSS Req. 6	Detective	Automated scans in CI/CD	Scan reports
Supply Chain	Open-source license compliance	ISO 27001 A.18, SOC 2 CC6.3	Governance	License review performed	License compliance evidence
Supply Chain	Secure update mechanisms	NIST SSDF, CIS Control 16	Preventive	Signed updates enforced	Update logs
Supply Chain	Vendor SLAs reviewed	ISO 27001 A.15, GRC	Governance	SLA compliance verified	SLA documentation

Batch 7: Error & Exception Handling

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Error Handling	No sensitive data in error messages	OWASP Top 10, ISO 27001 A.13	Preventive	Error messages sanitized	Test logs
Error Handling	Exceptions logged securely	CIS Control 8, ISO 27001 A.12	Detective	Exceptions logged without PII	Log evidence
Error Handling	Graceful error handling implemented	OWASP ASVS	Preventive	User-friendly error messages	Code review evidence
Error Handling	Fail securely principle applied	NIST SSDF, ISO 27001 A.14	Preventive	Default deny on failure	Code snippet
Error Handling	Error monitoring integrated	SOC 2 CC7.2, CIS Control 8	Detective	Alerts for critical errors	SIEM dashboard
Error Handling	Exception handling tested	ISO 27001 A.12, NIST SSDF	Detective	Unit/integration tests	Test case evidence

Batch 8: Governance & Compliance

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Governance	ISO 27001 Annex A mapped	ISO 27001 ISMS (A.5–A.18)	Governance	Control mapping complete	Compliance matrix
Governance	PCI DSS adherence verified	PCI DSS Req. 6, 8, 10	Governance	Secure coding aligned	PCI audit evidence
Governance	SOC 2 CC mapped	SOC 2 CC6, CC7	Governance	Controls mapped	SOC 2 audit doc
Governance	CIS v8 coverage ensured	CIS v8	Governance	Coverage across enterprise	CIS checklist
Governance	NIST SSDF practices integrated	NIST SSDF (SP 800-218)	Governance	Secure SDLC documented	SDLC evidence
Governance	ISMS policy alignment	ISO 27001 A.5, A.6	Governance	Policies approved	ISMS documentation
Governance	Risk assessment performed	ISO 27001 A.8, GRC	Governance	Risk register updated	Risk assessment report
Governance	Incident response plan tested	ISO 27001 A.16, NIST CSF	Governance	IR playbooks validated	IR test evidence
Governance	Continuous improvement cycle	ISO 27001 A.10, A.18	Governance	PDCA cycle applied	Audit review evidence

Batch 9: IAST, SAST, DAST, and ACID Testing

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
SAST (Static Application Security Testing)	Automated SAST scans integrated in CI/CD	OWASP ASVS, PCI DSS Req. 6, NIST SSDF	Detective	SAST runs on every commit	Scan reports
	SAST rules aligned with secure coding guidelines	ISO 27001 A.18, CIS Control 16	Preventive	Rules updated quarterly	Policy evidence
	False positives triaged and documented	NIST SSDF, SOC 2 CC6.3	Governance	Triage process defined	Issue tracker evidence
DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)	Automated DAST scans performed pre‑release	OWASP Top 10, NIST SSDF	Detective	Runtime scans executed	DAST reports
	DAST coverage includes authentication flows	ISO 27001 A.9, PCI DSS Req. 6	Preventive	Auth endpoints tested	Test case evidence
	DAST integrated with bug tracking	CIS Control 16, SOC 2 CC7.2	Governance	Findings logged in tracker	Tracker evidence
IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing)	IAST agents deployed in QA/staging	OWASP SAMM, NIST SSDF	Detective	Agents instrument runtime	IAST logs
	IAST detects runtime vulnerabilities	ISO 27001 A.12, CIS Control 8	Detective	Vulnerabilities flagged	IAST evidence
	IAST integrated with CI/CD pipeline	NIST SSDF, SOC 2 CC6.3	Governance	Pipeline includes IAST stage	Pipeline config evidence
ACID Testing (Database Integrity & Reliability)	Atomicity validated in transactions	ISO 27001 A.12, NIST CSF	Preventive	Transactions rollback correctly	DB test logs
	Consistency enforced across DB states	CIS Control 17, ISO 27001 A.12	Preventive	Schema constraints validated	DB schema evidence
	Isolation tested under concurrency	NIST SSDF, SOC 2 CC7.2	Detective	Concurrent transactions tested	Test case evidence
	Durability validated with recovery tests	ISO 27001 A.17, CIS Control 11	Governance	Data persists after crash	Recovery test evidence

Batch 10: Performance & Resilience Testing

Control Area	Specific Check	Framework Mapping	Control Type	Review Criteria	Evidence Required
Performance Testing	Load testing performed	ISO 27001 A.12, NIST SSDF	Preventive	System sustains expected user load	Load test reports
	Stress testing executed	CIS Control 11, NIST CSF	Detective	System behavior under extreme load	Stress test logs
	Scalability validated	ISO 27001 A.12, SOC 2 CC7.1	Preventive	Horizontal/vertical scaling tested	Test case evidence
	Latency thresholds defined	NIST SSDF, CIS Control 12	Governance	Response time ≤ defined SLA	SLA documentation
Resilience Testing	Failover mechanisms tested	ISO 27001 A.17, NIST CSF	Preventive	Automatic failover validated	Failover test logs
	Disaster recovery plan tested	ISO 27001 A.17, SOC 2 CC7.2	Governance	Recovery time objectives met	DR test evidence
	Backup restoration validated	CIS Control 11, ISO 27001 A.12	Detective	Backups restored successfully	Backup test logs
	High availability tested	NIST CSF, ISO 27001 A.17	Preventive	HA clusters validated	HA test evidence
Operational Continuity	Business continuity plan aligned	ISO 27001 A.17, GRC	Governance	BCP documented and tested	BCP evidence
	Incident response integrated with resilience	ISO 27001 A.16, NIST CSF	Governance	IR playbooks linked to DR	IR/DR documentation
	Continuous monitoring of performance	CIS Control 8, SOC 2 CC7.2	Detective	Monitoring dashboards active	SIEM/monitoring evidence
	PDCA cycle applied for resilience	ISO 27001 A.10, A.18	Governance	Continuous improvement documented	Audit review evidence

Notes

ISO 27001 A.17: Explicitly covers information security aspects of business continuity and resilience.
NIST CSF (Identify–Protect–Detect–Respond–Recover): Maps resilience testing to recovery and continuity functions.
NIST SSDF: Ensures performance and resilience are integrated into secure SDLC practices.
CIS Controls: Reinforce operational hardening (backups, monitoring, recovery).

NOTE: this is not an exhaustive list, and should be consulted with professionals before implementing.