checklists

Security Regression Checklist.

Security & Permissions A release-ready security sign-off for QA — a fast pass across authentication, authorization, sessions, APIs, file upload, sensitive data, error handling and audit logs.

4
sections
15
items
45–90 minutes
time
QA engineersSDETsQA leadsRelease managers

When to use this checklist

  • Before a major release
  • Before authentication, role or permission changes ship
  • Before API or file-upload changes ship
  • Before launching admin features

This is a release-ready security sign-off — a fast, repeatable pass across the highest-risk areas. It does not replace the detailed authentication, authorization and API security checklists; it is the regression layer you run every release to make sure nothing important regressed. Run it with controlled test accounts on an approved environment.

0/15

Access & identity

0/4

Authentication, authorization and sessions still hold.

APIs & input

0/3

Endpoints reject what they should.

Files & data

0/4

Uploads, private files and sensitive data are protected.

Errors, logs & admin

0/4

Errors stay quiet; sensitive actions are recorded.

Common Bugs

A regression re-opens a previously fixed access bug

A refactor removes a server-side permission check that a unit test did not cover. Keep authorization spot-checks in the regression pass and automate the high-value ones.

Admin page accessible by direct URL after a routing change

Navigation hides the admin link, but the route itself lost its guard. Always test the direct URL as a non-admin.

Email link reusable after a flow change

A change to the reset or invite flow drops the single-use or expiry rule. Re-test link reuse every release.

Recommended Tools

Postman

Keep a saved collection that runs the token, role and object-access checks each release.

Playwright

Automate the high-value regressions: logout invalidation, direct-URL admin access, private-file access.