Pre-Release Security Checklist

Overview

This checklist is designed for DevOps teams, SRE, and release managers to verify production-readiness and security hardening before deploying StockEase Frontend to production environments.

Purpose: Ensure all security controls are active, properly configured, and verified before release
Timing: Execute BEFORE every production release (1-2 days before deployment)
Responsibility: DevOps/SRE team with security team oversight
Tools Required: Server access, SSL certificate tools, monitoring dashboards, log analysis tools

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🔐 HTTPS & TLS Security

A1: Certificate & Protocol Configuration

• SSL/TLS Certificate
  • SSL certificate is valid and not expired
  • Certificate is issued for the correct domain
  • Certificate includes all required SANs (Subject Alternative Names)
  • Certificate chain is complete and properly ordered
  • HTTPS is enforced on all endpoints
• TLS Protocol Version
  • TLS 1.2 or higher is enforced
  • TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are disabled
  • SSLv3 and older are disabled
  • Protocol downgrade attacks are prevented
• Cipher Suites
  • Strong cipher suites are configured
  • Weak ciphers (RC4, DES, MD5) are disabled
  • Cipher order is enforced (server-side preference)
  • Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) ciphers are prioritized
• HSTS Configuration
  • Strict-Transport-Security header is set
  • HSTS max-age is at least 31536000 (1 year)
  • includeSubDomains is enabled (if applicable)
  • preload flag is set (for HSTS preload list)

A2: Hostname & Redirect Configuration

• Hostname verification
  • Server listens on intended hostname
  • SSL certificate matches hostname
  • Wildcard certificates are appropriate (e.g., *.stockease.com)
• HTTP redirect
  • HTTP (port 80) redirects to HTTPS (port 443)
  • Redirect is permanent (301) not temporary (302)
  • Redirect preserves path and query parameters

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🛡️ Security Headers Configuration

B1: HTTP Security Headers

• Content-Security-Policy (CSP)
  • CSP header is present (not just meta tag)
  • CSP is in enforce mode (not just report-only)
  • CSP directives are restrictive (no 'unsafe-inline' or 'unsafe-eval')
  • Nonce or hash-based inline scripts (if used)
  • Script-src includes only trusted origins
• X-Content-Type-Options
  • Header is set to nosniff
  • Prevents MIME type sniffing attacks
  • Verified with Content-Type: application/octet-stream test
• X-Frame-Options
  • Header is set to DENY (prevents all framing)
  • Prevents clickjacking attacks
  • Verified in browser developer tools
• X-XSS-Protection
  • Header is set to 1; mode=block
  • Enables XSS filter in older browsers
  • Modern browsers fallback to CSP
• Referrer-Policy
  • Header is set to strict-origin or no-referrer
  • Prevents leaking referrer information to third-parties
  • Appropriate for privacy requirements
• Permissions-Policy
  • Geolocation, microphone, camera are restricted
  • Payment Request API is restricted
  • USB is restricted

B2: Additional Security Headers

• Cache-Control
  • HTML is not cached (Cache-Control: no-cache, no-store)
  • JavaScript/CSS have appropriate cache headers
  • Sensitive pages have no-store directive
• Cross-Origin Headers
  • Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy is set to same-origin
  • Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy is configured (if needed)

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🔑 Environment & Secrets Configuration

C1: Environment Variables & Secrets

• API Configuration
  • VITE_API_BASE_URL is correctly set to production API
  • API base URL uses HTTPS (not HTTP)
  • Base URL is not localhost or development domain
• Application Secrets
  • No hardcoded API keys or tokens in code
  • No secrets in build artifacts
  • No secrets in environment files (.env)
  • GitHub Secrets are properly configured for CI/CD
• Third-party Integrations
  • Any third-party API keys are environment-based
  • API keys are rotated according to schedule
  • API key scopes are minimal (least privilege)

C2: Secret Rotation & Management

• Key rotation schedule
  • JWT signing keys are rotated regularly (documented)
  • API keys are rotated quarterly (or per vendor policy)
  • Secret rotation procedure is documented
  • Rotation is tested before production deployment

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📊 Authentication & Authorization

D1: Authentication Configuration

• Token validation
  • JWT tokens are validated on every request (backend)
  • Token expiration is enforced
  • Token signature is verified
  • Token algorithm is secure (HS256+, RS256)
• Login security
  • Failed login attempts are logged
  • Rate limiting is enforced on login endpoint
  • Account lockout policies are configured (if applicable)
• Session management
  • Session timeout is configured (e.g., 30 minutes)
  • Idle sessions are terminated
  • Logout properly invalidates tokens

D2: Authorization Enforcement

• Role-based access control (RBAC)
  • User roles are correctly assigned
  • Admin role is properly restricted
  • Role changes are logged
  • Default role is least privileged
• API endpoint protection
  • All protected endpoints require valid token
  • 401 responses are returned for missing/invalid tokens
  • 403 responses are returned for insufficient permissions
  • Unauthorized access attempts are logged

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🌐 CORS & Cross-Origin Security

E1: CORS Configuration

• Allowed Origins
  • CORS Access-Control-Allow-Origin is configured
  • Only approved origins are listed (no wildcards with credentials)
  • Localhost/development origins are not in production
  • Third-party origins are explicitly approved
• Allowed Methods & Headers
  • Access-Control-Allow-Methods is restrictive (GET, POST, etc.)
  • Access-Control-Allow-Headers is limited
  • Authorization header is listed (if needed)
  • Credentials are only allowed for same-origin or approved origins
• Preflight Handling
  • OPTIONS requests return correct CORS headers
  • Preflight caching (Max-Age) is configured appropriately
  • Preflight bypass is not used for security-critical endpoints

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🔒 Data Protection & Privacy

F1: Data in Transit

• Encryption
  • All data transmitted over HTTPS
  • No HTTP endpoints (even for status/health checks)
  • API responses are encrypted (via HTTPS)
• Sensitive data handling
  • Tokens are not transmitted in URLs
  • Passwords are never transmitted in plain text
  • API keys are not exposed in responses
  • PII is not logged unnecessarily

F2: Data at Rest

• Local storage
  • Only non-sensitive data stored in localStorage
  • Tokens stored securely (preferably httpOnly cookies)
  • Sensitive data is not stored in localStorage
• Database & Backend
  • Sensitive data is encrypted at rest (backend responsibility)
  • Database access is restricted to authorized services
  • Database backups are encrypted

F3: Logging & Monitoring

• Log configuration
  • Sensitive data (tokens, passwords) is redacted from logs
  • API keys are masked in logs
  • PII is not logged unnecessarily
  • Error details don't expose system information
• Log retention
  • Security events are logged
  • Logs are retained for audit purposes
  • Logs are protected from unauthorized access/modification
  • Expired logs are securely deleted

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📦 Dependencies & Vulnerabilities

G1: Dependency Scanning

• Vulnerability assessment
  • npm audit shows no critical or high vulnerabilities
  • All dependencies are up-to-date (or have documented exceptions)
  • No abandoned or unmaintained packages
  • License scan shows acceptable licenses
• Supply chain security
  • Dependencies are from trusted sources (npm registry)
  • Package integrity is verified (checksums)
  • No transitive dependencies with issues

G2: Build & Deployment

• Build artifact security
  • No secrets in build output
  • Source maps are not deployed (or restricted)
  • Test files are not included in production build
  • Minification and obfuscation are enabled
• Docker/Container security (if applicable)
  • Container image is scanned for vulnerabilities
  • Base image is minimal and up-to-date
  • No hardcoded secrets in Dockerfile
  • Non-root user is used in container

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🚀 Deployment & Infrastructure

H1: Deployment Configuration

• Web server configuration
  • nginx/Apache is hardened (only necessary modules enabled)
  • Directory listing is disabled
  • Symbolic links are disabled
  • Unused HTTP methods are disabled (TRACE, DELETE, etc.)
• Access controls
  • Only necessary ports are open
  • Firewall rules restrict access appropriately
  • Rate limiting is configured
  • DDoS mitigation is enabled (if applicable)
• Reverse proxy/CDN
  • Reverse proxy (nginx, Cloudflare, etc.) is configured
  • Security headers are applied at proxy level
  • Origin server is not directly accessible
  • Origin IP is masked (if using CDN)

H2: Infrastructure Security

• Server hardening
  • Operating system is up-to-date with security patches
  • Unnecessary services are disabled
  • SSH keys are used (no password authentication)
  • Root login is disabled
• Network security
  • VPC/security groups are configured correctly
  • Database is not accessible from the internet
  • Admin panel/management tools are restricted by IP

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📝 Deployment Verification

I1: Health Check & Monitoring

• Service availability
  • Application starts without errors
  • Health check endpoint returns 200 OK
  • All main pages load correctly
  • API communication is functional
• Error monitoring
  • Error tracking (Sentry, etc.) is configured
  • No errors in application logs on startup
  • No warnings related to security
  • Monitoring dashboard shows expected metrics

I2: Security Verification

• Security header validation
  • curl -I https://app.stockease.com | grep -i security
  • CSP headers are present
  • HSTS header is set
  • X-Frame-Options is configured
  • X-Content-Type-Options is set to nosniff
• SSL/TLS validation
  • nmap --script ssl-enum-ciphers -p 443 app.stockease.com
  • No weak ciphers detected
  • TLS 1.2+ is enforced
  • SSL Labs A rating (if tested publicly)
• CORS validation
  • curl -H "Origin: https://app.stockease.com" -H "Access-Control-Request-Method: POST" -I https://api.stockease.com/api/products
  • Correct CORS headers in response
  • Only approved origins are allowed

I3: Functional Testing

• Authentication flow
  • Login works correctly
  • Session persists across page reloads
  • Logout clears authentication
  • Token refresh (if implemented) works
• Data access
  • User can access their own data
  • User cannot access other user's data
  • Admin can access admin features
  • Non-admin users cannot access admin features
• Error scenarios
  • Network errors show friendly messages
  • Invalid input shows validation errors (not system errors)
  • 401/403 errors are handled gracefully
  • 500 errors show generic message (no stack trace)

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🔄 Rollback & Contingency

J1: Rollback Plan

• Rollback procedure documented
  • Previous version is available
  • Database migrations are reversible
  • Configuration changes can be reverted
  • Rollback has been tested
• Incident response
  • On-call rotation is active
  • Escalation procedures are documented
  • Communication plan for incidents exists
  • Post-incident review process is defined

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📋 Release Checklist Summary

Pre-Deployment (72 hours before)

• Security review completed
• All tests passing
• Vulnerabilities resolved
• Deployment plan reviewed
• Rollback plan verified

Day Before Deployment

• Staging environment passes all security checks
• Monitoring and alerting configured
• Incident response team notified
• Maintenance window scheduled (if needed)

Deployment Day

• All health checks pass
• Security headers verified
• Authentication/authorization working
• No unusual errors in logs
• Team is monitoring

Post-Deployment (within 24 hours)

• All functionality verified in production
• No security-related errors
• Performance metrics are normal
• User access logs appear normal
• Release notes are published

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👥 Sign-Off

Pre-Release Verification Team

Security Lead: _________________ Date: _________
DevOps Lead: _________________ Date: _________
Product Manager: _________________ Date: _________

Approval Status

• ✅ Approved for Release — All checks passed
• ⚠️ Approved with Exceptions — Documented below
• ❌ Blocked — Issues must be resolved

Exceptions (if applicable)

[Document any exceptions, mitigations, or accepted risks]

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📊 Deployment Metrics

After release, monitor these metrics:

Security Metrics
├─ 401 Error Rate (should be < 1%)
├─ 403 Error Rate (should be < 0.5%)
├─ Failed Login Attempts (monitor for brute force)
└─ SSL Certificate Expiration (alert at 30 days)

Performance Metrics
├─ Average Response Time (should be < 500ms)
├─ 95th Percentile Response Time (should be < 2s)
├─ Error Rate (should be < 0.1%)
└─ Availability (target: 99.9%)

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📚 Reference Links

• StockEase Security Documentation
• Compliance & Standards
• Security Headers Configuration
• CI/CD Secrets & Pipeline Security
• Dependency Management
• API Security Guide

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🔄 Release Checklist Updates

This checklist should be:

• Used for every production release
• Updated when infrastructure changes (nginx, Docker, etc.)
• Reviewed quarterly with security team
• Adjusted for new security threats as they emerge
• Customized for different deployment targets (staging, production, etc.)

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Last Updated: November 13, 2025
Version: 1.0.0
Maintained By: StockEase Security & DevOps Team
Review Frequency: For every production deployment
Classification: Internal - DevOps & Security Team