Monthly Security Checklist: 15-Item Guide for Deep Audits

TL;DR

Monthly security audits catch issues that weekly checks miss. Spend about an hour reviewing dependencies, access controls, backups, and security configurations. 4 critical items protect against immediate threats, 7 important items maintain security posture, and 4 recommended items provide defense in depth. Schedule it for the first Monday of each month.

Quick Checklist (5 Critical Items)

Review all package updatesCheck for major version updates that might affect security

Review all user accountsRemove unused accounts from GitHub, cloud providers, and services

Test backup restorationActually restore a backup to verify it works

Review database security rulesCheck RLS policies still match your data model

Check SSL certificate expiryVerify certificates will not expire before next review

Dependency Deep Dive 4

Review all package updatesNot just security patches. Check for major version updates that might affect security. How to audit dependencies

Check for abandoned packagesIdentify dependencies not updated in 12+ months. Consider alternatives. How to find abandoned packages

Review license complianceEnsure all packages have appropriate licenses for your use case. How to check license compliance

Audit transitive dependenciesRun npm ls or equivalent to see what your dependencies depend on. How to audit transitive dependencies

Access Control Audit 4

Review all user accountsCheck GitHub, cloud providers, and third-party services. Remove unused accounts. How to audit user accounts

Audit API key usageCheck last used dates. Revoke keys not used in 90+ days. How to audit API keys

Review permission levelsEnsure users have minimum necessary permissions. Remove admin access where not needed. How to implement least privilege

Check OAuth app authorizationsReview GitHub/Google OAuth connections. Revoke unused authorizations. How to audit OAuth apps

Backup Verification 3

Test backup restorationActually restore a backup to verify it works. Document any issues. How to test backup restoration

Verify backup completenessEnsure all critical data and configurations are included in backups. How to verify backup coverage

Check backup retentionVerify old backups are being deleted per your retention policy. How to configure backup retention

Configuration Review 4

Review security headersCheck CSP, HSTS, and other headers are still appropriate. How to configure security headers

Check SSL certificate expiryVerify certificates won't expire before next month's review. How to check SSL expiry

Review database security rulesCheck RLS policies or security rules still match your data model. How to audit RLS policies

Audit environment variablesLook for unused or outdated environment variables across all environments. How to audit environment variables

Building a Security Calendar

Monthly checks should complement your weekly reviews. While weekly checks focus on immediate issues (new vulnerabilities, failed logins), monthly checks dig deeper into accumulated technical debt and configuration drift.

Consider adding quarterly penetration testing and annual third-party security audits for production applications handling sensitive data.

How long should a monthly security review take?

Plan for about an hour. The first few times may take longer as you discover issues. Over time, with consistent weekly maintenance, monthly reviews become faster as there's less accumulated debt to address.

What if I find critical issues during monthly review?

Stop the review and address critical issues immediately. Document what you found and when. After resolving, return to complete the review. Consider why your weekly checks didn't catch the issue.

Should I document these reviews?

Yes, maintain a log of each monthly review. Note what you checked, issues found, and actions taken. This documentation helps with compliance, shows security diligence to investors, and helps identify patterns over time.

TL;DR

Quick Checklist (5 Critical Items)

Dependency Deep Dive 4

Access Control Audit 4

Backup Verification 3

Configuration Review 4

Building a Security Calendar

How long should a monthly security review take?

What if I find critical issues during monthly review?

Should I document these reviews?

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Monthly Security Checklist: 15-Item Guide for Deep Audits