Source code review (also known as secure code review or code audit) is a systematic examination of an application's source code to identify security vulnerabilities, coding errors, and deviations from secure coding practices. Manual code review by experienced security engineers is combined with static application security testing (SAST) tools to analyse code for vulnerabilities including injection flaws, authentication weaknesses, cryptographic errors, insecure data handling, race conditions, and logic flaws.
Code review covers multiple programming languages and frameworks, examining both custom code and the use of third-party libraries and dependencies. This white-box approach finds vulnerabilities that black-box testing cannot detect, such as backdoors, insecure cryptographic implementations, and subtle logic errors.
Source code review is particularly valuable during the software development lifecycle (SDLC) as it allows vulnerabilities to be identified and fixed early, when remediation costs are lowest. It is recommended by compliance frameworks including PCI DSS, SOC 2, and NIST, and is essential for organisations developing security-critical applications, financial systems, healthcare platforms, and government software.
UK offensive security consultancy delivering CREST-accredited penetration testing, adversary simulation and CBEST, TIBER-EU and TBEST threat-led testing, mainly for financial services and other large organisations.
Elite UK offensive security consultancy specialising in CBEST/STAR/TIBER red teaming, advanced adversary simulation, and CREST-accredited penetration testing for FTSE 100 clients.
Award-winning Cheltenham-based cybersecurity consultancy with NCSC CHECK Green Light status and CREST approval, specialising in defence, government, and critical national infrastructure security.
Cybersecurity division of the Thales Group, with ANSSI, CREST, FedRAMP 3PAO, and NATO-cleared personnel. Defence, government, and critical infrastructure penetration testing worldwide.
Munich- and Budapest-based embedded cybersecurity experts focused on financial services, automotive and mobility, manufacturing and industrial automation, energy and more. The services and platform go beyond compliance, supporting the requirements of the Cyber Resilience Act, PCI PTS, UN R155, ISO/SAE 21434 and other standards and regulations.
US-headquartered cybersecurity consultancy with 800+ employees, serving ~40% of the Fortune 500. FedRAMP 3PAO, PCI QSA, and HITRUST accreditations.
US penetration testing firm founded in 2011, running 600+ engagements a year with a fully remote, US-based team. Manual, expert-led testing across web, network, cloud, mobile, wireless, OT/ICS, and AI/LLM. Gartner Sample Vendor for PTaaS.
Frankfurt-based European payment security specialist holding the full set of PCI credentials (QSA, PFI, ASV, P2PE). Manual-first penetration testing for fintechs, acquirers, and regulated enterprises.
Global risk advisory firm with a 400+ person cyber practice. IR-led penetration testing that feeds active breach intelligence straight into test scoping.
Sydney-headquartered Australian cybersecurity firm founded in 1997, now part of Infosys. CREST-approved with OSCP, OSCE, and OSEE-certified testers.
Vienna-headquartered Austrian cybersecurity consultancy with a prolific Vulnerability Lab research program and deep expertise in IoT and embedded systems security across the DACH region.
Boutique security consultancy specialising in IoT, SCADA/ICS, embedded systems, and hardware security research with world-renowned researchers.
Professional code reviewers typically cover Java, C#, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Ruby, PHP, C/C++, Swift, Kotlin, and other common languages. Specialist reviewers may cover embedded systems languages and proprietary platforms.
Automated SAST tools find common patterns but produce false positives and miss complex logic flaws. Manual review by experienced engineers finds subtle vulnerabilities, validates automated findings, and assesses overall code quality.
Duration depends on codebase size, complexity, and languages used. A focused review of critical components typically takes 5-15 days. Full application reviews of large codebases may take several weeks.