INFRASTRUCTURE (40 items) ⏱️ 80-120 hours
Server & OS:
[ ] Operating system fully patched and hardened
[ ] Unnecessary services disabled
[ ] Firewall configured (iptables/nftables)
[ ] SELinux/AppArmor enabled and configured
[ ] Automatic security updates configured
[ ] NTP synchronized
[ ] Timezone set correctly for logging
[ ] Kernel parameters tuned for security
[ ] File integrity monitoring (AIDE/Tripwire)
[ ] Antivirus/EDR agent installed
Container Security:
[ ] Docker daemon configured securely
[ ] User namespaces enabled
[ ] Seccomp profiles applied
[ ] AppArmor/SELinux profiles for containers
[ ] Container images scanned (Trivy/Clair)
[ ] Images from trusted registries only
[ ] No privileged containers
[ ] Resource limits enforced
[ ] Read-only root filesystem where possible
[ ] Secrets not in environment variables
Network Security:
[ ] VPC/network segmentation implemented
[ ] Security groups/firewall rules configured
[ ] Principle of least privilege for network access
[ ] DDoS protection configured
[ ] WAF deployed and configured
[ ] Reverse proxy hardened (Nginx/HAProxy)
[ ] Rate limiting configured
[ ] SSL/TLS with strong ciphers only
[ ] Certificate management automated
[ ] Internal traffic encrypted (mTLS if possible)
Database Security:
[ ] PostgreSQL (not SQLite) in production
[ ] Database on separate network segment
[ ] Encryption at rest enabled
[ ] Encryption in transit (SSL)
[ ] Strong database passwords
[ ] Least privilege database users
[ ] Database backups encrypted
[ ] Backup restoration tested
[ ] Query logging enabled
[ ] Connection logging enabled
PLATFORM CONFIGURATION (35 items) ⏱️ 40-60 hours
Application Security:
[ ] Latest stable version installed
[ ] All known CVEs patched
[ ] Default credentials changed
[ ] Strong encryption key generated (32+ chars)
[ ] Encryption key stored in secrets manager
[ ] Admin panel not publicly accessible
[ ] API endpoints authenticated
[ ] CORS configured restrictively
[ ] Security headers configured
[ ] Error messages don't leak info
[ ] File upload restrictions
[ ] Request size limits
[ ] Webhook signature verification
[ ] Debug mode disabled
[ ] Version disclosure disabled
Authentication & Access:
[ ] SSO/SAML integrated and tested
[ ] MFA enabled and enforced
[ ] Password complexity enforced
[ ] Account lockout configured
[ ] Session timeout configured (≤1 hour)
[ ] Concurrent session limits
[ ] Password reset secure
[ ] Admin accounts use separate credentials
[ ] Service accounts for automation
[ ] API keys rotated from defaults
[ ] Guest access disabled
[ ] Role hierarchy documented
[ ] Least privilege roles assigned
[ ] User offboarding process defined
Credential Management:
[ ] External secrets vault integrated (Vault/AWS Secrets)
[ ] Credentials not stored in platform DB
[ ] Test credentials created for workflows
[ ] Production credentials isolated
[ ] Credential rotation schedule defined
[ ] Read-only credentials used where possible
[ ] Credential access audit logging
[ ] Hardcoded secrets scanner configured
MONITORING & RESPONSE (25 items) ⏱️ 40-60 hours
Logging:
[ ] Application audit logs enabled
[ ] System logs centralized (syslog)
[ ] Container logs captured
[ ] Database audit logs enabled
[ ] Web server access logs configured
[ ] WAF logs captured
[ ] Log retention policy configured (1 year+)
[ ] Logs shipped to SIEM
[ ] Log integrity protected (write-once)
[ ] PII scrubbed from logs
Alerting:
[ ] Failed login alerts configured
[ ] Privilege escalation alerts
[ ] Unusual workflow execution alerts
[ ] High-severity CVE alerts
[ ] Resource exhaustion alerts
[ ] Certificate expiration alerts
[ ] Backup failure alerts
[ ] Anomaly detection configured
Incident Response:
[ ] IR plan documented
[ ] IR team identified
[ ] Escalation procedures defined
[ ] Forensic evidence collection procedures
[ ] Backup/restore procedures tested
[ ] Communication plan defined
[ ] Post-mortem template ready
[ ] Tabletop exercise completed
COMPLIANCE & DOCUMENTATION (20 items) ⏱️ 30-40 hours
Documentation:
[ ] Architecture diagram created
[ ] Network diagram created
[ ] Data flow diagram created
[ ] Runbooks created (common tasks)
[ ] Disaster recovery plan documented
[ ] Security policies documented
[ ] Acceptable use policy created
[ ] Admin procedures documented
[ ] User training materials created
[ ] Configuration management database (CMDB)
Compliance:
[ ] Data classification completed
[ ] Privacy impact assessment
[ ] Risk assessment documented
[ ] Compliance requirements mapped
[ ] Audit trail validated
[ ] Data retention policy configured
[ ] Data deletion procedures
[ ] Vendor/third-party inventory
[ ] Security assessment completed
[ ] Penetration test scheduled
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TOTAL CHECKLIST: 120 items
ESTIMATED EFFORT: 200-300 hours before production