Security Issues in Sourcegraph Cody Code

Cody may generate code that bypasses existing security abstractions — calling a lower-level data access function instead of the validated service layer, or implementing a new endpoint without using the standard authentication middleware because it doesn't recognize why other endpoints use it

Document your security abstractions explicitly — middleware, validators, and access control functions should have docstrings that explain they're security boundaries. Review Cody-generated code to confirm it uses the standard security abstractions rather than lower-level alternatives

Every Sourcegraph Cody app needs authentication — verifying who the user is — and authorization — verifying what they're allowed to do. Check that every API route and server action verifies the user's identity before processing requests. Check that users can only access their own data. A common Sourcegraph Cody pattern is adding auth to the UI but not the API, which means anyone with the endpoint URL can access data directly.

Never trust data coming from the client. Every form submission, URL parameter, and API request body should be validated server-side before processing. Use a schema validation library like Zod to define expected shapes and reject anything that doesn't match. This prevents injection attacks, data corruption, and unexpected crashes.

Configure security headers to protect against common web attacks: Content-Security-Policy to prevent XSS, Strict-Transport-Security to enforce HTTPS, X-Frame-Options to prevent clickjacking, and X-Content-Type-Options to prevent MIME sniffing. Most hosting platforms let you configure these in a headers file or configuration.

If your app handles user data, processes payments, or stores sensitive information, a professional security review is essential before launch. Our security scan ($19) checks for the most critical vulnerabilities, and our full security review service provides a comprehensive assessment with remediation guidance.