Secure Coding Training Template and Checklist
A ready-to-run secure coding program for developers and the rollout checklist to go with it. Train every squad, then see who is actually covered.
Reviewed by Abhijit Rao, AVP & Business Head, India
- A seven-module secure coding program, with audience and coverage for each
- A rollout checklist mapped to your own SDLC and control framework
- A team readiness matrix that shows which squads are behind
- A code-review and refresher cadence so the habit sticks
What is inside
- A seven-module secure coding program, with audience and required coverage for each session.
- A 10-point rollout checklist you can map to your SDLC and control framework and mark off as you go.
- A team readiness matrix that scores each squad and shows where coverage is thin.
- A code-review and refresher cadence so secure coding stays a habit, not a one-off.
Who it is for
Anyone who has to plan what people learn, and answer for whether it landed.
- L&D and training teams
- People managers and team leads
- Heads of function and department
- HR business partners
- Compliance and risk teams
- Onboarding and enablement teams
- Operations and delivery leads
- COOs and HR directors
How to use this template in 4 steps
- Pick your format. Download the PDF to share, the Word file to edit, or the Excel file to work in live. All three are free.
- Make it yours. Adapt the sections, fields and wording to your team, roles and process so it fits how you actually work.
- Put it to work. Fill it in, circulate it to stakeholders for sign-off, or roll it out to your team.
- Track and improve. Review it on a set cadence and refine it as your goals, roles and priorities change.
What is inside
- A seven-module secure coding program, with audience and required coverage for each session.
- A 10-point rollout checklist you can map to your SDLC and control framework and mark off as you go.
- A team readiness matrix that scores each squad and shows where coverage is thin.
- A code-review and refresher cadence so secure coding stays a habit, not a one-off.
Adapt the modules and checklist to your own languages, frameworks and control framework. This is a starting structure, not a substitute for your security team's coding standards.
The training program template
Seven modules covering the vulnerability classes that actually cause incidents. Run the full set for new engineers, then use the refresher and stack-specific modules through the year.
| Module | Audience | Duration | What it must cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. OWASP Top 10 foundations | All engineers | 35 min | Injection, broken access control, cryptographic failures and the other high-frequency vulnerability classes with real examples. |
| 2. Input validation and output encoding | All engineers | 30 min | Treating all input as hostile, validating on the server, and encoding output to stop injection and XSS. |
| 3. Secrets and configuration | All engineers | 25 min | Keeping keys and tokens out of source control, using a secrets manager, and rotating credentials safely. |
| 4. Dependencies and supply chain | All engineers | 25 min | Pinning versions, scanning for known vulnerabilities, and vetting new packages before adding them. |
| 5. Authentication and authorization | Backend, platform | 35 min | Session handling, least-privilege checks in code, and avoiding broken access control. |
| 6. Secure code review | Reviewers, leads | 40 min | Reviewing for security intent, not just style, and using a shared checklist in every pull request. |
| 7. Annual refresher | All engineers | 25 min | Updated threats, a recent anonymised incident, and a short exploit-spotting exercise for evidence. |
Delivering the refresher and the exploit-spotting exercise through an LMS gives you dated completion per engineer and per squad, the evidence an auditor or a customer security review asks for.
The rollout checklist
Ten steps to get secure coding training live and keep it continuous. Tick items to track your own progress, it stays in this browser. The download has the same list with an owner column.
- Baseline vulnerable-code exercise run before trainingSkills testingBefore launch
- New engineers trained within their first weekOnboardingPer hire
- OWASP Top 10 module completed by all engineersCore trainingAnnual
- Secure code-review checklist in pull-request templatesCode reviewOngoing
- Secrets scanning enabled on every repositorySecretsOngoing
- Dependency scanning wired into the pipelineSupply chainOngoing
- Stack-specific deep dive given to backend and platformRole-basedOngoing
- Findings from review fed back into training topicsFeedback loopQuarterly
- Completion tracked by squad, not just org-wideGovernanceOngoing
- Annual refresher and exploit-spotting check completedGovernanceAnnual
The most common gap is the last one. An org-wide 90 percent completion can still hide a whole squad at zero, and that squad ships the injection bug.
Team readiness at a glance
The checklist tells you what is missing overall. This matrix tells you which squads are behind. Score each squad on the five practices that carry the most risk. In Excel the readiness and gaps calculate as you type.
| Team | Engineers | OWASP Top 10 | Input validation | Secrets | Dependencies | Code review | Ready |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | 24 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Payments backend | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 70% |
| Web frontend | 30 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 60% |
| Mobile | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 40% |
| Data engineering | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 70% |
| Coverage at required | 40% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 68% |
Mobile is the exposure here: no secrets discipline and thin OWASP coverage, and hardcoded keys in a mobile binary are trivial to extract.
The annual secure coding calendar
| Timing | Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| On joining | Modules 1 to 4 in the first week, recorded. | Eng lead and AppSec |
| Every pull request | Apply the secure code-review checklist before approval. | Reviewers |
| Monthly | Review completion by squad and security findings caught in review. | AppSec |
| For higher-risk stacks | Stack-specific deep dive for backend, platform and mobile. | AppSec and L&D |
| Annual, all engineers | Refresher module and exploit-spotting check, tracked per squad. | L&D |
| After any incident | Targeted micro-training on the specific vulnerability class, fast. | AppSec |
How to run it
- Baseline with a real code sample
Show a vulnerable snippet and ask teams to spot the flaw, so you can prove the change later.
- Anchor on the OWASP Top 10
Teach the vulnerability classes that cause most incidents, in your own languages and frameworks.
- Tie training to code review
Put the checklist into pull-request templates so the lesson shows up where code is judged.
- Segment by stack and risk
Backend, frontend and platform teams face different flaws, so give each the deep dive it needs.
- Track completion by squad
Roll it up per squad so a non-compliant team is visible before a vulnerability reaches production.
- Review the metrics monthly
Completion by squad, findings caught in review, and time to remediate flagged issues.
Frontline teams reach 45 percent-plus completion on Disprz when training is delivered in short, mobile modules in the local language, the format this program is built for.
Common mistakes this pack prevents
- One annual slideshow and nothing that touches how code is actually written.
- An org-wide completion number that hides a whole squad at zero.
- Teaching every stack identically, when backend, frontend and mobile face different flaws.
- Training on theory but never wiring the checklist into code review, where it would bite.
- No dated records, so there is nothing to show an auditor or a customer security review.
Which format should you use?
| Format | Best for | What is inside | Editable | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharing and print | The full template, formatted to print or circulate | No | 55 KB | |
| Word | Editing the wording | Every section as editable text you can adapt | Yes | 86 KB |
| Excel | Filling it in live | The grid and fields set up as a working spreadsheet | Yes | 65 KB |
Questions people ask
Is secure coding training mandatory?
How often should secure coding training happen?
Can I adapt the modules and checklist?
Does the Excel tracker work in Google Sheets?
Do I have to fill the form three times?
Training is only a control if engineers finish it. That is the part we run.
Bring your engineering teams to a 30-minute working session. We will show how Disprz delivers secure coding in short mobile modules and rolls completion up by squad, so your next audit or board update is a two-minute export.