> tpl_sec_004
Security Requirements Specification
Engineering security baseline translating compliance mandates into actionable functional and non-functional security controls across authentication, authorization, cryptography, and input validation.
Verifiable application and infrastructure security specification structured around OWASP ASVS verification levels, zero trust principles, and automated CI/CD security gates.
Important Tech Document Template & Operational Notice
TinyCTO.tv Tech Document Template Notice: This template is a general educational and operational starting point. It is not legal, tax, accounting, investment, procurement, regulatory, security or certification advice. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, organization, contract and risk. Review and adapt it with qualified professionals before relying on it.
Problem Solved
Security requirements are frequently treated as vague afterthoughts late in the SDLC, leading to brittle authorization flaws, plaintext credential leaks, and costly architectural re-engineering.
When to Use
- •Scoping new software systems or cloud architectures during initial solution design
- •Contractually mandating baseline application security controls for vendor software delivery
- •Establishing verifiable security criteria for OWASP ASVS Level 2 or Level 3 compliance audits
When NOT to Use
- •For business-level functional requirements (use TPL-BSA-004)
- •For emergency active incident containment runbooks (use TPL-SEC-013)
5 Template Sections & Structural Outline
System boundary definition, confidentiality/integrity/availability tiers, and OWASP ASVS target verification level (L1/L2/L3).
Mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA), password complexity standards, JWT lifecycle, and secure session management.
Role-based (RBAC) and attribute-based access control (ABAC), tenant isolation invariants, and privilege escalation guards.
TLS 1.3 in-transit encryption, AES-256-GCM storage encryption, hardware security module (HSM) key rotation, and secret masking.
Context-aware output encoding, strict parameterization, file upload inspection, and blocking SAST/DAST pipeline failure thresholds.
Completion Instructions
Independent Review Checklist
- All mandatory sections completed
- No secrets or passwords included
- Executive sponsor sign-off obtained
Security Requirements Specification - Worked Case Study
Fictional Entity: SovereignPay Cloud Transaction Engine
Real-world production case study demonstrating complete operational adoption for SovereignPay Cloud Transaction Engine.
- •Mandated OWASP ASVS Level 2 verification across 64 REST/GraphQL endpoints
- •Blocked 24 critical broken object-level authorization (BOLA) defects in staging CI/CD
- •Enforced hardware-backed KMS key rotation and zero client-side token storage
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between OWASP ASVS Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3?
Level 1 is the baseline for all software verifiable via black-box testing; Level 2 is required for applications handling sensitive business transactions and PII; Level 3 is reserved for critical infrastructure and defense systems.
How do you prevent broken object-level authorization (BOLA) via this specification?
Section 3 enforces tenant and user ownership assertions directly in database query predicates (e.g. WHERE user_id = :authenticated_user), completely decoupling access decisions from client-supplied IDs.
Should security requirements be tested during unit tests or only in dedicated penetration tests?
Security controls should be verified continuously: unit tests for crypto and validation logic, automated SAST/DAST in CI/CD, and periodic third-party penetration tests.
Download Tech Document Pack
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Authoritative Sources
- OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS) v4.0.3OWASP • OFFICIAL REQUIREMENT
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: Security and Privacy ControlsNIST • OFFICIAL REQUIREMENT