Security for Bootstrapped Startups: The $0 Budget Checklist (2025)

You're a technical founder. You've got $50K runway, two engineers, and 500 beta users. A security consultant just quoted you $15,000 for a "comprehensive security assessment."

You laughed. Then you panicked.

Because you know security matters. You've read the breach headlines. You understand the risks. But you're bootstrapped - every dollar needs to generate revenue, not check compliance boxes.

Here's the truth: You can build real security without consultant budgets. I know because I've done it for SMBs for years, and I'm doing it for my own startup right now.

The Bootstrapped Security Mindset

Security isn't binary - you're not either "secure" or "insecure." It's a spectrum. Your goal isn't to be Fort Knox. Your goal is simple: Be harder to hack than your competitors.

Attackers follow economics. They're not targeting you specifically - they're running automated scans looking for easy victims. When they hit resistance, they move on. It's that simple.

Fortune 500 companies with $10M security budgets still get breached. Your goal isn't to be unhackable (that's impossible). Your goal is to be annoying enough that attackers pick easier targets. Think of it like a bike lock - you just need to be harder to steal than the bike next to you.

So what does "good enough" look like for a bootstrapped startup?

The $0 Security Stack

Here's your implementation checklist. Everything here is free and achievable. Each item includes what it is, why it matters, how to implement it, and realistic time investment.

1. Enable MFA Everywhere (Time: 2 hours)

Multi-factor authentication is your highest-ROI security investment. Period.

Why it matters: 99.9% of account takeovers would be prevented by MFA, according to Microsoft's data. Credentials get leaked constantly - from phishing, from data breaches, from keyloggers. MFA makes those leaked passwords useless.

How to implement:

• Download Google Authenticator or Authy (both free)
• Enable MFA on every critical service: AWS, GitHub, Stripe, Vercel, Google Workspace, Slack
• Enforce MFA for all team members (no exceptions)
• Save backup codes in your password manager
• Set up recovery methods before you need them

Don't: Use SMS-based MFA. SIM swapping attacks are trivial and increasingly common.

Do: Use authenticator apps or hardware keys (YubiKey if you have budget later).

Time breakdown: 15-20 minutes per service. With 5-6 critical services, you're done in 2 hours.

The Future: Passwordless Authentication

Before we move on, let's address the elephant in the room: passwordless authentication is technically superior to MFA. You might be wondering why I'm recommending MFA instead.

What passwordless authentication is:

• Passkeys (supported by Apple, Google, Microsoft as of 2024)
• WebAuthn/FIDO2 standard
• Biometric authentication (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello)
• Hardware security keys (YubiKey)
• Zero passwords - you authenticate with cryptographic keys stored on your device

Why it's better:

• No passwords to steal, phish, or leak
• Phishing-resistant by design (cryptographically impossible to fake)
• Better user experience (Face ID is faster than typing passwords)
• No password reuse across sites
• No credential dumps in breaches

So why am I not recommending it as your day-1 priority?

Pragmatic reasons for bootstrapped startups:

1. Adoption is still rolling out - AWS Console added passkey support in late 2024. GitHub is still rolling it out. Many SaaS tools you depend on don't support it yet. MFA works everywhere, today.

2. Implementation complexity - Enabling MFA is clicking a checkbox in settings (15 minutes). Implementing passwordless requires WebAuthn integration, testing across devices, and developer time you don't have yet.

3. Team onboarding friction - Everyone understands MFA. Passwordless requires explaining backup methods, device management, and recovery flows. Your 3-person team needs to ship features, not debug authentication.

4. Recovery complexity - Forgot your password? Reset it via email. Lost your passkey device? Recovery is significantly more complex and varies by implementation.

5. Cost considerations - Hardware security keys cost $25-60 each. Not huge money, but not $0 either.

The right sequence:

1. Now: Enable MFA everywhere (2 hours, $0, universal support)
2. In 12 months: Revisit passwordless when you have 10+ employees and bandwidth for proper implementation
3. In 24 months: Passwordless will likely be the standard, and you'll migrate naturally

Think of it like Tesla's Autopilot vs. a reliable Toyota. Passwordless is the future, MFA is the proven workhorse that gets you there safely. Start with what works today, upgrade to cutting-edge tomorrow.

Bottom line: Implement MFA now. Watch the passwordless space. When your critical services support it universally (probably 2026), make the switch. You'll be secure in the meantime.

2. Implement Least Privilege Access (Time: 3 hours)

Every team member should have the minimum permissions needed for their role. Nothing more.

Why it matters: When (not if) credentials get compromised, least privilege limits the blast radius. An intern's compromised laptop shouldn't give attackers production database access.

How to implement:

AWS:

• Never use root account for daily operations
• Create IAM roles for specific functions
• Use IAM policies to restrict actions
• Review permissions quarterly

GitHub:

• Enable branch protection on main/production branches
• Require pull request reviews before merging
• Use GitHub Teams to manage permissions
• Developers get read access by default, write access by request

Database:

• Read-only access for engineers by default
• Write access granted temporarily when needed
• Use different credentials for production vs. staging
• Log all database access

Rule of thumb: If someone asks "Can I access X?", your answer should be "Not yet, but I can grant it in 5 minutes." Err on the side of fewer permissions.

3. Set Up Logging & Monitoring (Time: 4 hours)

You can't defend what you can't see. Basic visibility into your systems is non-negotiable.

Why it matters: You need to detect weird behavior before it becomes a breach. Unusual login patterns, unexpected API calls, strange database queries - you want to know about these in real-time.

How to implement:

AWS CloudTrail (free tier):

• Logs every API call made in your AWS account
• Tracks who did what, when, from where
• Set up in 15 minutes through AWS Console

GitHub audit log:

• Tracks all repository changes, permission changes, and access events
• Available for free on all repositories

Uptime monitoring:

• UptimeRobot (free tier) - monitors your site/API availability
• Get Slack/email alerts when things go down

Error tracking:

• Sentry (free tier) - catches application errors
• See stack traces, user impact, frequency

Application logs:

• Structure your logs (JSON format recommended)
• Include timestamp, user ID, action, result
• Use CloudWatch Logs, Papertrail, or similar (free tiers available)

Set up alerts for:

• Failed login attempts (5+ in 10 minutes = alert)
• New user account creation
• Permission or role changes
• API usage spikes (2x normal = alert)
• Database access from new IP addresses
• Critical error rate increases

Time breakdown: 1 hour for CloudTrail, 1 hour for application monitoring, 2 hours configuring meaningful alerts.

4. Encrypt Everything (Time: 1 hour)

Data at rest + data in transit = both encrypted. No exceptions.

Why it matters: Makes stolen data useless to attackers. If someone grabs your database dump or intercepts network traffic, they get gibberish instead of customer data.

How to implement:

HTTPS everywhere:

• Let's Encrypt certificates (free, automated)
• Force redirect HTTP → HTTPS
• Set HSTS header to prevent downgrade attacks

Database encryption:

• AWS RDS: Enable encryption at rest (checkbox in console)
• MongoDB Atlas: Encryption enabled by default
• PostgreSQL: Use pgcrypto for sensitive fields

Secrets management:

• Never commit secrets to Git (use .gitignore for .env files)
• Use AWS Secrets Manager (free tier: 30-day trial, then cheap)
• Or HashiCorp Vault for self-hosted option
• Rotate secrets quarterly minimum

API communications:

• All API calls over HTTPS
• Use API keys, not passwords
• Implement rate limiting to prevent brute force

Quick audit: Can someone read your database dump without credentials? Can someone read network traffic between your app and database? If yes to either, fix it immediately.

5. Patch & Update Religiously (Time: 2 hours/month)

Boring but critical: keep everything updated.

Why it matters: 60% of breaches exploit known vulnerabilities that have available patches. You're not getting hit by zero-days - you're getting hit because you're running 18-month-old dependencies with public exploits.

How to implement:

Enable automatic updates where possible:

• OS security updates (Ubuntu unattended-upgrades)
• Dependency updates via Dependabot (GitHub, free)

Weekly dependency audits:

• npm audit (Node.js)
• pip-audit (Python)
• cargo audit (Rust)
• bundle audit (Ruby)

Dependabot on GitHub:

• Free, automatic pull requests for vulnerable dependencies
• Review and merge weekly
• Don't ignore these PRs

Monthly patch day:

• First Monday of every month
• Update all dependencies
• Test in staging
• Deploy to production
• Document any breaking changes

Set a recurring calendar reminder. This is the security task most startups skip and most regret skipping.

6. Backup Everything, Test Restores (Time: 3 hours setup, 1 hour/quarter testing)

Backups don't matter. Restores matter.

Why it matters: Ransomware happens. Bugs happen. Cloud provider outages happen. You need to be able to recover from catastrophic failure.

How to implement:

Database backups:

• AWS RDS: Automated daily snapshots (enable in console)
• MongoDB Atlas: Continuous backups (enable in console)
• PostgreSQL: pg_dump daily via cron job
• Retention: 30 days minimum

Code backups:

• Git (obviously)
• But also: Infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• Document your architecture

Offsite backups:

• Store backups in different cloud provider or different region
• AWS primary? Keep backup in Google Cloud
• Protects against regional outages

The critical part: Test restores

• Quarterly: Actually restore from backup
• Time yourself: Can you restore in under 1 hour?
• Document the restore process
• If restore fails or takes too long, your backup strategy is broken

Set calendar reminder: Test restore on the first day of each quarter. This is not optional.

7. Security Headers & Content Security Policy (Time: 2 hours)

Free protection against common web attacks, implemented via HTTP headers.

Why it matters: Prevents XSS, clickjacking, MIME-sniffing attacks, and other common exploits. Takes 2 hours to implement, protects you forever.

How to implement:

First, scan your site:

• Visit SecurityHeaders.com
• Enter your domain
• See what's missing (probably everything if you haven't done this)

Add these headers:

// Express.js example using Helmet
const helmet = require('helmet');
app.use(helmet({
  contentSecurityPolicy: {
    directives: {
      defaultSrc: ["'self'"],
      styleSrc: ["'self'", "'unsafe-inline'"],
      scriptSrc: ["'self'"],
      imgSrc: ["'self'", "data:", "https:"],
    },
  },
  hsts: {
    maxAge: 31536000,
    includeSubDomains: true,
    preload: true
  }
}));

Essential headers:

• Strict-Transport-Security (force HTTPS)
• Content-Security-Policy (prevent XSS)
• X-Frame-Options (prevent clickjacking)
• X-Content-Type-Options (prevent MIME sniffing)
• Referrer-Policy (control referrer information)

For Next.js:
Add to next.config.js:

module.exports = {
  async headers() {
    return [
      {
        source: '/:path*',
        headers: [
          {
            key: 'X-Frame-Options',
            value: 'DENY',
          },
          {
            key: 'X-Content-Type-Options',
            value: 'nosniff',
          },
          {
            key: 'Referrer-Policy',
            value: 'origin-when-cross-origin',
          },
        ],
      },
    ];
  },
};

Test again: Run SecurityHeaders.com scan, aim for A rating.

What You Can Skip (For Now)

Be honest about what doesn't matter yet. At pre-product-market-fit, these are lower priority:

SOC 2 compliance - Wait until enterprise customers demand it. This is a $50K+ process requiring months of preparation. You'll know when you need it (they'll ask during sales calls).

Penetration testing - Wait until you have revenue. Pen tests cost $5-15K and find issues you can discover yourself with free tools. Spend that money on customer acquisition instead.

Bug bounty programs - Wait until you're a juicy target. HackerOne costs money to run properly, and you'll get garbage submissions that waste time. Launch this at $5M+ ARR.

Dedicated security team - You're the security team for now. Hire security expertise at 50+ employees or $10M+ ARR, whichever comes first.

Security awareness training - When it's 3 people who talk daily, you don't need formal training. Just communicate. Save this for 10+ employees.

When to revisit: These become priorities when you have 10+ employees, $1M+ ARR, or enterprise customers asking for compliance documentation.

Your 30/60/90 Day Security Plan

Make this actionable with a realistic timeline:

Days 1-30: Critical Foundation

• [ ] Enable MFA on all critical services (AWS, GitHub, databases, etc.)
• [ ] Set up CloudTrail and basic logging
• [ ] Configure monitoring alerts for critical events
• [ ] Enable HTTPS everywhere with Let's Encrypt
• [ ] Turn on database encryption at rest
• [ ] Document what you've done (start a security runbook)

Goal: Core security controls active, visibility established.

Days 31-60: Operational Security

• [ ] Implement least privilege access across all systems
• [ ] Review and document who has access to what
• [ ] Set up automated database backups
• [ ] Test restore from backup (actually do this)
• [ ] Add security headers to your application
• [ ] Run SecurityHeaders.com scan, fix issues
• [ ] Set up Dependabot on all repositories

Goal: Defense in depth, recovery capability proven.

Days 61-90: Maintenance Mode

• [ ] Complete first monthly patch cycle
• [ ] Review all access permissions (remove unused access)
• [ ] Document your security runbook fully
• [ ] Set quarterly security review calendar reminders
• [ ] Run npm/pip/cargo audit, fix critical issues
• [ ] Review logs for any suspicious patterns

Goal: Sustainable security practices, ongoing vigilance.

Total time investment: ~20 hours over 90 days

Total cost: $0

Result: Better security posture than 80% of startups

Going Deeper

I built this checklist while securing my own startup and consulting with dozens of SMBs. Here's what I learned: Most security advice is written for enterprises with unlimited budgets. Bootstrapped founders need different playbooks.

The checklist above covers the fundamentals - the stuff that protects you from 95% of attacks. It's free, it's actionable, and you can implement it this month.

But there are areas where startups consistently struggle, areas that didn't exist two years ago or that have evolved faster than traditional security guides:

AI Security: If you're using OpenAI, Anthropic, or any LLM APIs in your product, you're exposed to an entirely new class of risks. Prompt injection attacks, training data poisoning, model output manipulation, data leakage through prompts - none of this existed in traditional security frameworks. I created the AI Security Kit for SMBs specifically for this gap. It's $69 instead of $15K for an AI security consultant, and it covers the practical implementation details this article doesn't have space for.

Modern Phishing: Phishing in 2025 is frighteningly different from 2023. AI-powered phishing can clone your CEO's writing style, generate personalized emails at scale, and create convincing fake websites in minutes. The "look for typos" advice doesn't work anymore. Modern Phishing 2025 covers what changed and how to protect your team ($37).

Incident Response: Hope you never need it, but when something goes wrong at 3 AM, you need a plan. After the Breach Playbook is your hour-by-hour response plan covering legal requirements, customer communication, technical remediation, and documentation. It's $22 for the peace of mind that you won't panic-delete logs or say the wrong thing to customers.

These aren't required to implement the checklist above - everything in this article is free and actionable. But if you want deep-dive guides with templates, checklists, and real-world examples from my consulting work, they're there.

Bottom Line

Security for bootstrapped startups isn't about perfection. It's about being smart with limited resources.

You don't need:

• $15K security consultants
• SOC 2 compliance (yet)
• A dedicated security team
• Expensive penetration tests
• Enterprise-grade tools

You do need:

• MFA everywhere
• Basic monitoring and logging
• Regular updates and patches
• Tested backups
• Least privilege access
• Encryption at rest and in transit

Implement the basics, monitor for weird stuff, and iterate as you grow.

You don't need a $15K consultant. You need a $0 checklist and the discipline to execute it.

Now go secure your startup.

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I'm Narnaiezzsshaa Truong, founder of Soft Armor Labs. I help bootstrapped startups build security without breaking the bank. Follow me on dev.to for more practical security content, or connect with me on LinkedIn.

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Tags: #security #startup #devops #webdev #cloud #cybersecurity #aws #tutorial