When people say code security, most developers think about things like SQL injection, broken auth, or insecure APIs. All of these matter, no doubt. But that is not why I'm writing this like.
This is about something simpler. What happens to your code when you send it for review? Where it goes? Who sees it? And whether it gets stored somewhere you never agreed to.
When I first started writing code in 2021, I knew nothing about code security or code review. For me, development and review meant: You push your changes, someone leaves comments, you clean things up. That was it.
What I did not think about was where that code might end up. A lot of tools, especially the AI ones, take your code and send it out of your dev environment. Some of them store it. Some of them train on it. And most of the time, they do not tell you that clearly.
That is a problem. Because if you care about code security, you have to care about the review process too.
What is code security
Code security is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot. People usually connect it to OWASP lists or app vulnerabilities or something that the security team deals with once the code is already written.
That is not wrong. But it is only part of the picture.
At the most basic level, code security means writing code that does not put your users or systems at risk.
That includes avoiding things like SQL injection, hardcoded secrets, or logic that can be abused. It also means following secure coding practices like input validation, access control, and safe error handling.
But there is another part that does not get talked about enough. And that is keeping your actual source code protected while you are working on it. That includes the way you share it, review it, and run it through tools.
Because the code itself is valuable. It holds your product logic, your architecture, and sometimes things like internal tokens or data structures that should not leave your environment.
So code security is not just about writing safe code. It is also about protecting that code during the entire development process.
That includes reviews.
That includes automation.
And that includes AI tools.
How secure code gets exposed during review
When you hear the word "code review," you probably think of inline comments, feedback on naming, maybe some logic suggestions. That is what most of us learn. The whole process is meant to improve code quality. And that part still matters.
But here is what most devs never get told.
A lot of tools that help with code review are doing more than just reading your code. They are moving it.
Some of them upload it to their own servers. Some keep logs. Some save it for product analytics. And a few even use it to train large language models. All of this can happen silently.
The problem is, you usually do not know. You install a plugin, connect your IDE, and suddenly your pull request is part of someone else's training data.
And unless you are reading every privacy policy and security FAQ, you probably will not catch it. I'm talking so much about this because once your code leaves your machine, you do not control what happens next.
Even if it is encrypted in transit.
Even if it is deleted later.
There is still a window where something could go wrong.
This is how secure code gets exposed. Only because you trusted a tool that moved your code somewhere it should not have gone.
How to actually review code securely
Writing secure code is only half the job. You also need to make sure the way you review it does not open up new risks. That starts with being a little more curious about the tools you use.
The first thing to check is where the tool runs. If it runs locally, inside your IDE, that is a good sign. It means your code stays on your machine.
If the tool needs to connect to the internet or send your code to a server for processing, that is where things get risky.
The second thing is storage.
Some tools store code temporarily. Some keep it longer. Some train models on it. You need to check for that.
Read the docs. Look for clear statements about how your code is handled. If you cannot find that, assume the worst. (Paranoid, maybe?)
The third thing is access.
Who can see your code once it leaves your laptop? Is it going to a third-party cloud service? Is it getting logged somewhere? Even tools that say your data is secure might still be copying it around for “product improvement.”
That is not safe.
So here is a simple way to review code securely:
- Use tools that process code locally
- Avoid tools that store your code or send it to external servers
- Check for clear data handling policies
- Ask your team who has access to your source code during reviews
- Keep sensitive logic out of third-party tools if you are not sure how they work
You should not have to give up convenience or automation. You just need tools that were built with security in mind from the start.
The good news is those tools exist. And they are getting better.
A safe way to review code with AI
There is nothing wrong with using AI to speed up your code reviews. In fact, it helps a lot. You catch issues faster. You get help refactoring. You waste less time on obvious stuff.
The problem only starts when those tools take your code and store it somewhere you do not control.
That is where Bito fits in.
Bito runs inside your IDE. It reviews your code locally. It gives you real-time suggestions without uploading anything to the cloud. There is no storage, no data training or tracking.
Your code stays where it should stay — on your machine.
It can still flag security risks like SQL injection, hardcoded secrets, or unsafe input handling. It can help simplify functions, reduce complexity, and make reviews less painful.
You get all of that, but without giving up your code.
For teams that work on sensitive logic or internal systems, this matters even more. You cannot risk your source code showing up in some model later. Bito keeps that from happening by never storing or sharing any part of it.
If you want to go deeper into why this matters, I wrote more here: Secure Code Review Process: A gap in Code Security
Secure code is not just about what you write. It is also about how you review it. Bito helps you keep both parts tight.
Final thoughts
If you are learning how to write secure code, do not stop at the code itself. Think about where it goes. Think about how it is reviewed. The tools you use are part of your security story, whether you realize it or not.
You do not need to ditch AI or slow down your workflow. You just need to stay in control of your code. That means knowing what your tools are doing behind the scenes and picking ones that respect your boundaries.
Start simple. Keep your reviews local. Ask questions when something feels off. And use tools that were actually built for developers who care about security.
That is how you build secure habits early. That is how you ship safe code later.
Top comments (1)
Nice writeup. Thanks for sharing!