Your SaaS will get hacked if you skip these 8 security steps

Hey builders,

Last month, a builder launched their SaaS. Within 24 hours, bots hit their signup endpoint 10,000 times, crashed their database, and racked up $300 in Supabase costs.

The biggest problem with vibe coding is security.

Too many people ship fast but forget the basics. Your MVP works great in development, but launch day is when the real world finds your weak spots.

Here's how to make sure your SaaS survives launch day:

Step 1: Rate limit your endpoints

If you skip this, bots can hit your backend hundreds of times per second.

This can:
• Crash your database
• Drain your Supabase usage
• Spike costs or open you to attacks

Tools to use:
• Supabase Edge Functions with a rate limiter
• Vercel Middleware
• Basic IP throttling with Next.js middleware

Step 2: Enable Row-Level Security (RLS)

If you're using Supabase, turn on RLS on every table from day one.

Without it, users can query other people's data.

And yes, this happens way more than you'd think.

To set it up:
• Go to Table → RLS → Enable
• Use policies like user_id = auth.uid()

No RLS = no data security.

Pro Tip: Ask Cursor for these policies based on your DB design and PRD. It will help you write them correctly.

Step 3: Add CAPTCHA to your auth flows

AI bots can generate thousands of fake signups in minutes.

Add CAPTCHA to:
• Signup forms
• Login pages
• Forgot password flows

Use hCaptcha or reCAPTCHA. Both are quick to implement.

Step 4: Enable WAF (Web Application Firewall)

If you're deploying with Vercel, you're just 1 click away from basic protection.

Go to:
• Vercel → Settings → Security → Web Application Firewall
• Enable "Attack Challenge" on all routes

It blocks bad traffic before it hits your app. No code required.

Step 5: Secure your API keys and secrets

Never expose secrets in frontend code.

Instead:
• Store keys in .env files
• Use server-only functions for anything sensitive
• Scan AI-generated code (it often forgets this)

If it runs on the client, assume it's public.

Step 6: Validate all inputs on the backend

Don't trust the frontend even if Cursor or Lovable does the UI validation.

Always validate:
• Emails
• Passwords
• Uploaded files
• Custom form inputs
• API payloads

A single missed check = potential vulnerability.

Step 7: Clean up dependencies

Cursor moves fast. But it doesn't clean up after itself.

Before launch:
• Run npm audit fix or yarn audit
• Remove unused packages
• Check for critical vulnerabilities
• Use minimal dependencies to reduce your attack surface

Step 8: Add basic monitoring and logs

You can't fix what you can't see.

Use:
• Supabase Logs
• Vercel Analytics
• Simple server-side logs with timestamps and IP

Track:
• Failed logins
• High traffic spikes
• 500s and unhandled errors

Even a basic log table in Supabase helps.

Bonus tip:

Before you push, run a code review using CodeRabbit inside Cursor.

It catches security flaws, performance issues, and bad logic, just like a senior dev reviewing your codebase.

If you want to ship clean, production-ready code, don't skip this.

The bottom line:

Cursor lets you code fast. But you're still responsible for keeping your MVP safe.

Before you launch:
• Rate limit
• RLS
• CAPTCHA
• WAF
• Secret management
• Input validation
• Dependency cleanup
• Monitoring
• AI code reviews

Don't skip this.

The reality:

Most builders focus on features and forget security until it's too late. By then, you're dealing with breaches, angry users, and expensive fixes.

Secure your MVP before launch day, not after.

If you want to ship secure, production-ready MVPs:
👉 Join AI MVP Builders - I have a complete security checklist and walkthrough for vibe-coded apps
👉 Need bulletproof security? IgnytLabs follows this exact checklist on every client project

Keep building,
~ Prajwal

PS: I’m closing the gates to the community this Monday. This week only, you can join AI MVP Builders on the yearly plan for $249 (normally $540). After Monday, the doors will stay closed for a few weeks while we test the full system with current members. When we reopen, the price will be higher and this $249 offer will not be coming back.