Secure coding is something we shouldn't write articles about because in an ideal cyber world everyone would be fully informed about the risks and threats what the dangerous code contains. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Think about it: the average operating system contains over 50,000,000 lines of code. There is a lot of room for error and many areas where secure coding should be applied. And we still haven't taken into account the other programs a company uses and the code added to them by its own programmers. Below you'll find information on the top secure coding issues and best practices that everyone from management to HR to employees should know. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Keeping it simple One of the most important principles of secure coding is to keep it as simple as possible. The more complex the design, the higher the risk of errors and defects in the code. Complicated code requires complicated security mechanisms to protect it from intruders – not to mention finding errors and flaws. Going through poorly written code is like reading a book full of useless sentences. So empower your programmers to reuse proven program components. Basic Stuff This may seem obvious, but make sure password entry is hidden on your employees' computers. Temporary passwords and links should have a short expiration time. Also let all your employees know that they should never use the same passwords for different accounts. These things may seem trivial, but the devil never sleeps, and yes, password protection can help keep your organization's secure coding intact. Input Validation Every organization should require input validation from all outside sources. Your IT specialists should implement policies to fend off or at least reduce potential damage from outside. Providing cybersecurity help and assistance to your partners or other third parties associated with you can significantly reduce the risk of cyber accidents. Default: Deny Your IT specialists shouldn't base access on opt-out – allow is much safer. But what exactly does this mean? To put it simply, let's quote the scientists in the field: The Software Engineering Institute of the Carnegie Mellon Institute states that, by default, access is denied and the protection system identifies the conditions under which access is permitted. Additionally, their blog mentions that "each process should run with the least privileges necessary to complete the job." Any elevated permission should only be accessible for the least amount of time necessary to complete the privileged task. This approach reduces the opportunities for an attacker. must execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. "Considering this, the main goal of secure coding is helping programmers and developers anticipate and prepare for these challenges during design. The principle of secure coding is supported by a variety of specific strategies. For example, a strategy is to "validate input" to ensure that it comes from trusted sources Another strategy is to check for weaknesses related to buffer overflows. Generally speaking, programmers seek to create a secure user interface that. limit thenumber of backdoors and vulnerabilities that can lead to cyberattacks. As the cybersecurity community becomes more aware of common hacking tactics, security measures are being integrated into new platforms and devices. As a result, many old vulnerabilities in PC OS environments have been fixed on new smartphone interfaces. However, cyberattackers are also increasingly focusing on mobile phones, making them the new playground for secure coding and cybersecurity work. Security Requirements Ensure that each of your employees has a clear and thorough understanding of your cybersecurity protocols. Your programmers must not only function as code writers, but they must also take on the role of watchdogs, meaning they must keep an eye out for the unintentional but harmful actions of their non-IT colleagues. To achieve this, you need to send your programmers to well-designed and specialized training and courses. Hardening Software It's not enough to have the best human resources for cybersecurity: secure coding also involves regular and conscious software maintenance. You shouldn't wait for automatic upgrades: ask your IT specialist to review the code of third-party software to see if there are security risks. And don't be stingy when it comes to network security: install all the protection tools that your IT professional recommends. For large programs, it is suggested to perform a manual code review every time changes are made to the code. IT teams and even trainers organize matches between programmers so they can test their skills against each other. Learning how to attack and break the cybersecurity of other systems helps programmers keep coding secure, because by knowing what weak points they would attack, they can harden those potential flaws. A good programmer and specialist in secure coding knows how to think with the head of a hacker. Maybe because he was one. Tip As noted in the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Secure Coding Practices Quick Reference Guide, it is recommended to isolate development environments and provide access only to authorized programmers and testing groups. Development environments are often configured less securely than production environments and attackers can use this to find common weaknesses or a way to break in. Critical Thinking There's nothing wrong with asking a few independent experts or analysts to evaluate your company's secure coding from time to time. . An outside person can be very useful in detecting, calculating and correcting errors in the code written by your national programmers. Reassure your coders that this poses no threat to them: they should consider this live training so they can do their jobs with more confidence. After all, even the best software has had testers; Large companies hire regiments of people just to find errors in their code. Internal Inspection If your organization has well-trained and experienced programmers, they can play the role of independent experts mentioned above. Make sure they take classes where they can learn to evaluate their own work or test a fellow programmer's coding. Perhaps they can implement automated code analysis tools, which detect flaws early in the development process. 11. Noreproach When building your cybersecurity and secure coding culture, it's important not to blame your developers for their mistakes, as this can widen the chasm between leadership/HR and programmers. Use test results to help educate your employees: Report common errors anonymously, but treat them as relevant examples rather than errors. Remember, if your programmers feel like they are being strictly monitored all the time, they will not be able to perform secure coding correctly and your organization's cybersecurity will not improve. Review Checklists If you decide to do a manual code review, make sure that all specialists do their work according to the same checklist. Developers who create code are only human and may neglect safe coding practices, reviewers may forget to check things – all of this can be avoided with a well-designed checklist. But most importantly: don't let your reviewers overwork themselves. Impose mandatory breaks to ensure reviewers are at their best, especially when working on high-level applications. Why are secure coding reviews useful? According to Checkmarx, when it comes to choosing tools for a secure coding review, the main question is whether you should use automated tools or human inspection. Which is the best? Well, the best approach is a mixed approach, combining manual review with static code analysis tools. Here are the pros and cons of both methods. Automated ReviewPros Detects hundreds of vulnerabilities, including SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting Quickly tests large chunks of code Ability to be scheduled and run on demand Automated tool can be customized to your organization's needs Can Help improve security coding awareness and educate software developersConsTools that cannot be customized may produce inaccurate or invalid resultsComes with a learning curve for those unfamiliar with these types of toolsNot all organizations cannot afford professional automated toolsManual reviewProsDives deep into the code to check for errors and architectural flaws that most automated tools would not be able to detect ·Security vulnerabilities such as authentication, authorization and data validation can be better detected manually. There's always room for an extra look at high-value code. Reviewing other people's code can be a great way to share secure coding practices Disadvantages Requires an expert in cybersecurity and secure coding, which is usually expensive. Different appraisers may offer completely different reports, which can be confusing. Testing code and writing reports is timely, and it's a chore that most programmers try to avoid. No tools or humans are present. Perfect. The tools are not equipped with human minds and therefore cannot find errors in the logic of the code. But in many ways, manual and automated code reviews complement each other, each covering areas in which the other is weak. If your budget allows for both a tool and a reviewer, it's best to have both automated and manual methods when conducting cybersecurity and secure coding reviews. Defense PracticesAccording to Robert C. Seacord, companies of computer security specialists and writers,.