Secure coding is something we shouldn't have to write articles about because in an ideal computing world everyone would be thoroughly informed about the risks and threats that insecure code poses. But unfortunately this is not the case. Think about it: the average operating system contains more than 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 haven't yet considered the other programs a company uses and the code added to them by its programmers. Below you can read about the top secure coding issues and best practices that everyone from management to HR to employees should be aware of. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Keep it simple One of the most important principles of secure coding is to keep it as simple as possible. The more complex the project, the greater the possibility of errors and defects in the code. Complicated code requires complicated security mechanisms to protect it from intruders, not to mention troubleshooting for errors and defects. Reading poorly written code is like reading a book full of useless sentences. Then allow your programmers to reuse program components that have already proven themselves to be reliable. Basics It may seem obvious, but make sure password entry is obscured on your employees' computers. Passwords and temporary connections should have a short expiration date. Additionally, tell all your employees that they should never use the same passwords for different accounts. These things might seem trivial, but the devil never sleeps and yes, password protection can help you keep your organization's secure coding intact. Input Validation Any organization should require input validation from all external sources. Your IT specialists should implement policies through which potential harm from outside can be countered or at least reduced. Offering help and assistance regarding cybersecurity to your partners or other third parties associated with you can significantly reduce the risk of cyber victims. Default: Deny Your IT specialists shouldn't base access on exclusion - authorization is much safer. But what does it mean exactly? To put it simply, let's quote industry scientists: The Software Engineering Institute of the Carnegie Mellon Institute says that, by default, access is denied, and the security scheme identifies the conditions under which access is allowed. Furthermore, their blog mentions that "each process should run with the minimum set of privileges necessary to complete the job. Any elevated permission should be accessible only for the shortest amount of time needed to complete the privileged task. This approach reduces opportunities for an attacker must execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. “Considering this, the main goal of secure coding helps programmers and developers to anticipate these challenges and prepare to address them in their design. The principle of secure coding is supported by a variety of specific strategies. For example, one strategy is to “validate input” to ensure it comes from trusted sources. Another strategy is to test for buffer overflow weakness. In common sense, programmers try to create a secure user interface that limits the number of backdoors and vulnerabilities that can induce cyberattacks. As the security communityAs computer science becomes more aware of common hacking tactics, security measures are integrated into newer platforms and devices. As a result, many of the old vulnerabilities in PC operating system environments have been fixed on new smartphone interfaces. However, cyber attackers are also increasingly focusing on mobile phones, so this is the new playground for secure coding and cybersecurity work. Security Requirements Make sure each of your employees has a clear and thorough understanding of your cybersecurity protocols. Your programmers should not only function as code writers, but they must also take on the role of watchdogs, meaning they must keep an eye on the unintentional but malicious actions of non-IT colleagues. To achieve this, you should send your programmers to specialized, well-designed training courses and courses. Hardening the software It's not enough to have the best human resources for cybersecurity: secure coding also involves regular and conscious maintenance of the software. You shouldn't wait for automatic updates - ask your IT specialist to review the code of third-party software to see if there are any security risks. And don't be petty when it comes to network security: install all the security tools your IT specialist recommends. For important programs, it is recommended to perform a manual code review whenever changes are made to the code. IT teams and even trainers organize meetings between programmers so they can test their skills against each other. Learning how to attack and breach the cybersecurity of other systems helps programmers code securely since knowing what weaknesses they will attack can harden these potential flaws. A good programmer and secure coding specialist knows how to think like a hacker. Maybe because it was. Tip As stated in the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Secure Coding Practices Quick Reference Guide, we recommend that you isolate your development environments and allow access only to authorized programmers and test teams. Development environments are often configured less securely than production environments, and attackers could exploit this to find shared weaknesses or a way to penetrate. Critical Thinking There's nothing wrong with occasionally asking a couple of independent experts or analysts to evaluate the security of your company's code. Someone from the outside can be very helpful in detecting, calculating and correcting errors in code written by home programmers. Reassure your programmers 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 had testers; big 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 take on the role of independent experts mentioned above. Make sure they attend courses where they can learn to evaluate their own work or test a fellow programmer's coding. Perhaps they can implement automated code analysis tools that find defects early in the development process. 11. No Criticism When building your cybersecurity and secure coding culture, it's important not to blame developers for their mistakes, because this can widen the gap between leadership/HR and programmers.Use test results to educate your employees: anonymously report common errors, but treat them as relevant examples rather than mistakes. Remember, if your programmers feel like they are constantly being monitored, they will not be able to properly perform secure coding and your organization's cybersecurity will not improve. Review Checklists If you decide to perform a manual code review, make sure that all specialists are performing their work according to the same checklist. Developers creating code are only human and may overlook safe coding practices, reviewers may forget to check some things – all of this can be prevented with a well-constructed checklist. But most importantly: Don't let your reviewers try too hard. Enforce mandatory breaks to ensure reviewers are at their best, especially when working on high-profile 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 better? Well, the best approach is the mixed one, which combines manual review with static code analysis tools. Here are the pros and cons of the two methods. Automated reviewPro Detects hundreds of vulnerabilities, including SQL injection and Cross-Site ScriptingQuickly tests large blocks of codeAbility to be scheduled and executed on demandAn automated tool can be customized to your organization's needsCan help increase security coding awareness and educate software developers Cons Tools that cannot be customized can produce inaccurate or invalid results Comes with a learning curve for those who are not familiar with these types of tools Not all organizations can afford professional automated tools Manual review Pros Diving into the code to check for errors and flaws the architecture most automated tools would not be able to detect · Security flaws such as authentication, authorization and data validation are better detected manually There is always room for an additional pair of eyes on high-value code Reviewing other people's code can be a great way to share secure coding practices Cons Requires an expert in both cybersecurity and secure coding, which is usually expensive Different reviewers might produce completely different reports, which can be confusing Testing coding and writing reports is timely and is a chore that most programmers try to avoid. No tool or human is 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, as each covers areas where the other is weak. If your budget allows for both a tool and an auditor, it's best to have both automated and manual methods when performing cybersecurity and secure coding audits. Defense Practice According to Robert C. Seacord, cybersecurity specialists and writing firms should manage risk with multiple defensive strategies, so that if one layer of defense falls, another layer of defense takes its place and can prevent further intrusions or minimize the consequences of a cyber attack. For example, combining secure coding with secure runtime environments should reduce the chance that vulnerabilities remain in your code,.