Securing your code in development is not only a good practice, but also a necessity in today's cyberthreat landscape. You don't want to expose your sensitive data, intellectual property, or reputation to hackers, malware, or breaches. In this article, you will learn some tips and techniques to protect your code from the start to the end of the development process.
The first step to secure your code is to choose the right tools for the job. Some languages and frameworks are more prone to vulnerabilities than others, and some offer more features and libraries to help you write secure code. For example, you might want to avoid languages that allow unsafe memory operations, such as C or C++, and opt for languages that have built-in security mechanisms, such as Java or Python. You might also want to use frameworks that provide security features, such as encryption, authentication, or input validation, such as Spring Boot or Django.
The Human Factor in Secure Coding Never underestimate the human element when it comes to coding securely. Ongoing security awareness training for developers can be as critical as any tool in identifying and preventing security risks. Importance of Third-Party Code Audits External audits provide an invaluable second set of eyes on your codebase. They often catch vulnerabilities or insecure practices that internal teams, being too close to the project, might overlook. Post-Mortem Security Reviews After a project is completed or if a security incident occurs, a thorough post-mortem review can offer invaluable insights for future projects. These should be shared internally to bolster the company's overall security posture.
The second step to secure your code is to follow some guidelines and rules that help you avoid common mistakes and flaws. Secure coding standards and best practices are sets of recommendations and principles that cover various aspects of code quality, such as naming conventions, formatting, documentation, error handling, testing, and security. You can find many resources and references online, such as OWASP Secure Coding Practices, CERT Secure Coding Standards, or NIST Secure Coding Guidelines. You can also use tools and plugins that check your code for compliance and flag potential issues, such as SonarQube, CodeQL, or PMD.
I'd say the same thing when it comes to Aviation and especially the willingness to replace pilots by AI in commercial airplanes... Never underestimate the human element !
The third step to secure your code is to use version control and encryption to manage and protect your code changes and history. Version control is a system that tracks and records your code modifications, allowing you to revert, merge, or branch your code as needed. Encryption is a method that scrambles your data with a key, making it unreadable to anyone who does not have the key. You can use version control and encryption together to ensure that your code is backed up, synchronized, and secured. For example, you can use Git as a version control system and encrypt your local and remote repositories with tools such as GPG or GitCrypt.
The fourth step to secure your code is to implement authentication and authorization mechanisms to control who can access and modify your code. Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or a system, while authorization is the process of granting or denying permissions to a user or a system. You can use authentication and authorization to prevent unauthorized or malicious access to your code, such as by hackers, insiders, or third parties. For example, you can use passwords, tokens, certificates, or biometrics to authenticate users or systems, and use roles, policies, or rules to authorize users or systems.
The fifth step to secure your code is to scan and test your code for vulnerabilities before deploying it to production. Vulnerabilities are weaknesses or flaws in your code that can be exploited by attackers to compromise your system or data. You can use tools and methods to scan and test your code for vulnerabilities, such as static analysis, dynamic analysis, code review, or penetration testing. You can also use tools and platforms that automate and integrate the scanning and testing process, such as Snyk, Veracode, or GitHub Actions.
The sixth and final step to secure your code is to update and patch your code regularly after deploying it to production. Updating and patching your code means applying the latest fixes and improvements to your code, such as bug fixes, security patches, or feature enhancements. Updating and patching your code regularly can help you prevent or mitigate new or emerging threats, improve your code performance and reliability, and comply with regulations and standards. You can use tools and services that automate and monitor the updating and patching process, such as Dependabot, NPM Audit, or Azure DevOps.