*/ // Original question: What are some best practices for writing secure code?

1 1. Follow secure coding principles

Secure coding principles are guidelines and rules that help you design, develop, and test your code in a way that minimizes the risks of vulnerabilities and exploits. For example, you should grant only the minimum access and permissions needed for each user, process, and function. Additionally, use multiple layers of security controls and checks to protect your code and data from different angles. When handling errors and exceptions, it's important to do so gracefully and avoid exposing sensitive information or functionality. Furthermore, keep your code as simple as possible to avoid introducing bugs or confusion. Additionally, check and sanitize all the data that enters and leaves your code while also using secure settings and options as the default configuration for your code and environment.

3 3. Follow secure coding standards and best practices

Secure coding standards and best practices are specific recommendations and rules that apply to different programming languages, platforms, and domains. They can help you write consistent, readable, and secure code that follows the conventions and expectations of your industry and clients. For example, the OWASP Top 10 offers a list of the most critical web application security risks and how to prevent them. The CWE Top 25 provides a list of the most dangerous software weaknesses and how to avoid them. The SANS Top 25 outlines the most common programming errors and how to fix them. The CERT Secure Coding Standards provide guidelines for various languages, such as C, C++, Java, and Python. Additionally, the NIST Secure Coding Guidelines offers a set of secure coding principles for federal information systems and applications.

4 4. Keep your code and dependencies updated

Keeping your code and dependencies updated is essential for maintaining security and quality. Updating your code and dependencies can help you fix bugs, improve compatibility with other systems, add new features, and comply with the latest security standards. To do this, you should use a version control system to track changes, a dependency management tool to update libraries, a vulnerability scanner to identify security issues, and a changelog to document updates.

5 5. Educate yourself and your team on secure coding

Educating yourself and your team on secure coding is essential for cultivating a security culture and mindset. Doing so can help you gain new skills and techniques to improve code security and quality, stay informed of the latest security trends and threats, share knowledge and feedback to boost code collaboration and review, and prevent common mistakes that can damage code security and integrity. To educate yourself and your team on secure coding, you should read books, blogs, articles, and newsletters; watch videos, webinars, podcasts, and courses; attend workshops, conferences, and events; as well as join communities, forums, and groups.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?