Security is the topmost priority in software development in the rapidly evolving digital era of today. With evolving cyber threats, developers must accord top priority to secure coding to protect software applications and user information.
Secure coding can avoid vulnerabilities, minimize risks, and keep the applications you create secure from attacks. Some of the top secure coding practices with which every developer must be well-versed are discussed below.
- Input Validation and Sanitization
Malicious input is the most prevalent attack vector, i.e., SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and command injection. Developers must always validate and sanitize user input to avoid malicious input. It includes verifying if the input is of the correct format, length, and type and escaping special characters which can be used by attackers to attack them. - Signing Of Codes for Authenticity and Integrity Registration
Code signing is an essential procedure that ensures the falsification and manipulation of software do not occur.
By signing your code, you are practically providing a warrant that asserts that neither your software has been signed nor has it been altered in any way, and also, the software comes from a trusted source.
By signing codes, users are discouraged from downloading falsified or modified versions of software applications since the digital signature guarantees the signing source and confirms that the software has not been altered.
Tip: To boost confidence, make use of reliable and valid code signing certificates that come from a trusted certificate authority (CA). Large Enterprises are recommended to use DigiCert Code Signing Certificate for higher level trust and authentication.
- Use Prepared Statements in Database Queries
SQL injection is the most popular attack method which most people use, which consists of malicious SQL code being introduced into your database queries.
This can lead to leaks of information, corruption of data, and even granting the attacker complete access to your database. Prepared statements and parameterized queries are the most effective ways to counter SQL injection attacks as they remove the security risk that stems from improperly formed user inputs.
The prepared statement identifies the user input as data and does not treat it as something that can be executed, thus preventing the attacker from altering the syntax of the user’s query.
- Appropriate Authentication and Authorization
Two very important security measures for applications are the concepts of authentication and authorization.
Add an extra layer of security with MFA procedures upon logging in.
Users should be restricted to the tasks and resources they are responsible for by using role based access control (RBAC).
Do not ever save new passwords as clear text passwords. Instead, use bcrypt which is a safe way to hash passwords.
- Regularly Update Dependencies
In software development, third-party libraries and frameworks are commonplace to speed up the development process. However, the dependencies may also include exploitable threats to security.
Check for security updates for libraries you use to consistently minimize potential threats. Do these security patches regularly.
Tip: Use a dependency management tool to scan your dependencies for known vulnerabilities, as they will automatically report them to you.
