Copy/Paste is a dangerous coding technique
Researchers from VirginiaTech released a paper after analysing hundreds of posts on the most popular developer forum (Stack Overflow). They looked at the type of questions asked around security, the most popular answers given by the community and the effect it has on code software engineers.
Not a real surprise for people who have been in Cyber Security for a while, but more awareness is needed around this problem from a developer perspective:
- Security features provided by coding frameworks (e.g. JAVA Spring) are overly complicated and poorly documented
- A substantial number of developers do not appear to understand the security implications of coding options, showing a lack of cyber security training
- Many of the suggestions and "fixes" on these forums are not secure but were getting positives votes and thus higher in ratings
The report suggests the following solutions:
- Workforce retraining
- Semi-Automating security bug detection and fixing
We need to make security easy for developers and built-in from the start in order to maintain the speed in which businesses operate today.
"The significance of this work is that we provided empirical evidence for a significant number of alarming secure coding issues, which have not been previously reported," the paper says. "These issues are due to a variety of reasons, including the rapidly increasing need for enterprise security applications, the lack of security training in the software development workforce, and poorly designed security libraries."
https://www.theregister.com/2017/09/29/java_security_plagued_stack_overflow/
The significance of this work is that we provided empirical evidence for a significant number of alarming secure coding issues, which have not been previously reported
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Co-Founder
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
Book a demo
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Co-Founder
Pieter Danhieux is a globally recognized security expert, with over 12 years experience as a security consultant and 8 years as a Principal Instructor for SANS teaching offensive techniques on how to target and assess organizations, systems and individuals for security weaknesses. In 2016, he was recognized as one of the Coolest Tech people in Australia (Business Insider), awarded Cyber Security Professional of the Year (AISA - Australian Information Security Association) and holds GSE, CISSP, GCIH, GCFA, GSEC, GPEN, GWAPT, GCIA certifications.
Researchers from VirginiaTech released a paper after analysing hundreds of posts on the most popular developer forum (Stack Overflow). They looked at the type of questions asked around security, the most popular answers given by the community and the effect it has on code software engineers.
Not a real surprise for people who have been in Cyber Security for a while, but more awareness is needed around this problem from a developer perspective:
- Security features provided by coding frameworks (e.g. JAVA Spring) are overly complicated and poorly documented
- A substantial number of developers do not appear to understand the security implications of coding options, showing a lack of cyber security training
- Many of the suggestions and "fixes" on these forums are not secure but were getting positives votes and thus higher in ratings
The report suggests the following solutions:
- Workforce retraining
- Semi-Automating security bug detection and fixing
We need to make security easy for developers and built-in from the start in order to maintain the speed in which businesses operate today.
"The significance of this work is that we provided empirical evidence for a significant number of alarming secure coding issues, which have not been previously reported," the paper says. "These issues are due to a variety of reasons, including the rapidly increasing need for enterprise security applications, the lack of security training in the software development workforce, and poorly designed security libraries."
https://www.theregister.com/2017/09/29/java_security_plagued_stack_overflow/
Researchers from VirginiaTech released a paper after analysing hundreds of posts on the most popular developer forum (Stack Overflow). They looked at the type of questions asked around security, the most popular answers given by the community and the effect it has on code software engineers.
Not a real surprise for people who have been in Cyber Security for a while, but more awareness is needed around this problem from a developer perspective:
- Security features provided by coding frameworks (e.g. JAVA Spring) are overly complicated and poorly documented
- A substantial number of developers do not appear to understand the security implications of coding options, showing a lack of cyber security training
- Many of the suggestions and "fixes" on these forums are not secure but were getting positives votes and thus higher in ratings
The report suggests the following solutions:
- Workforce retraining
- Semi-Automating security bug detection and fixing
We need to make security easy for developers and built-in from the start in order to maintain the speed in which businesses operate today.
"The significance of this work is that we provided empirical evidence for a significant number of alarming secure coding issues, which have not been previously reported," the paper says. "These issues are due to a variety of reasons, including the rapidly increasing need for enterprise security applications, the lack of security training in the software development workforce, and poorly designed security libraries."
https://www.theregister.com/2017/09/29/java_security_plagued_stack_overflow/
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Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
View reportBook a demo
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Co-Founder
Pieter Danhieux is a globally recognized security expert, with over 12 years experience as a security consultant and 8 years as a Principal Instructor for SANS teaching offensive techniques on how to target and assess organizations, systems and individuals for security weaknesses. In 2016, he was recognized as one of the Coolest Tech people in Australia (Business Insider), awarded Cyber Security Professional of the Year (AISA - Australian Information Security Association) and holds GSE, CISSP, GCIH, GCFA, GSEC, GPEN, GWAPT, GCIA certifications.
Researchers from VirginiaTech released a paper after analysing hundreds of posts on the most popular developer forum (Stack Overflow). They looked at the type of questions asked around security, the most popular answers given by the community and the effect it has on code software engineers.
Not a real surprise for people who have been in Cyber Security for a while, but more awareness is needed around this problem from a developer perspective:
- Security features provided by coding frameworks (e.g. JAVA Spring) are overly complicated and poorly documented
- A substantial number of developers do not appear to understand the security implications of coding options, showing a lack of cyber security training
- Many of the suggestions and "fixes" on these forums are not secure but were getting positives votes and thus higher in ratings
The report suggests the following solutions:
- Workforce retraining
- Semi-Automating security bug detection and fixing
We need to make security easy for developers and built-in from the start in order to maintain the speed in which businesses operate today.
"The significance of this work is that we provided empirical evidence for a significant number of alarming secure coding issues, which have not been previously reported," the paper says. "These issues are due to a variety of reasons, including the rapidly increasing need for enterprise security applications, the lack of security training in the software development workforce, and poorly designed security libraries."
https://www.theregister.com/2017/09/29/java_security_plagued_stack_overflow/
Table of contents
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Co-Founder
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
Book a demoDownloadResources to get you started
Benchmarking Security Skills: Streamlining Secure-by-Design in the Enterprise
The Secure-by-Design movement is the future of secure software development. Learn about the key elements companies need to keep in mind when they think about a Secure-by-Design initiative.
DigitalOcean Decreases Security Debt with Secure Code Warrior
DigitalOcean's use of Secure Code Warrior training has significantly reduced security debt, allowing teams to focus more on innovation and productivity. The improved security has strengthened their product quality and competitive edge. Looking ahead, the SCW Trust Score will help them further enhance security practices and continue driving innovation.
Resources to get you started
Trust Score Reveals the Value of Secure-by-Design Upskilling Initiatives
Our research has shown that secure code training works. Trust Score, using an algorithm drawing on more than 20 million learning data points from work by more than 250,000 learners at over 600 organizations, reveals its effectiveness in driving down vulnerabilities and how to make the initiative even more effective.
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Reactive Versus Preventive Security: Prevention Is a Better Cure
The idea of bringing preventive security to legacy code and systems at the same time as newer applications can seem daunting, but a Secure-by-Design approach, enforced by upskilling developers, can apply security best practices to those systems. It’s the best chance many organizations have of improving their security postures.
The Benefits of Benchmarking Security Skills for Developers
The growing focus on secure code and Secure-by-Design principles requires developers to be trained in cybersecurity from the start of the SDLC, with tools like Secure Code Warrior’s Trust Score helping measure and improve their progress.
Driving Meaningful Success for Enterprise Secure-by-Design Initiatives
Our latest research paper, Benchmarking Security Skills: Streamlining Secure-by-Design in the Enterprise is the result of deep analysis of real Secure-by-Design initiatives at the enterprise level, and deriving best practice approaches based on data-driven findings.
Developer-driven coding.
Securely.
Contact us today and make software security an intrinsic part of your development process.
