One line of code, $1 million
If I asked you how much it would cost to change just one line of computer code in a device that's already in service, what number would come to mind? A few hundred dollars? Maybe thousands?
According to Aviation Today, it costs $1 million for a commercial airline to update a line of code in its planes. For a cost so substantial, they would likely need a compelling reason to take the steps required to make any update to their airplane's systems, which really got me thinking about a number of factors.
Breaking down the cost
While the article doesn't outline what comprises the $1 million cost, I think it's a viable figure. I'm not an expert specifically in airline software updates, but I can assume a few of the steps the airline is forced to take in this situation.
First, the airline needs to discover a flaw or vulnerability that necessitates the update. The cited example consists of research performed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a Boeing 757. The results - a remote hack after only two days of work - are more than compelling enough for any airline to take note.
From there, software developers need to analyze the findings, write new code, and test it in a safe environment to ensure the issue is fixed. Now comes the tricky part. The airline needs to ground each vulnerable or flawed aircraft, apply the new code, test it to ensure it works with that specific plane, and then recertify that plan for commercial flight.
According to airfleets.net, Southwest Airlines currently has 499 Boeing 737-700 planes in its fleet. Consider the time and money investment involved if a security flaw emerged in this particular plane model.
Not just an airline challenge
Clearly, airlines should have a vested interest in employing sound secure coding principles from the start. After giving it a few moments'thought, I could see numerous industries and situations where a similar cost might apply. Instead of worrying about airplanes falling out of the sky due to a hacked vulnerability, what about medical devices like pacemakers? How much does it cost to recall and update a half-million lifesaving pieces of electronics?
In the automotive industry, we continue to hear talk and security concerns about self-driving cars. Yet, even our "typical'vehicles rely more heavily than ever on connectivity to the internet, which leads directly to some troubling - if entertaining - safety concerns.
It's a simple fact that it costs much more money and takes more effort and time to update devices or systems after they've been released into a production environment, or before they've been mass produced, than it does to build security into your initial development process. Yet, we still continue to see new preventable software flaws and cybersecurity vulnerabilities every day, underscoring the need for companies to look for ways to build secure software development into their development culture.
The cost to change one line of code on a piece of avionics equipment is $1 million, and it takes a year to implement. For Southwest Airlines, whose fleet is based on Boeing's 737, it would "bankrupt" them if a cyber vulnerability was specific to systems on board 737s
The cost to change one line of code on a piece of avionics equipment is $1 million, and it takes a year to implement. For Southwest Airlines, whose fleet is based on Boeings 737, it would "bankrupt"
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
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
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Matias is a researcher and developer with more than 15 years of hands-on software security experience. He has developed solutions for companies such as Fortify Software and his own company Sensei Security. Over his career, Matias has led multiple application security research projects which have led to commercial products and boasts over 10 patents under his belt. When he is away from his desk, Matias has served as an instructor for advanced application security training courses and regularly speaks at global conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DefCon, BSIMM, OWASP AppSec and BruCon.
Matias holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Ghent University, where he studied application security through program obfuscation to hide the inner workings of an application.
If I asked you how much it would cost to change just one line of computer code in a device that's already in service, what number would come to mind? A few hundred dollars? Maybe thousands?
According to Aviation Today, it costs $1 million for a commercial airline to update a line of code in its planes. For a cost so substantial, they would likely need a compelling reason to take the steps required to make any update to their airplane's systems, which really got me thinking about a number of factors.
Breaking down the cost
While the article doesn't outline what comprises the $1 million cost, I think it's a viable figure. I'm not an expert specifically in airline software updates, but I can assume a few of the steps the airline is forced to take in this situation.
First, the airline needs to discover a flaw or vulnerability that necessitates the update. The cited example consists of research performed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a Boeing 757. The results - a remote hack after only two days of work - are more than compelling enough for any airline to take note.
From there, software developers need to analyze the findings, write new code, and test it in a safe environment to ensure the issue is fixed. Now comes the tricky part. The airline needs to ground each vulnerable or flawed aircraft, apply the new code, test it to ensure it works with that specific plane, and then recertify that plan for commercial flight.
According to airfleets.net, Southwest Airlines currently has 499 Boeing 737-700 planes in its fleet. Consider the time and money investment involved if a security flaw emerged in this particular plane model.
Not just an airline challenge
Clearly, airlines should have a vested interest in employing sound secure coding principles from the start. After giving it a few moments'thought, I could see numerous industries and situations where a similar cost might apply. Instead of worrying about airplanes falling out of the sky due to a hacked vulnerability, what about medical devices like pacemakers? How much does it cost to recall and update a half-million lifesaving pieces of electronics?
In the automotive industry, we continue to hear talk and security concerns about self-driving cars. Yet, even our "typical'vehicles rely more heavily than ever on connectivity to the internet, which leads directly to some troubling - if entertaining - safety concerns.
It's a simple fact that it costs much more money and takes more effort and time to update devices or systems after they've been released into a production environment, or before they've been mass produced, than it does to build security into your initial development process. Yet, we still continue to see new preventable software flaws and cybersecurity vulnerabilities every day, underscoring the need for companies to look for ways to build secure software development into their development culture.
The cost to change one line of code on a piece of avionics equipment is $1 million, and it takes a year to implement. For Southwest Airlines, whose fleet is based on Boeing's 737, it would "bankrupt" them if a cyber vulnerability was specific to systems on board 737s
If I asked you how much it would cost to change just one line of computer code in a device that's already in service, what number would come to mind? A few hundred dollars? Maybe thousands?
According to Aviation Today, it costs $1 million for a commercial airline to update a line of code in its planes. For a cost so substantial, they would likely need a compelling reason to take the steps required to make any update to their airplane's systems, which really got me thinking about a number of factors.
Breaking down the cost
While the article doesn't outline what comprises the $1 million cost, I think it's a viable figure. I'm not an expert specifically in airline software updates, but I can assume a few of the steps the airline is forced to take in this situation.
First, the airline needs to discover a flaw or vulnerability that necessitates the update. The cited example consists of research performed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a Boeing 757. The results - a remote hack after only two days of work - are more than compelling enough for any airline to take note.
From there, software developers need to analyze the findings, write new code, and test it in a safe environment to ensure the issue is fixed. Now comes the tricky part. The airline needs to ground each vulnerable or flawed aircraft, apply the new code, test it to ensure it works with that specific plane, and then recertify that plan for commercial flight.
According to airfleets.net, Southwest Airlines currently has 499 Boeing 737-700 planes in its fleet. Consider the time and money investment involved if a security flaw emerged in this particular plane model.
Not just an airline challenge
Clearly, airlines should have a vested interest in employing sound secure coding principles from the start. After giving it a few moments'thought, I could see numerous industries and situations where a similar cost might apply. Instead of worrying about airplanes falling out of the sky due to a hacked vulnerability, what about medical devices like pacemakers? How much does it cost to recall and update a half-million lifesaving pieces of electronics?
In the automotive industry, we continue to hear talk and security concerns about self-driving cars. Yet, even our "typical'vehicles rely more heavily than ever on connectivity to the internet, which leads directly to some troubling - if entertaining - safety concerns.
It's a simple fact that it costs much more money and takes more effort and time to update devices or systems after they've been released into a production environment, or before they've been mass produced, than it does to build security into your initial development process. Yet, we still continue to see new preventable software flaws and cybersecurity vulnerabilities every day, underscoring the need for companies to look for ways to build secure software development into their development culture.
The cost to change one line of code on a piece of avionics equipment is $1 million, and it takes a year to implement. For Southwest Airlines, whose fleet is based on Boeing's 737, it would "bankrupt" them if a cyber vulnerability was specific to systems on board 737s
Click on the link below and download the PDF of this resource.
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
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Matias is a researcher and developer with more than 15 years of hands-on software security experience. He has developed solutions for companies such as Fortify Software and his own company Sensei Security. Over his career, Matias has led multiple application security research projects which have led to commercial products and boasts over 10 patents under his belt. When he is away from his desk, Matias has served as an instructor for advanced application security training courses and regularly speaks at global conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DefCon, BSIMM, OWASP AppSec and BruCon.
Matias holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Ghent University, where he studied application security through program obfuscation to hide the inner workings of an application.
If I asked you how much it would cost to change just one line of computer code in a device that's already in service, what number would come to mind? A few hundred dollars? Maybe thousands?
According to Aviation Today, it costs $1 million for a commercial airline to update a line of code in its planes. For a cost so substantial, they would likely need a compelling reason to take the steps required to make any update to their airplane's systems, which really got me thinking about a number of factors.
Breaking down the cost
While the article doesn't outline what comprises the $1 million cost, I think it's a viable figure. I'm not an expert specifically in airline software updates, but I can assume a few of the steps the airline is forced to take in this situation.
First, the airline needs to discover a flaw or vulnerability that necessitates the update. The cited example consists of research performed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a Boeing 757. The results - a remote hack after only two days of work - are more than compelling enough for any airline to take note.
From there, software developers need to analyze the findings, write new code, and test it in a safe environment to ensure the issue is fixed. Now comes the tricky part. The airline needs to ground each vulnerable or flawed aircraft, apply the new code, test it to ensure it works with that specific plane, and then recertify that plan for commercial flight.
According to airfleets.net, Southwest Airlines currently has 499 Boeing 737-700 planes in its fleet. Consider the time and money investment involved if a security flaw emerged in this particular plane model.
Not just an airline challenge
Clearly, airlines should have a vested interest in employing sound secure coding principles from the start. After giving it a few moments'thought, I could see numerous industries and situations where a similar cost might apply. Instead of worrying about airplanes falling out of the sky due to a hacked vulnerability, what about medical devices like pacemakers? How much does it cost to recall and update a half-million lifesaving pieces of electronics?
In the automotive industry, we continue to hear talk and security concerns about self-driving cars. Yet, even our "typical'vehicles rely more heavily than ever on connectivity to the internet, which leads directly to some troubling - if entertaining - safety concerns.
It's a simple fact that it costs much more money and takes more effort and time to update devices or systems after they've been released into a production environment, or before they've been mass produced, than it does to build security into your initial development process. Yet, we still continue to see new preventable software flaws and cybersecurity vulnerabilities every day, underscoring the need for companies to look for ways to build secure software development into their development culture.
The cost to change one line of code on a piece of avionics equipment is $1 million, and it takes a year to implement. For Southwest Airlines, whose fleet is based on Boeing's 737, it would "bankrupt" them if a cyber vulnerability was specific to systems on board 737s
Table of contents
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
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
Professional Services - Accelerate with expertise
Secure Code Warrior’s Program Strategy Services (PSS) team helps you build, enhance, and optimize your secure coding program. Whether you're starting fresh or refining your approach, our experts provide tailored guidance.
Secure code training topics & content
Our industry-leading content is always evolving to fit the ever changing software development landscape with your role in mind. Topics covering everything from AI to XQuery Injection, offered for a variety of roles from Architects and Engineers to Product Managers and QA. Get a sneak peak of what our content catalog has to offer by topic and role.
Quests: Industry leading learning to keep developers ahead of the game mitigating risk.
Quests is a learning platform that helps developers mitigate software security risks by enhancing their secure coding skills. With curated learning paths, hands-on challenges, and interactive activities, it empowers developers to identify and prevent vulnerabilities.
Resources to get you started
Is Vibe Coding Going to Turn Your Codebase Into a Frat Party?
Vibe coding is like a college frat party, and AI is the centerpiece of all the festivities, the keg. It’s a lot of fun to let loose, get creative, and see where your imagination can take you, but after a few keg stands, drinking (or, using AI) in moderation is undoubtedly the safer long-term solution.
The Decade of the Defenders: Secure Code Warrior Turns Ten
Secure Code Warrior's founding team has stayed together, steering the ship through every lesson, triumph, and setback for an entire decade. We’re scaling up and ready to face our next chapter, SCW 2.0, as the leaders in developer risk management.
Developer-driven coding.
Securely.
Contact us today and make software security an intrinsic part of your development process.
