Secure Coding Principles And Practices Pdf Download
Java's architecture and components include security mechanisms that can help to protect against hostile, misbehaving, or unsafe code. However, following secure coding best practices is still necessary to avoid bugs that could weaken security and even inadvertently open the very holes that Java's security features were intended to protect against. These bugs could potentially be used to steal confidential data from the machine and intranet, misuse system resources, prevent useful operation of the machine, assist further attacks, and many other malicious activities.
Secure Coding Principles And Practices Pdf Download
To minimize the likelihood of security vulnerabilities caused by programmer error, Java developers should adhere to recommended coding guidelines. Existing publications, such as Effective Java [6], provide excellent guidelines related to Java software design. Others, such as Software Security: Building Security In [7], outline guiding principles for software security. This document bridges such publications together and includes coverage of additional topics. It provides a more complete set of security-specific coding guidelines targeted at the Java programming language. These guidelines are of interest to all Java developers, whether they create trusted end-user applications, implement the internals of a security component, or develop shared Java class libraries that perform common programming tasks. Any implementation bug can have serious security ramifications and could appear in any layer of the software stack.
It is also important to understand the security model and best practices for third-party software. Identify secure configuration options, any security-related tasks performed by the code (e.g. cryptographic functions or serialization), and any security considerations for APIs being used. Understanding past security issues and attack patterns against the code can also help to use it in a more secure manner. For example, if past security issues have applied to certain functionality or configurations, avoiding those may help to minimize exposure.
We like the following photograph because it illustrates how the easiest way to break system security is often to circumvent it rather than defeat it (as is the case with most software vulnerabilities related to insecure coding practices).
All of the above guidelines are very general and can apply to ActiveX or most other systems. You could draw up specific secure coding rules that apply the above principles to ActiveX. You would also have to account for any security flaws in ActiveX itself.
Resource Proprietors and Resource Custodians must ensure that secure coding practices, including security training and reviews, are incorporated into each phase of the software development life cycle.
For applications to be designed and implemented with proper security requirements, secure coding practices and a focus on security risks must be integrated into day-to-day operations and the development processes. Application developers must complete secure coding requirements regardless of the device used for programming.
A critical first step to develop a secure application is an effective training plan that allows developers to learn important secure coding principles and how they can be applied. Compliance with this control is assessed through Application Security Testing Program (required by MSSEI 6.2), which includes testing for secure coding principles described in OWASP Secure Coding Guidelines:
While OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) specifically references web applications, the secure coding principles outlined above should be applied to non-web applications as well. Please refer to OWASP Secure Coding Guidelines to see a more detailed description of each secure coding principle. OWASP also runs a Faux Bank demo site that shows the top 10 vulnerabilities along with blog posts explaining the intricacies of each vulnerability. Listed below are examples of training courses that can be used to gain proficiency in secure coding principles:
Secure coding practices must be incorporated into all life cycle stages of an application development process. The following minimum set of secure coding practices should be implemented when developing and deploying covered applications:
Secure coding standards govern the coding practices, techniques, and decisions that developers make while building software. They aim to ensure that developers write code that minimizes security vulnerabilities. Development tasks can typically be solved in many different ways, with varying levels of complexity. Some solutions are more secure than others, and secure coding standards encourage developers and software engineers to take the safest approach, even if it is not the fastest.
Passwords are a weak point in many software systems, which is why multi-factor authentication has become so widespread. Nevertheless, passwords are the most common security credential, and following secure coding practices limits risk. You should require all passwords to be of adequate length and complexity to withstand any typical or common attacks. OWASP suggests several coding best practices for passwords, including:
Outdated software is a major source of vulnerabilities and security breaches. Software updates include patches that fix vulnerabilities, making regular updates one of the most vital, secure coding practices. A patch management system may help your business to keep on top of updates.
These secure coding standards are self-explanatory in that you need to identify all data inputs and sources and validate those classified as untrusted. You should utilize a standard routine for output encoding and input validation.
Security is not something that can be added to software as an afterthought. Just as a shed made out of cardboard cannot be made secure by adding a padlock to the door, an insecure tool or application may require extensive redesign to secure it. You must identify the nature of the threats to your software and incorporate secure coding practices throughout the planning and development of your product. This book describes specific types of vulnerabilities and gives guidance on code hardening techniques to fix them.
Barr Group's Embedded C Coding Standard was developed to minimize bugs in firmware by focusing on practical rules that keep bugs out--while also improving the maintainability and portability of embedded software. The coding standard details a set of guiding principles as well as specific naming conventions and other rules for the use of data types, functions, preprocessor macros, variables and much more. Individual rules that have been demonstrated to reduce or eliminate certain types of bugs are highlighted. In this latest version, BARR-C:2018, the stylistic coding rules have been fully harmonized with MISRA C: 2012, while helping embedded system designers reduce defects in firmware written in C and C++.
Several of the best practices listed in this topic suggest creating AWS Config rules. AWS Config enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. AWS Config monitors resource configurations, allowing you to evaluate the recorded configurations against the desired secure configurations. Using AWS Config, you can review changes in configurations and relationships between AWS resources, investigate detailed resource configuration histories, and determine your overall compliance against the configurations specified in your internal guidelines. This can help you simplify compliance auditing, security analysis, change management, and operational troubleshooting. For more information, see Setting Up AWS Config with the Console in the AWS Config Developer Guide. When specifying the resource types to record, ensure that you include Amazon S3 resources.
Secure coding is a set of technologies and best practices for making software as secure and stable as possible. It encompasses everything from encryption, certificates, and federated identity to recommendations for moving sensitive data, accessing a file system, and managing memory. Although the security landscape is always changing, secure coding tries to make building secure software more of a science than an art.
Writing secure code should be top of mind, especially given the number of application security breaches that find their way into the news. A critical first step is learning important secure coding principles and how they can be applied so you can code with security in mind. The Fedora Project's Defensive Coding Guide provides guidelines for improving software security through secure coding. It covers common programming languages and libraries, and focuses on concrete recommendations.