How to Build a Secure Software Solution
Software security is everyone’s responsibility. It is one of the major concerns in software development that must be handled with a lot of seriousness. Security in IT has changed significantly over the years. In the “bad old days,” most software was targeted to a single, specific type of system. The design of this software was oriented toward the target system type. As a rule, these systems were vulnerable to the most common security breaches, such as accidental or malicious removal of the operating system from the hardware.
However, things have improved considerably. Many new types of software programs that provide security functionality and make it impossible to break in have been developed by Yellow Systems – software development company and similar organizations. These include anti-virus software that protects computers against unauthorized use and malicious software programs. But how does it work? And what does it take to build a secure software solution?
Security in Software Development
The main point here is that a solution targeted to one system may prove insecure when used for other purposes. This is why it is important to conduct tests and analyses that reveal bugs and loopholes. This requires a lot of experience and in-depth knowledge since you can only do this once you understand the system and its architecture.
The way that security attacks work is not always obvious, even for experienced security experts. Therefore, it is necessary to create a software testing plan and run QA tests on a regular basis as you write a code. Tests may be performed manually, automatically, or in collaboration with the third party that will use the program.
Manual testing will not only focus on how the software will be used but also on how an attacker may attempt to break into it. Automatic testing, on the other hand, will look into any weaknesses in the software solution, in addition to how the user may interact with it. This may be done using a debugger or a virus scanner, among other tools. The latter may even be combined with a system analyzer, which looks into the system’s functionality.
As a tester, you should know how to:
- Find security issues as early as possible in the development cycle;
- Respond to and handle security issues as they are discovered.
And in order to develop a secure software design process, you must:
- Understand how to design software safely in the first place;
- Ensure your solution is properly tested;
- Use secure coding techniques when writing code;
- Create secure implementations of cryptography;
- Understand the OWASP principles of software security.
The type of software that is being analyzed is one of the most important aspects of testing. The fact that it may be used in critical services, such as healthcare, is a crucial factor as well. In such cases, if security measures cannot be taken, they may put the whole patient’s health at risk. Therefore, it is extremely important to perform thorough testing so that the solution does not fail.
It is important to remember that there are various security standards for different types of programs. The standardization is done to ensure the user that they will not be cheated by other developers or other people that may use the software. The standards are there to make sure that devs adhere to the security protocols and do things right. It is essential to test the program against these standards. If this is not done, it is not possible to ensure that the software is secure and can be safely used by the target audience.
Security should be taken seriously. You should pay special attention to testing the program, its features, as well as its connection with the Internet. This means that you have to design your program, as well as the rest of the system, in such a way that no security breaches may occur.
In a Nutshell
It is crucial to think about software security from the very beginning of the development process. So, instead of creating a program and keeping your fingers crossed hoping that it is impossible to hack, do the things right from the start. Otherwise, you will be forced to redo everything from scratch.