It’s not easy to create secure software, but it’s essential to protect the data and operations of businesses. New Relic hosted a Twitter Space recently with Harry Kimpel of Snyk, and Frank Dornberger of movingimage to discuss the importance of software engineers developing an attitude of security that can help them create reliable production-ready applications.
In the course of that discussion, we came up with eight ways to help developers develop a security mindset to create more secure software. These tips are based on that discussion and other research into how to ensure that the software you use for your business is as secure as you can.
Make sure that your employees are aware of how to identify and close security flaws in their code. Make sure they are trained on safe code methods and how to protect against common threats such as phishing. Organise regular, cross functional gatherings to introduce new threats and vulnerabilities to your team. This will give your developers the opportunity to work with other teams who are experiencing the same problems.
Set up an information base and documentation of the software security guidelines in your company. This will give your employees a reference when they’re writing code and will ensure that everyone knows what the rules are.
Consider the security implications when using third-party libraries or components within your applications. If they’re not regularly updated there’s a significant possibility of them having security weaknesses that could be exploited by cybercriminals. Make use of a tool that scans for dependencies and libraries in your source code to help find any issues.