Secure Coding Practices for developers
Secure Coding Practices for developers Secure coding is a mindset that helps you prevent problems before they exist. It is not a single tool, but a set of habits you apply at every stage of development. When security becomes part of your workflow, it is easier to ship reliable software and protect users. This guide offers practical steps that fit most projects, from small apps to enterprise systems. Common threats to guard against Injection flaws like SQL or OS command injections Broken authentication and session hijacking Authorization errors and missing access checks Sensitive data exposure due to weak encryption or misconfigured storage Software supply chain risks from outdated dependencies Practical steps for developers Validate inputs on the server; never trust client data. Use parameterized queries or ORM safeguards to prevent injections. Enforce strong authentication and consider MFA where possible. Apply least privilege in authorization decisions; keep roles simple. Store secrets outside code, using environment variables or a secrets vault. Use HTTPS everywhere and keep TLS configurations up to date. Hash passwords with Argon2, bcrypt, or scrypt; use unique salts. Encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit; rotate keys with a KMS. Keep dependencies up to date; pin versions and run regular vulnerability scans. Handle errors safely; avoid leaking stack traces or internal info. Example scenario A user signup form collects a name, email, and password. Validate each field on the server, ensure the email is in a valid format, and check for duplicate accounts quickly. Hash the password with Argon2 and store the hash with a per-user salt. Create a session token using a secure RNG and set a short expiry. Log only non-sensitive events, such as signup success, and avoid logging raw passwords or internal errors. ...