What’s with all the security issues? It seems like every month there are new vulnerabilities and problems surfacing. We trust programmers and developers to weed out bugs and mistakes in their code before they release to the public. In fact, they do, but nobody is perfect. In the past, it was common to test for vulnerabilities after the code was written. Today, however, testing can occur at earlier stages of development, and even in real time while the code is being written. However, many developers and development companies have yet to implement this software, “either from a lack of knowledge or a need for automation,” writes Doug Cahill, analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. So what’s the underlying reason for these persistent security threats? How and where can we improve? Let’s take a look:
Failing Basic Tests
Before public release, programs, apps, and websites are subjected to basic tests. A number of these fail the test, and thus have to be fixed, retested, and must pass before they can be released. There is an underlying problem: just because a program passes the test doesn’t necessarily mean it gets perfect marks across the board. This means that there are still vulnerabilities lingering within the code at the time of release.
Testing in Real Time
As we have already seen, programs that test while code is being written are currently being developed and are in use at some companies. Even so, testing early can still overlook problems. Cahill advises that, instead of relying on one program to catch vulnerabilities, programmers and developers should equip various, specialized programs and implement them where they work best. Different programming languages are used throughout apps and software, so one editing program can’t be fluent enough in every language to catch every error. It’s better to use optimized editing tools at every stage of development, though this can be costly.
At M&H Consulting, we know that vulnerabilities and security issues will never be fully eradicated; code is created and written by programmers everyday. As the old adage goes, to err is human. Thus, we make mistakes all the time and we don’t always catch them ourselves. There are, however, white hat hackers who expose vulnerabilities in code and alert the right people to fix it promptly. You should also pay attention to the news, as they’re usually the first to alert the public to security issues and offer helpful advice to fix the error yourself or protect your information while the professionals are hard at work devising a fix. For all your computer security and IT needs, contact M&H Consulting by phone at 1-(866)-964-8324, or visit our website at http://www.mhconsults.com.
Categorised in: applications, Apps, Business Management, computer, Devices, in the news, mobile issues, Security, software, updates