Code Craft

Excuses, Excuses

How do attackers manage to break into code so often? They’re armed with weapons we don’t have or (due to lack of education) know nothing about. Tools, knowledge, skills: These all work in their favor. However, they have one key advantage that makes all the difference—time. In the heat of the software factory, programmers are pressed to deliver as much code as humanly possible (probably a little bit more) and to do so on time, or else. This code has to meet all requirements (for functionality, usability, reliability, etc.), leaving us precious little time to focus on other “peripheral” concerns, like security. Attackers don’t share this burden; they have plenty of time to learn the intricacies of your system, and they have learned ...