Assignment 2: Best Coding Practices Due Week 9 ✓ Solved

Assignment 2 Best Coding Practicesdue Week 9 And W

Evaluate your company's coding process by creating guidelines for best secure coding practices. Write a memo to the CEO and CSO documenting these guidelines, emphasizing the importance of secure coding to prevent vulnerabilities such as SQL injection attacks. Justify why it is less costly to build secure software initially than to fix security issues after a breach. Outline the objectives and purpose of your company's “best secure coding practices” and explain how these will influence your division. Analyze which of the secure software development life cycle (SDLC) methods best serves your team and describe how you plan to implement these practices into existing processes. Identify three reference resources that serve as beginner's guidelines for new employees, explaining the importance of each and how they can assist new coders. Support your recommendations with at least four credible references, including complete web links, ensuring they are functional and relevant. Format the document as a typed, double-spaced report using Times New Roman font size 12 with 1-inch margins on all sides. Include a cover page with the assignment title, your name, the professor’s name, course title, and date. Additionally, create a PowerPoint presentation outlining the major aspects of your best practice coding guidelines, including objectives, purpose, resources, and methodology, and include your fictional company's name on each slide.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Implementing Best Secure Coding Practices in E-Commerce Development: A Strategic Approach to Counteract SQL Injection Threats

Introduction

In today’s digital landscape, e-commerce platforms are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats, particularly SQL injection attacks which threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical data. As the newly appointed manager of the e-commerce division at TechSolutions Inc., it is imperative to establish rigorous secure coding practices to safeguard our systems, prevent breaches, and save costs associated with post-incident remediation. This paper delineates the essential guidelines for secure coding, justification for prioritizing security during development, and strategies for integrating these practices into our SDLC.

Cost Advantage of Secure Software Development

Building secure software from the outset is proven to be less expensive than addressing vulnerabilities post-deployment. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, 2020), the cost of fixing security flaws after release can be up to 30 times higher than integrating security during development stages. Retrofitting security measures often entails extensive testing, re-engineering, and potential system downtime, which cumulatively increases expenses. Conversely, embedding security best practices early reduces defect rates, streamlines testing, and fosters a culture of proactive security awareness (Howard & LeBlanc, 2018).

Objectives and Purpose of Secure Coding Practices

The primary objective of our secure coding guidelines is to mitigate vulnerabilities such as SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows that can be exploited by malicious actors. The purpose is to foster a security-first mindset among developers, ensuring that security measures are integrated into every phase of development—from design to deployment. These practices aim to enhance the robustness of our e-commerce platform, protect customer data, and maintain regulatory compliance (OWASP, 2021).

Influence on Division Operations

Implementing secure coding will instill a culture of security awareness within the development division, leading to consistent adoption of best practices. It will also streamline the code review process, reduce vulnerability detection time, and increase system resilience. Furthermore, this initiative will align our team with industry standards, improve our reputation, and mitigate the risk of costly security incidents (Grimes, 2017).

Best Method of the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Among various SDLC models, the Agile Security Framework offers the most flexibility and promotes continuous security integration through iterative cycles. This methodology allows security measures to be embedded into each sprint, with frequent testing and updates based on emerging threats (Sharma & Kaur, 2019). We plan to incorporate security assessments into each development phase, leveraging automated tools and code reviews to identify vulnerabilities early.

Implementation Strategies

To embed secure coding in our existing processes, we propose the following steps:

• Training developers on security best practices and common vulnerabilities, emphasizing OWASP Top 10.
• Integrating static and dynamic application security testing (SAST and DAST) tools into our CI/CD pipeline.
• Establishing regular code reviews with a focus on security issues and compliance with coding standards.
• Creating a security guidelines document accessible to all team members for ongoing reference.

Reference Resources for New Employees

1. OWASP Secure Coding Practices Checklist: Provides comprehensive guidance on coding standards and associated vulnerabilities, ideal for beginners to understand common security pitfalls (OWASP, 2021).
2. Secure Coding Immersive Training Modules: Interactive online courses offered by platforms like Coursera or Udemy that embed security principles through practical exercises (Howard & LeBlanc, 2018).
3. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Database: A repository of known security vulnerabilities, essential for developers to stay updated on emerging threats (MITRE Corporation, 2022).

Conclusion

Adopting robust secure coding practices within our e-commerce platform is pivotal to safeguarding customer data, maintaining compliance, and reducing long-term costs. Integrating these practices into our SDLC through continuous training, automated testing, and vigilant code review will foster a culture of security. Utilizing reputable resources such as OWASP guidelines and CVE databases will support new employees, ensuring they are equipped to develop secure, resilient applications capable of weathering today's cybersecurity challenges.

References

• Howard, M., & LeBlanc, D. (2018). Writing Secure Code. Microsoft Press.
• MITRE Corporation. (2022). Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE). https://cve.mitre.org
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2020). Guide to Secure Software Development. NIST Special Publication 800-163. https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-163/final
• OWASP. (2021). Secure Coding Practices Checklist. https://owasp.org/www-project-secure-coding-practices/
• Sharma, R., & Kaur, P. (2019). Agile Security Framework for Secure Software Development. International Journal of Computer Science and Security, 13(2), 45-55.

Notes

This paper emphasizes the importance of proactive security integration through secure coding practices, aligning with industry standards, and providing resources for continuous learning. It serves as a foundation for developing a security-conscious development team dedicated to safeguarding e-commerce systems.