Training Developers to Code Securely: Theory and Practice

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingsConference proceedingpeer-review

Abstract

Software security is essential. Flaws in software design and coding produce vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hostile actors, resulting in ransomware, espionage and the hacking of critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, DevOps and continuous integration introduce speed imperatives, often bypassing traditional security gates. Software security responsibility is increasingly shifting to software developers. Industry insiders advise that this extra responsibility should be accompanied by developer training. But is it? Analysis of what constitutes good software security training is sparse, and there is little information on the amount and quality of training actually offered to developers in industry. We analyse recent literature to find the positive features of effective secure development training. We examine training information from a large developer survey (n=962) to assess how training in the field matches key positive features. We find that while some developers experience excellent secure-coding training, others receive inadequate training, and the majority receive none.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings - 2024 IEEE/ACM 4th International Workshop on Engineering and Cybersecurity of Critical Systems and 2024 IEEE/ACM 2nd International Workshop on Software Vulnerability, EnCyCriS/SVM 2024
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages37-44
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9798400705656
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Aug 2024
Event4th IEEE/ACM International Workshop on Engineering and Cybersecurity of Critical Systems and 2024 IEEE/ACM 2nd International Workshop on Software Vulnerability, EnCyCriS/SVM 2024, held in conjunction with the 46th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE 2024 - Lisbon, Portugal
Duration: 15 Apr 202415 Apr 2024

Publication series

NameProceedings - 2024 IEEE/ACM 4th International Workshop on Engineering and Cybersecurity of Critical Systems and 2024 IEEE/ACM 2nd International Workshop on Software Vulnerability, EnCyCriS/SVM 2024

Conference

Conference4th IEEE/ACM International Workshop on Engineering and Cybersecurity of Critical Systems and 2024 IEEE/ACM 2nd International Workshop on Software Vulnerability, EnCyCriS/SVM 2024, held in conjunction with the 46th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE 2024
Country/TerritoryPortugal
CityLisbon
Period15/04/2415/04/24

Keywords

  • secure coding training
  • secure software development
  • security

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