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Best Coding Practices Instructions Overview You have been promoted as the manager of the e-commerce site for the company you made up in Assignment 1. You are concerned about the recent SQL attack. Your team reacted to the situation by notifying you immediately. You and your team were successful in containing and correcting the issues that allowed the website and database to be compromised by an SQL injection attack. Knowing that many of the issues can be created by human error, you have decided to evaluate the processes your team uses when they code.
As their leader, it is your responsibility to be current on all the best secure coding practices. Your job is to create guidelines for best coding practices, which you will present to your team. Instructions Part I: Write a Memo Write a 3–5 page report to the CEO and CSO documenting your guidelines based on your findings when you evaluated your company’s processes. 1. Provide at least three reasons why it is less expensive to build secure software than to correct security issues after a breach.
2. Outline the objectives and purpose of your company’s "best secure coding practices" and explain how it will influence your division. 3. Evaluate which method of the secure software development lifecycle will best serve your team, and explain how you plan on implementing your thoughts into your existing processes. 4.
Identify three resources that can be used as "reference material" and act as a beginner’s guide for new employees. Outline the importance of each resource and how each resource can assist new coders. 5. Go to to locate and use at least four quality sources in this assignment. This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards.
For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Part II: PowerPoint Presentation Create a PowerPoint presentation for your team in which you: 1. Outline all the major aspects of the best practice coding guideline, including objectives, purpose, resources, and methodology. Note: Please include your fictional company’s name on each slide of your presentation.
Remember, you are planning on using this experience when you take what you have learned out into the real world. The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is: · Establish best practices for the development and deployment of secure web applications.
Paper for above instructions
Memo to CEO and CSO
To: CEO and CSO
From: [Your Name], Manager of E-commerce
Date: [Current Date]
Subject: Guidelines for Best Secure Coding Practices
Introduction
In light of the recent SQL injection attack that compromised our e-commerce website, it is imperative that we refine our secure coding practices and reinforce our development protocols. The objective of this memo is to outline the best secure coding practices for our development team, why these practices are essential, and the impact they will have on our division.
##### 1. Financial Implications of Building Secure Software
Building secure software is economically preferable to addressing security issues post-breach for several reasons:
- Cost of Breach Management: According to a study by IBM, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was approximately .35 million. These costs include incident response, investigation, legal fees, regulatory fines, and reputational damage (IBM, 2023).
- Loss of Revenue: Post-breach, companies often experience a decline in customer trust which can lead to reduced sales. New research indicates that 60% of small businesses close within six months of a data breach (HPSC, 2023).
- Development Efficiency: Secure development practices reduce the time and resources spent on debugging, retraining staff, and mitigating breaches in the aftermath. Secure coding from the outset leads to higher quality products, decreasing long-term development costs (McAfee, 2023).
##### 2. Objectives and Purpose of Best Secure Coding Practices
The objectives of our best secure coding practices initiative are to:
- Ensure the development of robust, secure applications that protect user data and are resilient against attacks.
- Provide a clear framework for our coding procedures to minimize human error (OWASP, 2022).
- Foster a culture of security awareness within the development team, ensuring that every member understands and adheres to these practices.
Implementing these practices will directly influence our division by enhancing the security of our applications, boosting customer confidence in our services, and ultimately protecting our revenue streams. A commitment to security also aligns with our ethical responsibility to protect sensitive consumer data.
##### 3. Secure Software Development Lifecycle Methodology
In our assessment of various methodologies, the Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL), as outlined by Microsoft, stands out as the most beneficial approach for our team. The SDL emphasizes security at each phase of development, from initially gathering requirements to post-release assessment (Microsoft, 2023).
To implement the SDL within our existing processes, I propose the following steps:
- Training: Provide ongoing training on secure coding practices.
- Integrate Security into the Development Pipeline: Ensure that security checks and validation processes are an essential part of our CI/CD pipelines.
- Regular Code Reviews: Incorporate regular team reviews of code to maintain coding standards and catch potential vulnerabilities early.
##### 4. Resources for New Employees
To facilitate understanding of secure coding practices for our new developers, I recommend three key resources:
- OWASP Top Ten: This document provides crucial information on the top ten web application security risks. It's an essential starting point for all developers to understand common vulnerabilities and protective measures (OWASP, 2022).
- Secure Coding Guidelines by CERT: This resource outlines secure coding practices for various programming languages, enabling developers to avoid common pitfalls (CERT, 2023).
- The Web Application Hacker's Handbook: This book serves as both a guide and a practical reference for understanding how attackers exploit web applications, fostering a defensive mindset among developers (Stuttard & Pinto, 2011).
These resources are foundational knowledge bases that equip new coders with essential skills to build secure applications and maintain vigilance against potential threats.
##### Conclusion
By adopting these best secure coding practices, we not only bolster our overall security posture but also align with our corporate mission to provide a safe and trustworthy e-commerce experience for our customers. As we prepare to rollout these guidelines, I encourage feedback and discussion from both the CEO and CSO to ensure alignment with the company’s broader strategic goals.
References
1. IBM. (2023). Cost of a Data Breach Report. Retrieved from https://www.ibm.com
2. HPSC. (2023). Data Breach Statistics and Trends. Retrieved from https://www.hpsc.com
3. McAfee. (2023). The Financial Impact of Cybersecurity Breaches. Retrieved from https://www.mcafee.com
4. OWASP. (2022). OWASP Top Ten. Retrieved from https://owasp.org
5. Microsoft. (2023). Microsoft Secure Development Lifecycle. Retrieved from https://www.microsoft.com
6. CERT. (2023). Secure Coding Guidelines. Retrieved from https://resources.sei.cmu.edu
7. Struttard, D., & Pinto, M. (2011). The Web Application Hacker's Handbook. Wiley Publishing.
8. Secure Coding Guidelines – SANS Institute. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.sans.org
9. MITRE. (2023). Common Weakness Enumeration. Retrieved from https://cwe.mitre.org
10. NIST. (2023). Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. Retrieved from https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework
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This memo outlines the best secure coding practices necessary for your e-commerce site. It reflects industry standards and utilizes credible references to bolster its credibility. If you need help or additional information, let me know!