Secure Coding – A critical skill in today’s threat landscape

Feb 22, 2024
OffSec

OffSec

Content Team

The recent MOVEit data breach, exposing the sensitive information of over 60 million individuals, is a stark reminder that insecure coding practices have devastating real-world consequences.  Critical vulnerabilities, including those highlighted in the OWASP Top 10, opened the door for attackers.  

Incidents like those tracked on Board Cybersecurity Incident Tracker underscore the relentless frequency of breaches due to coding flaws. Could these breaches – and countless others like them – have been averted with stronger secure coding skills? OffSec’s Secure Software Development Learning Paths give developers the tools to build software resilient to such attacks.

OffSec’s answer: Secure coding training to fill the void

Empower your team, or yourself, with the ability to:

  • Build secure foundations: Receive practical, hands-on secure coding training that prevents vulnerabilities like those exploited in recent high-profile breaches.
  • Progress confidently: Start with the basics or dive into advanced secure software development topics, with paths designed to match your current expertise.
  • Think like the enemy: Our unique approach infuses offensive security concepts, giving you that extra edge to proactively build defenses.

What you’ll learn: Building secure software from the core

Expand secure coding expertise

OffSec’s new Learning Paths give developers the tools they need to build securely. 

Integrating Security into Software Development²: This path provides a comprehensive foundation in secure coding principles and vulnerability assessment. You’ll learn how to integrate security seamlessly into every phase of the software development lifecycle, master cryptography, secure coding practices, and apply your knowledge in a real-world case study.

Practical Approach to Secure Development¹: Gain hands-on experience building secure web applications with this path. You’ll explore secure coding, session management, cross-origin policies, debugging techniques, and common web vulnerabilities like XSS and SQL injection, equipping you with practical skills to defend your applications.

Intermediate Secure Development²: Elevate your secure coding skills and tackle advanced web security challenges. This path delves into cross-origin attacks, in-depth XSS and SQL injection mitigation, server-side request forgery, security configurations, credential attacks, insecure deserialization, and the limitations of web application firewalls.

Other OffSec Secure Coding Learning Paths

Fundamentals of Secure Software Development:

New to secure development? Our Fundamentals of Secure Software Development¹ Learning Path is designed for you! Whether you have some basic coding experience or are starting from scratch, this path will equip you with the following:

  • Essential coding concepts: Learn the fundamentals of programming that are crucial for understanding how vulnerabilities arise.
  • Security mindset: Develop the habit of thinking about potential security risks from the very beginning of the development process.
  • Common pitfalls: Understand the most frequent mistakes that lead to insecure code and how to avoid them.
  • Secure coding habits: Build a strong foundation for writing secure applications from day one.

The fundamentals of secure software development path is your gateway to the more advanced secure coding learning paths, ensuring you have the necessary knowledge to tackle complex security challenges.

OWASP Top 10

The OWASP Top 10¹ Learning Path strengthens your ability to combat the industry’s most pressing web application security risks, solidifying expertise in this critical area. Gain experience with:

  • Hands-on vulnerability testing: Move beyond theory and learn to actively identify and test for OWASP Top 10 flaws in real-world scenarios.
  • Advanced remediation strategies: Discover sophisticated techniques for fixing and preventing even complex OWASP vulnerabilities.
  • Exploitation insights: Learn how attackers leverage these weaknesses for a deeper, defensive perspective.
  • Best practices for secure design: Build applications that are inherently secure by design, following OWASP methodologies from the outset.

Empowering the next generation of secure developers

The frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks are a stark reality. Each breach reminds us that the future of our digital world hinges on the code being written today. It’s time to move beyond reactive measures and build security into the very foundation of our software – including proactively addressing the OWASP Top 10. 

By investing in secure coding training, you empower yourself to become part of the solution. You’re not just protecting your organization today, but future-proofing its digital infrastructure against a range of cyber threats.

OffSec’s secure software development learning paths are a powerful tool in this mission. Embrace the opportunity to learn, adapt, and empower yourself to build a safer future, one secure line of code at a time.

¹ Available to all OffSec Learn subscription holders
² Available to Learn Unlimited, Learn Enterprise, and Learn Fundamentals subscription holders
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