9 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR CODE MORE SECURE

As the world of Information Technology continues to evolve, so does the need for secure coding practices. As a developer, it is your responsibility to protect the integrity of user data and ensure that your code is as secure as possible. In this article, we will discuss nine ways to make your code more secure and provide you with tips on how to better protect your applications.

Here are the 9 ways to make the code more secure:

1. Input validation: You should validate all user input to ensure that it is of the correct type and format. This will prevent malicious users from submitting invalid or malicious data to your application.
2. Sanitization: You should sanitize all user input to prevent against SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other types of attacks. This can be done by using built-in functions like filter_var(), htmlspecialchars(), or strip_tags().
3. Prepared statements: You should use prepared statements when interacting with a database to prevent SQL injection attacks. Prepared statements separate the SQL code from the data, making it more difficult for an attacker to inject malicious code.
4. Use of password_hash() and password_verify(): When storing user’s password, instead of storing it in plain text, it is recommended to hash the password. This can be done by using password_hash() function in PHP to generate a password hash.
5. Use of tokens: Use tokens to prevent cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. Tokens are unique strings that are generated for each user and included in forms and URLs. They are verified on the server to ensure that the request is legitimate.
6. Use of SSL: Use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt the communication between your web application and the user’s browser. This will prevent malicious users from intercepting and reading sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.
7. Use of session management: Use session management to keep track of logged-in users and prevent unauthorized access to your application.
8. Use of proper file permissions: Ensure that the files and directories in your application have the correct permissions to prevent unauthorized access.
9. Keep software up-to-date: Keep the software and libraries used in your application up-to-date to ensure that any security vulnerabilities are patched.

These are just a few examples of how you can improve the security of your code. Keep in mind that security is an ongoing process and it is important to stay informed about the latest threats and vulnerabilities.