Security Journey Blog

What Is Secure Coding Training?

Written by Security Journey/HackEDU Team | Mar 15, 2023 12:45:00 PM

In today's digital age, software, and technology are integral parts of our daily lives. With this comes the responsibility of ensuring that the software we build is secure and safe from cyber threats. Cybersecurity incidents such as data breaches, hacks, and ransomware attacks have become increasingly common, and the consequences can be severe.  

That's where secure coding training comes in - it is a proactive measure that can help software developers understand and implement security best practices in their code to protect against potential threats. 

In this article, we'll explore secure coding training, including the cost, popular training topics, and Security Journey's approach to secure coding training. 

 

What is Secure Coding Training? 

Secure coding training is a type of software development training that focuses on teaching developers how to write code that is secure and less susceptible to cyberattacks. The goal of secure coding is to create software designed with security in mind, rather than trying to patch vulnerabilities after they have been discovered. 

Secure coding training typically covers topics such as common software vulnerabilities, secure coding best practices, and how to use security tools and techniques to find and fix vulnerabilities in software. It may also cover specific programming languages and frameworks and how to write secure code in those contexts. 

By providing developers with secure coding training, organizations can reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents caused by vulnerable software. This type of training is essential in finance, healthcare, and government industries, where data security is a critical concern. 

 

Popular Secure Coding Training Topics 

Secure coding training can cover a wide range of topics, depending on the specific needs and requirements of the organization and the software being developed. However, some of the most popular secure coding training topics include: 

  • Common software vulnerabilities: This includes topics such as injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and others. 
  • Secure coding best practices: This includes topics such as input validation, error handling, access control, and cryptography. 
  • Security architecture and design: This covers topics such as threat modeling, secure design principles, and the use of security patterns and frameworks. 
  • Specific programming languages: This includes topics such as secure coding in Java, C++, Python, and other popular languages. 
  • Security testing and quality assurance: This includes topics such as vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and code review techniques. 
  • Compliance and regulatory requirements: This includes topics such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and other regulations that require secure coding practices. 
  • Secure software development lifecycle (SDLC): This covers topics such as security requirements gathering, secure design, secure coding, testing, and deployment. 

The goal of secure coding training is to provide developers with the knowledge and skills they need to create secure software and reduce the risk of security incidents caused by vulnerable code. 

 

How Much Does Secure Coding Training Cost? 

Secure Coding Training focuses on educating developers (and others in the SDLC) on best practices to create safer apps and the consequences of common threats and vulnerabilities.   

When looking at how your organization handles threats, there are two approaches with their own cost:  

  • The total average cost to remediate vulnerabilities is $757,215 annually. 
  • The total average cost to train 100 developers on application security is $122,400 annually. 

Let's take a look at the calculation. 

This calculation shows that AppSec Education has a 5x ROI, assuming you can prevent the same 30% of vulnerabilities you would want to remediate each year.

For More In-Depth Calculations: How to Measure the ROI of Application Security Training 

So you are not only preventing vulnerabilities and reducing exposure, but your secure coding training is paying for itself. This calculation doesn't account for the organization's risk reduction by preventing vulnerabilities, reducing the overall attack surface, and the value of protecting your and your customer's data – which only add to the value of a solid AppSec Training Program. 

 

Security Journey's Approach to Secure Coding Training 

Security Journey provides developers with a comprehensive and customizable learning experience, focusing on practical, hands-on training that teaches developers how to write secure code in real-world scenarios.  

The Security Journey AppSec Education Platform includes almost 700 lessons that cover a range of secure coding topics, including common vulnerabilities, secure coding best practices, and security testing techniques. 

One of the key features of the Security Journey approach is the use of personalized and progressive learning paths tailored to each developer's individual needs and skill level. In addition, the learning paths are designed to be flexible and adaptive, allowing developers to learn at their own pace and receive targeted feedback and support as they progress. 

Developers or admin can choose the best learning path based on their learner's 

  • Role 
  • Experience level 
  • Types of applications being developing 

The Security Journey approach to secure coding training is focused on providing a comprehensive, engaging, and practical learning experience for developers that can help organizations build a culture of security and reduce the risk of security incidents caused by vulnerable code. 

 

Are You Secure In Your Decision? 

This article covered what secure coding training is, including the cost, popular training topics, and Security Journey's approach to secure coding training. 

If you're ready to take the next steps in implementing secure coding training at your organization, book a customized demo today to see our AppSec Education Platform.