About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

New vulnerabilities are constantly discovered in existing software. This book is short and non-technical and should be read by programmers and just about anyone else involved in IT as well.



Pros

• A must read for anyone writing code
• Language neutral so it applies to everyone
• Tons of case studies and examples

Cons

• None

Description

• Contrary to what the title may suggest- this is not a "technical" book

• Covers the first line of code through to the validation once the program is done
• Short and sweet, but full of valuable information. This book is not just for programmers to read
• By leaving out specific code examples the authors have kept the book language-neutral

Guide Review - Book Review: Secure Coding Principles and Practices

Perfect code may be possible, or it may be a dream, but many of the vulnerabilities that are discovered and exploited on an almost daily basis are the result of easily preventable mistakes in programming. Graff and van Wyk have compiled a masterpiece in Secure Coding Principles and Practices. The book is non-technical and relatively short. The lack of technical solutions providing specific code to fix the problems means that this book has value to everyone and not just to programmers using one specific language. This book discusses the concepts of secure coding and common mistakes from a theoretical point of view including many examples and case studies to illustrate the point.

This book is a must read for anyone involved in programming.