Are There Gaps in Training for Secure Software Development? (linuxfoundation.org)
Posted by EditorDavid from the supply-chain’s-weakest-link dept.
A new report “explores the current state of secure software development,” according to an announcement from the Linux Foundation, “and underscores the urgent need for formalized industry education and training programs,” noting that many developers “lack the essential knowledge and skills to effectively implement secure software development.”
The report analyzes a survey of nearly 400 software development professionals performed by and the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) and Linux Foundation Research: Survey findings outlined in the report show nearly one-third of all professionals directly involved in development and deployment — system operations, software developers, committers, and maintainers — self-report feeling unfamiliar with secure software development practices. This is of particular concern as they are the ones at the forefront of creating and maintaining the code that runs a company’s applications and systems.
“Time and again we’ve seen the exploitation of software vulnerabilities lead to catastrophic consequences, highlighting the critical need for developers at all levels to be armed with adequate knowledge and skills to write secure code,” said David A. Wheeler, director of open source supply chain security for the Linux Foundation. “Our research found that a key challenge is the lack of education in secure software development. Practitioners are unsure where to start and instead are learning as they go. It is clear that an industry-wide effort to bring secure development education to the forefront must be a priority.” OpenSSF offers a free course on developing secure software (LFD121) and encourages developers to start with this course.
Survey results indicate that the lack of security awareness is likely due to most current educational programs prioritizing functionality and efficiency while often neglecting essential security training. Additionally, most professionals (69%) rely on on-the-job experience as a main learning resource, yet it takes at least five years of such experience to achieve a minimum level of security familiarity.
“The top reason (44%) for not taking a course on secure software development is lack of knowledge about a good course on the topic,” according to the announcement — which includes this follow-up quote from Intel’s Christopher Robinson (co-chair of the OpenSSF Education SIG).
“Based on these findings, OpenSSF will create a new course on security architecture which will be available later this year which will help promote a ‘security by design’ approach to software developer education.”
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