In today’s digital economy, businesses depend on developers and engineers to write code that powers their most important customer-facing services. Research from 2021 found that 82% of Americans pay for goods and services using digital payment methods. These payments are made possible by the background source code that drives the functionality behind browser-based and in-app online purchases and transactions.

With source code being front and center of many digital business operations, source code security weaknesses can wreak havoc. The potential consequences of security incidents exploiting weak source code include costly downtime, stolen information, lost business partnerships, damaged reputation, and fraudulent transactions.

To prevent these outcomes, it’s imperative to pay as much attention to security as to features when writing and maintaining code— foolproof source code security is the goal. Here are six essential steps to help you achieve it.

What is source code, and why is it valuable?

Source code is a collection of instructions or statements written in plain text in the lexicon of a particular programming language. These instructions and statements are the fundamental building blocks of computer applications. For example, the HTML on a given website tells the user’s browser how to display the site’s texts, links, fonts, media, and more.

For any company providing digital products or services, source code is one of its most valuable assets. Whether it’s a mobile banking app, a popular eCommerce store, or a large social networking app, writing and maintaining effective code is critical in a digitally-transformed landscape.

Of particular value is any proprietary code developed in-house because this code is unique to a specific organization. Most modern applications combine widely available open source code that provides ready-made functionality and in-house source code that gives apps a competitive edge through proprietary features or designs.

Source code is so valuable that many organizations identify and seek to protect their proprietary code as a trade secret. Any software-led business should effectively guard its source code as a significant type of intellectual property (IP) like any other type of sensitive data. But with code, there are additional security concerns to think about.

Why your source code needs foolproof security?

A diverse range of security concerns makes protecting source code more complicated than other digital business assets. For starters, experienced hackers regularly seek out code security flaws to achieve their nefarious goals. A 2021 report found that 50% of all web applications were vulnerable to attacks that exploit code weaknesses such as cross-site scripting and session hijacking.

Accidental source code leaks are another security concern. A problem known as secret sprawl means that source code often contains secrets, including encryption keys, tokens, SSH keys, and passwords, without organizations knowing about it. Source code security must be foolproof to limit the chances of accidental leaks and code weaknesses.

Lastly, there are compliance concerns to consider. When threat actors exploit source code weaknesses or human error, there could be incidents in which payment card information (PCI) or personally identifiable information (PII) is accessed in breach of standards and regulations. These breaches come with penalties, litigation fees, and reputation damage.

Securing Your Online Presence

Keep your online businesses safe by mitigating security and privacy risks resulting from next generation third-party threats on your website, without adding a single line of code.

Free Reflectiz Information Kit

Get first-hand information and use cases to discover how Reflectiz can protect your website from advanced third party based attacks

Get Web Asset Free Assessment

Request a free non-intrusive security assessment of your website, and get a report with an overview of client-side security risks.