Security threats to consider in software development

Abstract

Software development should take into consideration the threats in terms of privacy and security of information. These threats can mean significant losses for organizations which lead into financial losses, access to confidential information by unauthorized users or the failure of systems. These threats take on special importance due to the great dependence that we have on information systems today. For example, the rise of electronic commerce has considerably increased the number of transactions carried out over the Internet, which means that users provide sensitive data about payment methods and billing addresses. Likewise, users have to trust that they are providing information to a reliable system that will safely handle their data. Another example is the increasing use of cloud computing technology, in which users store private information on servers of external providers over which they have no control, and their information could be used for other purposes of which they are not aware. Similarly, the use of applications on mobile phones for Internet banking services could pose a threat in terms of access to accounts by malicious users if there are no security mechanisms in user authentication. It is a reality that the lack of measures that guarantee information security can trigger catastrophic scenarios. For this reason, this article identifies the possible threats and vulnerabilities that must be taken into consideration in software development, in such a way that the software produced meets the necessary security characteristics in order to guarantee the availability of services and the information integrity.