Network and Data Security for Non-Engineers

Chapter 4

Creating Secure Code

First Principle of Code Protection: Code Isolation and Confinement

In today’s Internet-driven world, we often find ourselves running untrusted code on our devices. This code is contained in programs, applications, extensions, plug-ins, and codecs for media players, which we have become accustomed to naively trusting and downloading. However, malware creators take advantage of unknowing users who download or use infected code. Such infected code can be directed toward a variety of devices including our computers, tablets, and smartphones. Hackers may hide their malware code in any component where they see an opportunity to catch unaware users. Specialized codecs for media are examples of components that are frequently ...