How to protect source code?
It pays to get smart and protect your code from elements that are always looking for weak links to exploit for their nefarious reasons. HTML provides a very versatile array of functions, but your website can get seriously compromised if others gain access to your source code. Some steps that can be taken against this untoward event follow below.
If you are serious about protecting your source code, you can encrypt it so that even when people view your source code, they see the garbled version instead of the real deal. In most cases, this will involve JavaScript manipulation, so take the call of encrypting your source code if you can forego users who have textual browsers running on the devices being used to access your webpage.
For advanced users who are looking to get to your source code, this barrier may not pose much of a threat, but it still dissuades the more basic automated bots and malware from wreaking havoc.
Speaking of basic options, one of the earliest methods of ‘hiding’ source code can be put to use if you are so inclined, by including a large amount of blank space at the beginning of the code to make it seem like a retrieval error or graphics fault when someone tries to view the code.
The way to view source code is typically to right click the browser window in which the website is open, and select the view page source in Google Chrome (or similar command depending on browser to browser). You can take drastic measures and put in effort into removing the right click functionality from your website, which will make it a little harder for people to stumble upon your source code.
By taking these relatively simple steps, it becomes a little less likely for your source code to be compromised.
Sometimes, release speed is prioritized over security in modern agile development methodologies. This does not, however, imply that companies should expose their source code to online threats. By taking a few simple steps, businesses may significantly minimize the risk to their source code without postponing development.
1. Implement Access Controls:
Robust access management is necessary to protect your source code against theft or malicious activities. When you block unauthorized users from accessing the source code then it will be difficult for them to steal or insert malicious activities into it.
Although it is an essential first step, strong user authentication using multi-factor authentication (MFA) is insufficient for security. It is vital to restrict not only who has access to source code but also which devices have access in order to safeguard against both internal and external threats. Employees are less likely to make a copy of the source code for later use on a personal computer when access to it is restricted to authorized business devices.
2. Impose Policy of Strong Change Management:
SolarWinds attack (kind of attack) takes advantage of the poor change management policy. The attackers were able to include the destructive functionality inside a valid software update by concealing the malicious code in the update code.
Insecure code is another consequence of poor code management. Errors are far more likely to arise when code contributions are published to the official repository without adequate evaluation and validation.
An experienced developer must evaluate and approve all code changes before they can be submitted to the code repository, according to a tight change management approach.
3. Strange Behaviour Should Be Monitored:
A source code of a company can be at the risk from internal as well as external threats. And, just strong user authentication is not enough for security purposes. Although legalized users may misuse their access, attackers can use their accounts and also can misuse the permissions assigned to them.
Due to this reason, businesses should use behavioral monitoring to protect their source code. By keeping an eye out for anomalous behaviors like bulk code downloads, suspiciously timed code submissions, or code approved without appropriate scrutiny, an organization can spot and thwart attempted intellectual property theft or dangerous code revisions.
4. Tie Codes are Used to Commit Identity:
SolarWinds (cyberattack) take advantage of weak code contribution authentication. While a user’s identity may be connected to their code changes, that user’s account might also be used to send malicious code.
More identity verification evidence is needed for code commits in order to protect against these attacks. By cryptographically connecting access and signing keys to corporate identity, businesses raise the bar for attackers trying to ingest malicious functionality into their products.
No one is allowed to merge code into the main branch unless they have permission and are using an authorized device, and the merge is linked to a real name rather than just a username. Defense-in-depth strategies are used by businesses to make supply chain attacks more challenging.
5. Enhance Security of Source Code:
The continuous success of hacks in the supply chain and intellectual property thefts has motivated cybercriminals. These kinds of attacks are effective, profitable, and can’t able to stop any time soon.
Therefore, just traditional access controls are not sufficient to protect your source code, companies also need to ensure their ability to compete in the marketplace.
By linking user identities to code changes and limiting access to source code based on both devices and user identity, businesses may be able to effectively manage intellectual property threats. Beyond identity, Secure DevOps can assist you in defending the source code of your company against both internal and external threats.
