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Old 30th July 2016
shep shep is offline
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Default Developing a Metric of Software Security

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The only problem with Geer’s scheme is that no formal metrics existed in 2014 for assessing the security of software or distinguishing between code that is merely bad and code that is negligently bad. Now, that may change, thanks to a new venture from another cybersecurity legend, Peiter Zatko, known more commonly by his hacker handle “Mudge.”

Mudge and his wife, Sarah, a former NSA mathematician, have developed a first-of-its-kind method for testing and scoring the security of software — a method inspired partly by Underwriters Laboratories, that century-old entity responsible for the familiar circled UL seal that tells you your toaster and hair dryer have been tested for safety and won’t burst into flames.
More here at the Intercept.
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Old 31st July 2016
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rons rons is offline
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Nice concept, except that no corporation holding proprietary code close to the heart will open source their stuff so that it can be appraised. So, they'll likely submit the code under NDA. This could leave the consumer with two different types of assessments (from the perspective of the consumer). From the perspective of the consumer, there would be two different verification methodologies - meaning that in one case, the consumer could independently verify the code, in the other case they could not.

That's OK though, as it could drive more software into the open source realm.

We might be surprised at how many companies would not submit their code via any means, even NDA, because they know how crappily they've coded it.

Last edited by rons; 31st July 2016 at 02:38 PM.
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Old 31st July 2016
gpatrick gpatrick is offline
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Software has always been able to have been mathematically proved correct and free of bugs and logically correct. It is the cost associated with that task which companies would be against. Also, although there are "software engineers" it is not a formal licensed engineering path like electrical, mechanical or civil engineering. Plus, many programmers, even today, don't have a formal programming education.

I'm also uncertain how some of the new languages and web programming paradigms and frameworks would hold up to the science of computer programming (e.g., logic).

Last edited by gpatrick; 1st August 2016 at 11:35 AM.
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Old 31st July 2016
ibara ibara is offline
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That the only picture of a machine in the article, the two of them examining a Stardust pinball machine, ironically says everything I need to know. (For those who don't know, the Stardust pinball machine has no software.)
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Old 1st August 2016
shep shep is offline
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I thought the article highlighted the prescience of the OpenBSD project.

Open code, code correctness, true randomness feeding robust encryptation algorithms, fine grain privilege separation and pledging.

Last edited by shep; 1st August 2016 at 04:03 PM.
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