IT nightmares you detect with an audit
26 oktober 2023
3
Almost Halloween, which means creeping, snacking and scaring. In general, our developers are cool frogs who are hard to scare. Still, there are some horrors that give them chills. Who are the Freddy Kruegers of the IT world? We'd like to guide you through three common IT nightmares and give you some tips & tricks on how to avoid them.
The spaghetti monster
This monster is characterized by poor source code. A primary issue that drives this type of code is the lack of documentation. The lack of guidance makes it practically impossible for developers to understand how the code works and its functions.
In addition, too many values may be hardcoded. This affects the flexibility and customizability of your application. In other cases, the code is simply too complex. The written code may have too complicated logic or lack a clear structure. This is when we talk about spaghetti code. Because several parts of the code are intertwined in a confusing way, it is extremely difficult to make changes to the code without unintended side effects.
One of our colleagues recently encountered a spaghetti monster: "when I checked the codebase of the application, it really turned out to be total loss. The only advice I could give was to throw the software in the trash, forget about it and start over."
With bad code, you can take two actions. If, after analysis, the code is found to be salvageable, we upgrade it incrementally to a better architecture. Note: this is a labor-intensive process.
Some spaghetti monsters, on the other hand, are not salvageable. When the code is unreasonably bad, there's nothing left to do but start over from scratch.
The sneaky intruder
"We were checking an application during an audit that could only be accessed through a login. Then it turned out there was an intruder waiting at the door: there was an SQL injection in the login form."
SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is a common type of cyber attack in which the attacker adds malicious SQL code to existing code. This exposes you to unwanted actions: the intruder can view, modify or delete data from the database. Or developers' second nightmare: a sneaky intruder who really shouldn't be allowed in.
When the SQL injection is behind the login form of a Web site or application, you have a big problem. Through unauthorized authentication, the attacker gets into your systems. User roles can be changed, sensitive info leaked, personal data manipulated ...
SQL injections are serious security vulnerabilities that are usually fairly easy to fix. They are often the result of a lack of knowledge on the part of the developers of the application. Therefore, quickly call in experts with a lot of knowledge about security principles to get this monster out of your house as soon as possible.
The demonic bailiff
The latest IT horror is the demonic bailiff. Sometimes it happens that vulnerable PHP scripts are posted publicly. This is the key under the mat for our bailiff to get into a Web site and take it over completely.
The security risks are not minor. Malicious code can be injected into web pages that users visit. This facilitates stealing session data or unlawfully performing actions on behalf of the website visitor. This monster can steal data and misuse it for identity theft or fraud. Worst case, they take over the entire server to run their own software on it.
To stop this nightmare, it is crucial to make sure all scripts, libraries and frameworks are up-to-date.
Need an audit of your systems?
How do you arm your systems against these nightmares? Very simple: with an audit. An audit is a thorough analysis of your IT systems, infrastructure, policies and procedures. By identifying these issues, you improve the security, efficiency and effectiveness of your IT systems.
So, do you have doubts about the quality and support of your current IT partner? Or do you have an established application that has been in use for some time, but whose potential you want to optimize? Or are you worried about certain security issues? Then an audit is an excellent choice.
During such an audit, software issues surface. Which corpses can fall out of the closet?
Security problems: outdated software, poor data validation or leaked sensitive data.
Performance problems: slow load times, inefficient database queries or excessive resource usage.
Scalability problems: non-scalable architecture or issues with database scalability.
Poor code quality: spaghetti code, hardcoded values or missing documentation.
SEO issues: incorrect, missing meta tags or broken links.
User Experience (UX) and Interface (UI) Problems: unresponsive design or inconsistent design.
Compliance and Accessibility Issues: non-compliance with WCAGs or legal compliance.
Issues with infrastructure and hosting: a single point of failure or insufficient backup strategy.
Chase all the monsters from the bottom of your bed by keeping your software secure and future-proof with an audit. Let our experts help. They are the Ghostbusters you call when you notice something strange about your systems.
