My Journey into Developing Secure Software: What I Wish I Knew Earlier

Introduction: How It All Started

Have you ever come across something during your learning journey that makes you stop and ask, “Wait… how secure is this?” That was me when I started diving deeper into software development. As someone passionate about cybersecurity, I realized that understanding secure coding wasn’t just a bonus—it was necessary. I had so many questions:

How do I protect the software I build?

What are the common mistakes developers make when it comes to security?

How do I avoid those mistakes myself?

These questions led me to take a course on Developing Secure Software. What started as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of best practices and tools that every developer should know.

The Hard Truth: Security is Often an Afterthought

When building software, it's easy to focus on functionality and design while pushing security to the back burner. I used to think the same way—I’ll handle security later. But the reality is, waiting too long can lead to vulnerabilities that are costly and time-consuming to fix.

During the course, I learned that secure software development isn’t about making your code unbreakable (spoiler: that’s impossible). Instead, it’s about minimizing risks and building systems that are resilient and harder to exploit.

The Big Takeaways

Here are some of the key lessons that answered my questions and changed how I approach development:

1. Secure Coding is Non-Negotiable

I discovered that many vulnerabilities come from simple coding mistakes—things like not validating input or using insecure configurations. These are avoidable if you follow secure coding principles from the start. Now, I’m constantly thinking about how my code could be exploited before I even commit it.

Resource: Learn more about Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC).

2. Threat Modeling Makes You Think Like an Attacker

One of the most eye-opening moments was learning to anticipate threats through modeling techniques like STRIDE. It forces you to think like an attacker, which completely changes how you design systems.

Resource: Explore Microsoft’s Threat Modeling Tool for structured security planning.

3. Cryptography is Simpler Than It Sounds (But Still Complex)

I used to think cryptography was intimidating and overly technical. But breaking it down into smaller, practical concepts—like hashing, encryption, and signing data—helped me feel more comfortable with it. Now, I’m confident in using encryption tools and explaining them to others.

Resource: Learn about best practices from OWASP Cryptographic Storage Cheat Sheet.

4. Automate Security Wherever Possible

Manually checking for vulnerabilities is exhausting and error-prone. I learned to integrate security tools into my CI/CD pipeline, automating things like static code analysis and dependency checks. It’s like having an extra set of eyes on my code, which brings me peace of mind.

Resource: Get started with OWASP ZAP for dynamic security testing.

Why This Matters for My Career Goals

This course has strengthened my skills and confidence in building secure software, aligning perfectly with my long-term career goals in cybersecurity and DevRel. It has also enhanced my understanding of how to communicate secure coding practices to developer communities, which will be valuable as I pursue roles in Developer Relations and community management.

Resource: Check out Snyk to analyze open-source dependencies for vulnerabilities.

Why This Blog Exists

I’m writing this because I know a lot of developers ask the same questions I did. How do I build something that’s not just functional but also secure? Where do I even begin? I’ve been there, and I want to share what helped me so you don’t have to stumble through it alone.

Resource: Follow The Hacker News for daily cybersecurity updates.

Final Thoughts: Start Thinking About Security Early

If there’s one thing I would say to every developer, it’s this: Security is not a feature—it’s a mindset. The earlier you adopt that mindset, the stronger your software will be.

If you’re thinking about learning secure software development, my advice is simple: Do it. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Security is a journey, and every step you take will make you a better developer.