March 26, 2024 at 12:52PM
The FBI and CISA issued a warning to software vendors about the prevalence of SQL injection vulnerabilities. They emphasized the need for formal code reviews and secure-by-design programming practices to eradicate these vulnerabilities from the development process. They also urged vendors to use parameterized queries and be transparent in disclosing vulnerabilities to customers.
Based on the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
1. There is a clear push from US authorities, including the FBI and CISA, for software vendors to conduct formal code reviews to eliminate SQL injection vulnerabilities.
2. A recent example of the damage caused by SQL injection vulnerabilities is the MOVEit supply chain attacks, which affected a significant number of organizations.
3. Authorities are calling for secure-by-design programming practices to be the norm, emphasizing the need to focus on security from the outset of the development process.
4. It is advised for software vendors to use parameterized queries with prepared statements to mitigate SQL injection vulnerabilities, although this approach has been criticized as “brittle” by the FBI and CISA.
5. Transparency in disclosing vulnerabilities to customers, using the CVE program, and building security into products from the beginning are highlighted as critical steps to protect the wider economy and national security.
These takeaways emphasize the urgent need for software vendors to prioritize secure coding practices and for customers to hold vendors accountable for addressing SQL injection vulnerabilities.