Designing and Developing Applications to Handle Errors
Overview
An error handling failure occurs when a program or system fails to handle errors properly. This can lead to a variety of problems, including incorrect or unexpected results, crashes, and security vulnerabilities.
It is common for architects and developers to give second priority to error handling when designing an application. Failure to handle errors can have catastrophic results.
Some common causes of error handling failure include:
Incomplete error handling code: If a program doesn't account for all possible errors that could occur, it may fail to properly handle some types of errors.
Poorly designed error handling: Error handling code that is difficult to understand or follow can be prone to errors itself, leading to failure.
Lack of testing: If error handling code is not thoroughly tested, it may not work as expected when deployed in a real-world scenario.
Inadequate/excessive error reporting: When errors are not reported properly, users and administrators may not be aware of problems until it's too late. The reverse is also true. Reporting too much information can cause security concerns and undesirable user experiences.
Ignoring errors: In some cases, errors may be ignored or suppressed, leading to a false sense of security and leaving underlying problems unresolved.
Remediation and Best Practices
Add proper error handling and exception control mechanisms to your code. Utilize input validation and sanitization practices to make sure injection assaults are avoided.
Incorporate robust authentication and authorization processes to stop privilege escalation.
Encrypt data as well as implement access control measures to protect confidential information.
Test your code extensively to detect any faults or errors before releasing it.
Monitor and log any mistakes or exceptions in your system utilizing corresponding systems.
Utilize established security protocols and standards to guarantee the system's stability and safety from attacks.
Periodically audit and patch your code to ensure its adherence with up-to-date security measures.
Show users helpful, descriptive error messages so they can quickly diagnose problems.