Cybersecurity is the fastest-growing field in computer sciences today. From the imperative need to protect global infrastructures to ensure that communications are secure to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of data while ensuring their availability, each facet of each system depends on maximum security protections to keep threat actors at bay.
As a career in computer security grows, the need to protect critical infrastructure, applications, and software grows exponentially. Programming languages help professionals work smarter, automate defensive tasks, perform penetration tests to help identify errors and malicious code, and write code that serves to repair security breaches.
C
This low-level programming language has been used for almost five decades and was designed with cross-platform support in mind. When properly structured, programs can be compiled with minimal changes in source code on multiple operating systems. Because of their deep level of integration with system hardware, compromised applications pose a greater security threat due to the ability to manipulate hardware resources.
Reading the source code generated from C-based languages provides detailed information on identifying malicious codes and correcting vulnerabilities in the code, which gives administrators an incomparable advantage in thwarting attacks before they occur.
The most suitable roles for C programmers include software developers, penetration testers, and application testing.
Python
Python’s cross-platform capability, broad community support, and ubiquitous nature allow it to be flexibly integrated into almost any system and lend itself to virtually any task.
Thanks to its ability to run on multiple systems, Python is often chosen by security administrators to leverage their test scripts, including those used by computers when simulating attacks or during penetration testing campaigns, since tasks will run independently of the host operating system.
The most suitable roles for Python programmers include penetration testers, system administrators, and SecOps.
JavaScript
While JavaScript (JS) may not be the language of the day for modern development, it is the most widely used. With an average of over 97% in market share trends and used on almost all websites, JS is in high demand these days.
Security professionals would benefit greatly from being able to interpret, write and, most importantly, fix JS bugs to protect code from widespread attacks with tools like Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Forgery Request (CSRF), and SQL Injection.
The most suitable roles for JavaScript programmers include penetration testers, web developers, and DevOps.
PHP
While PHP serves more as a web-based language, about 80% of all websites use it somehow. To its growth in market share is added the change to the web or cloud over traditional applications. It also drives growth by adopting popular CMS platforms, such as WordPress, written almost entirely in PHP.
It should be no surprise that as market share increases, threats against these platforms increase substantially. And these threats could cause serious harm if they reveal information stored in a database, XSS. They could even open the door for kidnapping sessions. Knowing this language could help prevent some of these attacks.
The most suitable roles for PHP programmers include penetration testers, web developers, and DevOps.
SQL
The benefits of using databases to store data on alternative read-and-write methods, such as APIs, usually revolve around the ability to access multiple records simultaneously without having to specify how forms are accessed. Databases can also scale accordingly, providing a method for storing as much data as the hardware supports.
This opens a particular problem because databases represent a treasure trove of information for threat actors, making it even more imperative to harden SQL code to limit the level of exposure, as the threat of data breach is too significant and can have serious consequences, especially if the data is regulated.
The most suitable roles for SQL programmers include penetration testers, database administrators, and web developers.
Ruby
Ruby is another web-based language based on a framework aimed at securing e-commerce and web applications at scale. With the financial component in place, it’s no surprise that it attracts threat actors looking to benefit financially from committed Ruby-based sites and services. Increasingly, Penetration Testers are adding Ruby-based scripts to their toolkits and skill sets to run test campaigns on multiple devices. This is an excellent addition to your skill set with its cross-platform support and effortless development style.
