What is secure coding practice and why might a TA care?

• A. Patching third-party libraries after deployment.
• B. Writing code with security in mind to prevent vulnerabilities; TA involvement includes reviewing code security controls and deployment pipelines.
• C. Disregard for input validation to speed up development.
• D. Relying solely on automated tests without code reviews.

Answer: (B)

Secure coding practice means writing software with security in mind from the start, so potential vulnerabilities are prevented rather than fixed after release. It involves building in strong input validation, proper authentication and authorization, secure handling of secrets, safe use of dependencies, and securing the build and deployment process. A TA would care because part of their role is to ensure the codebase has security controls in place and that the deployment pipeline enforces secure practices—things like code reviews focused on security, automated security tests, dependency scanning, and secure configuration management. This proactive approach helps reduce vulnerabilities early and supports a safer, more trustworthy system. Reactive patching after deployment, skipping input validation, or relying only on automated tests without reviews miss the preventive aspect and leave security gaps.