The vast majority of computers running Linux are connected to the Internet, and many of them are used by multiple people. Keeping a computer and its software secure from anonymous threats that arrive over its network connection, as well as from local users who are trying to gain unauthorized levels of access, requires careful programming in both the core operating system and many of its applications.
This chapter gives an overview of some of the things to think about when you are writing C programs that need to be secure. We discuss what types of programs need to think carefully about their security and how to minimize the risks, and mention some of the most common security pitfalls. This is meant to be an introduction to writing secure programs; for more information look at David A. Wheeler's Secure Programming for Linux and UNIX HOWTO at http://www.dwheeler.com/secure-programs/. It includes an excellent bibliography as well.
