A security[2] bug is a specific type of software defect that poses a potential threat to the security of a system. These bugs can be exploited by unauthorized users to gain access or privileges that they shouldn’t have, leading to a range of serious issues such as data breaches, financial losses, and damage to a company’s reputation[1]. Common examples of security bugs include buffer overflows, SQL injections, and cross-site scripting. It’s essential for software developers to identify and mitigate these bugs to ensure the overall security of their software systems. Tools and practices for tracking security bugs help developers to find and rectify vulnerabilities in their software code.
A security bug or security defect is a software bug that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access or privileges on a computer system. Security bugs introduce security vulnerabilities by compromising one or more of:
- Authentication of users and other entities
- Authorization of access rights and privileges
- Data confidentiality
- Data integrity
Security bugs do not need be identified nor exploited to be qualified as such and are assumed to be much more common than known vulnerabilities in almost any system.