#expert dot net developers

[aspdotnet1]

Few Tips for Secure Development in .Net

While dealing with development of any application it is the responsibility of the software developer to keep the security features at the top level in order to get success for the application or product. It becomes even more essential when we deal with web applications like ASP web development projects; because there is a threat of unethical access of your website which may lead to lose the reputation of your application. To avoid this, as a web developer (ASP .net developer), you must take some necessary security measures to avoid all types of threads related to security.

SQL injection: This is the most common way of hackers to take the access of your database. They use to try to fetch the data from your database using various SQL queries. They usually insert these vulnerable queries into the database through different commands from the browser itself and try to get sensitive data of your application or of your user’s from the database. Though asp .net provides many security features to prevent SQL injection but it’s better to learn what SQL injection is and how it works; before you start programming your application. Cross Site Scripting: This is yet another way of hacking your website using java script. A hacker can hack you user’s data using this technology. Moreover he can get all your cookies values from your browsers which will enable him to login using your credentials that he had hacked from your cookie and can perform any type of unethical work on behalf of you. You must take care of this issue very seriously because this is a sensitive topic from the developer’s point of view. Proper Cookie implementation: While you are dealing with modern era web application development, as a asp .net developer you must ensure that you are using the users cookie in a very efficient and sensitive manner; because if these cookie value will be accessed by a hacker then that will definitely create a trouble for your users and hence it will impart a bad user experience for your user. So be careful while dealing with cookie in your application. Use Session: It is a common development feature that every asp .net developer should take care of. Session is something that enables the user of your application to be in contact with your application through a continuous support from the database. It also enables him to feel like a privileged member of your application. It also isolates your user from others with session in the browser. The best part is it enables the user to access only his private data and hence it keeps other’s data invisible for him. Server side validation: This is yet another way to prevent unnecessary unethical access of your application. A good ASP .Net web developer must validate all the form data in both front end as well as backend programming. This is because, if someone disables JavaScript on the browser, he can enter any value in the form to your database. So, to avoid this you must ensure your application to be quite secure with two tire security from both frontend and backend. To get maximum benefits of .Net, you may consider hiring services of a custom .net development company. We provide asp.net application development services. If you would like to hire asp.net developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

[aspdotnet1]

Difference between Visual Basic .Net and Visual C# .Net

There are 2 primary languages that are used in the .NET framework – Visual Basic .NET and C# .NET. Syntactically these are completely different from each other and have different history as well. The C# is based on the C programming language that was developed by Dennis Ritchie. It has since then evolved to C++ and then later to C#. However, though they are syntactically different, both were developed by Microsoft to be a part of .NET framework development platform. Both these languages are developed, managed and supported by a single management team at Microsoft. The IL or intermediate language in which they are compiled is the same. If one avoids the VB Compatibility libraries, then every command in Visual Basic has an equivalent one in C#. Another similarity between these two is that for extending their functionality both the languages refer to the same Base Classes available with ASP.NET framework. Barring a few exceptions, any program written in either of the languages can be injected on a simple syntax converter for translation.

So how do these differ from each other inspite of such similarities? Well, here are a few points on which these languages completely vary from one another: Case Sensitivity: In VB framework, the identifier names are not case sensitive but those in C sharp are. While writing a code the developers may face a problem due to this but when debugging an existing program there are no issues. Development Environment: Visual Studio plays an important role here in producing differences between the two, though minor in nature. There are certain additional features present in Visual Basic .NET, like, default namespace, option for hidden files, etc. In addition to this the background compilation feature is available for VB. Due to this the Error List panel is synchronized. But in C Sharp the error list panel can only be updated when the solution is rebuilt. This becomes increasingly difficult as there is the need for frequently rebuilding the solution. Variables – Declaration and Assignment: Variables are declared in Visual Basic.NET prior to the data type. On the other hand, in C# it precedes the data type. Dealing with Unmanaged Code: Unmanaged codes can be written freely on C#. While writing these codes the developers can operate and declare on pointers or opt for conversions between the kinds of integral and pointers. This is quite similar to writing Visual C code. In the other language writing unmanaged code is not allowed. Termination of Statement: By the end of the line statements are terminated in VB.NET. Colon (:) is used to accommodate multiple statements in a single line. Apart from this, the line continuation (_) is used if the programmers want to span the statement several lines. For C#.NET semicolon (;) terminates the statement. Passing Parameter: ByVal is used by Visual Basic dot NET for passing parameters by value and the ByRef for passing parameters by reference. This language can also force the parameters to pass by value irrespective of the fact how they were declared. Optional parameters are also included here which are clearly missing in C#. There are no options to pass reference types by value. In this case the unmanaged codes prove helpful as they can convert from pointer to pointer. Statement Blocks: These are not used in Visual Basic dot NET. Rather particular keywords with special terminating statement are put to use. The other language uses braces ({}) to restrict a statement block. In case, these are not used, it is considered to be a single statement. Checking Overflow: For checking overflow there is a project level setting in VB. This setting can be turned on or off at the project level only. On the contrary, the C sharp can run on both checked and unchecked context. Late Binding: This can be applied to both the languages through reflection. But this process is easier in VB than C#. The choice of language in building solutions is completely a personal preference. Since both of them use the same core platform, they are quite powerful. To get maximum benefits of .Net, you may consider hiring services of a custom .net development company. We provide asp.net development services. If you would like to talk to one of our expert dot net developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

[dotnetdevelopmenttips]

6 Tips for Secure Development in .NET

With hackers using fresh and innovative ideas for causing damage to web applications, it has becomes essential for the developers to keep their project secure and inaccessible. But many developers overlook security while developing websites using Microsoft .Net platform. As many internet security experts have highlighted, each organization must implement a comprehensive security measures right from the starting of the project. Microsoft also frequently releases security bulletins to make it easier for programmers to pick and use the most effective security measures. However, each .Net developer also needs to understand some of the security measures used commonly by web application developers residing in application development various parts of the world.

6 Effective Measures to Secure Development in Microsoft .Net 1. Secure Your Development Environment: When you are preparing a strategy to secure your project, it is important to start by making your environment up to date. In addition to the server software, operating service, and anti-virus, you also need to ensure that you have updated the security patches. The updates will make it easier for you to protect your project against latest vulnerability. At the same time, you also need to remove all types of live user data from the development environment. It is a good idea to use customized artificial data generation tools to generate fake data that can be used realistically for testing purposed. 2. Disable the Unnecessary Services: While making the web application live, many programmers forget to disable or uninstall the services that will not be required by the end-users. You can enhance the security of your web application by leavening only HTTP or HTTPS open to the public. Also, you must try to encrypt sensitive user data by enforcing SSL. However, the SSL can be enforced for specific parts of the application to ensure that only encrypted data are exchanged between the web server and client’s web browser. 3. Encrypt All Types of User Data: The way you retrieve and store data will also have a huge impact on securing your .Net development project. It is advisable to run SQL queries outside the code base to eliminate the chances of the query being manipulated. Instead of generating SQL queries dynamically, you can consider using stored procedures to avoid SQL injection and Cross-Site scripting (XSS). At the same time, you also need to store the sensitive data received from users safely by using customized functions like Server.HTMLEncode or Server.HTMLDecode. Similarly, you must store the data backups and checked-in codes in an encrypted format and in a secure location. The sanitization of data will further contribute towards preventing readable script injection. 4. Validate All Types of User Input: No web application can differentiate between the malicious and genuine data submitted by the user. If the user input fields are not validated properly, these can be easily used as a medium to access or hack your web server. So you must treat all types of user data as malicious, and validate each field to keep your project secure. Often developers are required to use third-party applications from within .Net web applications. If your app needs to use third-party applications, it is important to use application domains. As the application domain allows several applications to run simultaneously within a single process, each application will have access to its own memory. Also, the application domain will boost the performance of third-party applications, while keeping your .Net development project secure. 5. Discourage the Use of Unsecured and Public Networks: Nowadays, most companies allow the members of their .Net application development team to access the project data on their laptops and mobile devices. While access the information over external networks, developers often forget to check if the public network is secure. So you must restrict access to the development server for certain IPs that is 100% secure. It is also important to use public or private key authentication, along with locking down ports. You can even ask your development team not to access the project data over public and unsecured networks. 6. Avoid Revealing Specific Information about Errors: Despite testing the web application thoroughly, there are always chances that some exceptions will occur. A .Net developer has options to handle the error in an efficient way in the website code. You can use the Global.asax file, generated by the .Net framework for each project, to capture these exceptions using the Application_Error function. However, you need to ensure that these exceptions are being captured internally, without the viewer seeing the exact nature of the exception. You must design a user-friendly error page that will keep the users engaged without conveying the details of the exception. The hiding of specific error information will also contribute towards keeping your web application secure. Each .Net developer also needs to implement several .Net development best practices to keep the web applications secure and inaccessible. At the same time, the programmer also need to security guidelines issued by Microsoft at frequent intervals to enhance the safety and security of his .Net applications. We provide .Net development services. If you would like to discuss with an expert asp.net developer from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.