Category: Programming

As technology evolves, so does the landscape of cybersecurity and ethical hacking. By 2025, certain programming languages will continue to stand out for their utility in hacking and security analysis. Here’s a look at some of the best programming languages that aspiring hackers and cybersecurity professionals should consider mastering.

1. Python– Python remains a dominant language in the hacking community due to its simplicity and versatility. Its extensive libraries, such as Scapy for packet manipulation, Beautiful Soup for web scraping, and Requests for handling HTTP requests, make it an excellent choice for developing scripts and automation tools. Python’s readability allows hackers to quickly prototype and test their ideas, making it a staple in both ethical hacking and cybersecurity.

2. JavaScript- With the rise of web applications and services, JavaScript has become increasingly important for hackers focusing on web vulnerabilities. Proficiency in JavaScript enables hackers to understand and exploit client-side vulnerabilities, such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and other web-based attacks. Additionally, knowledge of Node.js can facilitate server-side exploitation, making JavaScript an essential language in the hacker’s toolkit.

3. C/C++C and C++ provide low-level access to memory and system processes, which is crucial for developing exploits and understanding system vulnerabilities. These languages are often used in writing malware, as they allow for direct manipulation of hardware and system resources. Familiarity with C/C++ is particularly valuable for those looking to delve into areas such as reverse engineering or creating custom exploits.

4. Ruby- Ruby, especially with the Metasploit Framework, is highly regarded in the hacking community. Metasploit is a powerful tool used for penetration testing and developing security research. Ruby’s concise syntax and robust libraries make it suitable for rapid development of security tools and exploits. As penetration testing continues to grow in importance, Ruby’s relevance in hacking remains strong.

5. Go- Go (or Golang) is gaining traction among hackers for its efficiency and performance, particularly in developing network tools and applications. Its concurrency model allows for the creation of high-performance applications, making it suitable for tasks like network scanning and traffic analysis. As the need for fast, efficient code increases, Go is likely to become more prominent in the hacking community.

6. SQL- While not a traditional programming language in the same sense as others on this list, SQL (Structured Query Language) is essential for understanding database vulnerabilities. Knowledge of SQL is crucial for performing SQL injection attacks, one of the most common methods used to exploit databases. As data breaches continue to rise, SQL will remain a key skill for hackers focusing on database security.

7. Bash/Shell Scripting- Bash and shell scripting are invaluable for automating tasks and managing systems in a Linux environment. Many hacking tools are built using shell scripts, and understanding how to manipulate these scripts is crucial for any hacker. Proficiency in Bash allows for efficient system exploitation and is essential for working in environments commonly used for penetration testing.

Conclusion

As we move into 2025, the programming languages listed above will play pivotal roles in the world of hacking and cybersecurity. Mastering these languages not only enhances a hacker’s toolkit but also contributes to a deeper understanding of system vulnerabilities and security practices. Whether you’re a budding ethical hacker or an experienced security professional, staying abreast of these languages will be vital for success in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

 

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C++ guru Herb Sutter writes about how we can improve the programming language for better security.

The immediate problem “is” that it’s Too Easy By Default™ to write security and safety vulnerabilities in C++ that would have been caught by stricter enforcement of known rules for type, bounds, initialization, and lifetime language safety.

His conclusion:

We need to improve software security and software safety across the industry, especially by improving programming language safety in C and C++, and in C++ a 98% improvement in the four most common problem areas is achievable in the medium term. But if we focus on programming language safety alone, we may find ourselves fighting yesterday’s war and missing larger past and future security dangers that affect software written in any language.

Interesting research: “Do Users Write More Insecure Code with AI Assistants?“:

Abstract: We conduct the first large-scale user study examining how users interact with an AI Code assistant to solve a variety of security related tasks across different programming languages. Overall, we find that participants who had access to an AI assistant based on OpenAI’s codex-davinci-002 model wrote significantly less secure code than those without access. Additionally, participants with access to an AI assistant were more likely to believe they wrote secure code than those without access to the AI assistant. Furthermore, we find that participants who trusted the AI less and engaged more with the language and format of their prompts (e.g. re-phrasing, adjusting temperature) provided code with fewer security vulnerabilities. Finally, in order to better inform the design of future AI-based Code assistants, we provide an in-depth analysis of participants’ language and interaction behavior, as well as release our user interface as an instrument to conduct similar studies in the future.

At least, that’s true today, with today’s programmers using today’s AI assistants. We have no idea what will be true in a few months, let alone a few years.