ISO/IEC 24772-1 and Programming Language Vulnerabilities
ISO/IEC 24772-1 is a useful resource for developers and technical managers who work on secure software. It describes typical vulnerabilities in programming languages and provides language-independent strategies to avoid them. First published as a technical report and now an international standard, it is a practical tool that helps companies make their software more secure and compliant.
Contents
Why the move from technical report to international standard matters
ISO/IEC 24772-1 started as a technical report (TR) and became an international standard in October 2024. This is more than a formal change. International standards are widely recognized worldwide and reflect a consensus among experts. For companies in safety-critical industries and regulated environments, such a standard is a reliable basis that makes acceptance and implementation easier.
Structure and content of ISO/IEC 24772-1
ISO/IEC 24772-1 describes vulnerabilities that can occur in various programming languages and offers language-independent ways to avoid them. Each vulnerability is explained in detail, from typical sources of error to possible risks and how to avoid them. The standard covers security-relevant topics such as:
- Memory management: risk factors such as incorrect memory allocation and deallocation, which often lead to vulnerabilities
- Control flow and concurrency: weaknesses in control flow and in parallel processing that are especially risky for safety-critical applications
- Typical vulnerabilities and ways to avoid them: practical measures to reduce risk that are relevant to many programming languages
This structured approach gives developers a tool for avoiding security-critical vulnerabilities systematically and a solid basis for secure software development.
Who benefits from ISO/IEC 24772-1
ISO/IEC 24772-1 has many uses. It addresses several groups whose work benefits from identifying and reducing programming vulnerabilities systematically:
- Developers: Programmers who know the vulnerabilities of one programming language find general descriptions of these vulnerabilities and learn how they can occur in languages they know less well. The language-independent description helps them avoid security-relevant errors across different projects.
- Tool vendors: Vendors of development and analysis tools can pick specific vulnerabilities from the standard and build them into their products. The detailed descriptions in ISO/IEC 24772-1 help analysis tools identify and prevent vulnerabilities.
- Organizations that develop their own coding standards: Companies that write their own coding guidelines for the security of their software products get useful help in identifying relevant vulnerabilities. ISO/IEC 24772-1 serves as guidance for selecting and enforcing suitable coding guidelines and security standards.
How it supports IEC 62443-4-1 certification
Requirement SI-2 “Secure coding standards” in IEC 62443-4-1 requires companies to use secure coding standards to minimize vulnerabilities in their products. ISO/IEC 24772-1 is a valuable aid in meeting this requirement. It is not a coding standard itself. It supports organizations with a thorough description of vulnerabilities and ways to avoid them. It also refers to other coding standards, which gives companies practical guidance for choosing and applying secure practices.
A practical guide
ISO/IEC 24772-1 is a versatile guide for safety-critical software development projects. It does not set fixed coding rules. Instead, it describes typical vulnerabilities and avoidance strategies across languages. It is especially suited to companies that aim for conformity with IEC 62443-4-1, and it strengthens secure product development with practical recommendations and guidance.
