US to Provide Guidelines to Bolster Computer Security

The Homeland Security Department plans to unveil a new system of guidance intended to help make the software behind many services -- be they Web sites or power grids -- less susceptible to hacking.

The system includes an updated list of the top 25 programming errors that enable today’s most serious hacks. To help make the list more useful, it adds new tools to help software programmers eliminate the most dangerous types of mistakes and enable organizations to demand and buy more secure products. The effort to improve software security has been three years in the making, according to Robert A. Martin, principal engineer at Mitre, a technology nonprofit that conducts federal research in systems engineering. The Homeland Security Department’s hope is that the program, which is voluntary, will make it easier for companies and agencies to better secure their corners of cyberspace and contribute to building safer global networks.