#PERL SYSTEM HOW TO#
#PERL SYSTEM INSTALL#

#PERL SYSTEM HOW TO#

Integers - issues dealing with numbers, such as how to specify octal numbers.Expressions - issues dealing with Perl's expressions syntax including list versus scalar contexts, when to use the $_ variable, and when to use the various types of comparison operators.Declarations and Initialization - issues dealing with securely declaring variables and functions including package versus lexical variables, name clashes, and dangers of uninitialized data.Input Validation and Data Sanitization - issues dealing with data provided by an attacker, such as XML injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).The Perl standard currently has slightly more than 30 rules in the following eight sections: The C and Java standards have more than 200 rules in about 20 sections each. The CERT Perl Secure Coding standard is still young and growing. Many websites, such as, also rely on Perl code on their servers. As a result of its popularity, many important software systems are written in Perl, such as the Request Tracker database (RT), an open-source project for managing tickets or bugs for a help desk, which is maintained by Best Practical Solutions. Several new features in Perl began life as CPAN modules before being integrated into the language. This feature enables programmers to use libraries provided by the community easily and quickly.

#PERL SYSTEM INSTALL#

Any computer with Perl installed provides straightforward mechanisms to install and use any software library from CPAN. In recent years Perl's popularity has been cemented by CPAN, a public repository of free software libraries written in Perl. Perl enjoyed a second burst of popularity as the web became prominent because it was especially well-suited to writing Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts. Perl became popular early in its lifetime because it was the first general-purpose scripting language on many Unix platforms. Perl is a relatively young language, only slightly older than Java. This posting describes our work on the CERT Perl Secure Coding Standard, which provides a core of well-documented and enforceable coding rules and recommendations for Perl, which is a popular scripting language. Our research and efforts have produced several coding standards specifically dealing with security in popular programming languages, such as C, Java, and C++.

As security specialists, we are often asked to audit software and provide expertise on secure coding practices.

Perl system