Cybersecurity in Plain English

Security is every developer's responsibility. This hub explores secure coding, authentication, common vulnerabilities, and practical security patterns — the defenses that keep applications and their users safe.

70 articles · Updated September 25, 2026

You don't need to be a penetration tester to write secure code — but you do need to know how the common attacks work.

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Getting started

Beginner-friendly guides to help you learn the fundamentals.

From Explain

Plain-English explainers for core concepts related to this topic.

What is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)?

Two-factor authentication adds a second verification step beyond your password, making accounts much harder to compromise.

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What is a Firewall?

A firewall monitors and filters network traffic based on security rules, acting as a barrier between trusted and untrusted networks.

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What is Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)?

Cross-site scripting is an attack where malicious scripts are injected into trusted web pages and run in other users' browsers.

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What is Hashing?

Hashing converts data of any size into a fixed-length fingerprint that can't be reversed, used for integrity checks and password storage.

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What is Encryption?

Encryption scrambles data using a key so only authorized parties can read it, protecting information in transit and at rest.

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What is SQL Injection?

SQL injection is a security vulnerability where attackers inject malicious SQL code, preventable with parameterized queries.

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External resources

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Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about this topic hub.

What security basics should every developer know?▾

Validate and sanitize all input, use parameterized queries to prevent injection, hash passwords properly, keep dependencies updated, and never trust the client. The OWASP Top 10 is the standard starting point.

What is the OWASP Top 10?▾

It's a regularly updated list of the most critical web application security risks — things like injection, broken authentication, and misconfiguration. It's the industry's go-to checklist for prioritizing defenses.

How should I store user passwords?▾

Never store them in plain text. Use a slow, salted hashing algorithm designed for passwords such as bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2. Better still, offload authentication to a trusted provider when you can.

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