BSD sockets API was released in 1983. As it was implemented 3 decades ago and st
ID: 659269 • Letter: B
Question
BSD sockets API was released in 1983.
As it was implemented 3 decades ago and still being widely used, is it secure in today's scenario where every software has to be actively protected against being hacked.
Is it secure enough to be used in a production-level code?
I am writing a client-server application which does use encryption at both ends, but are there any pitfalls in sockets that can be taken advantage by a hacker?
Note:
1. I am writing the application in linux.
2. I don't have anything against the guys who developed this api, they have done a brilliant job.
Explanation / Answer
Your question contains a category error.
BSD sockets aren't a thing. They are an API to the kernel, comprised of a set of system calls. In theory, the code in the kernel, like all other code in the kernel, could have a security bug. However, the statement about 1983 does not reflect actual history. The only thing that dates from 1983 is the specification. The kernel code has been continuously maintained and frequently reimplemented over the history of the Linux kernel.
In any case, you have no choice. Sockets are the API to the internet on Linux. If you want a userland program to have a connection to the internet, you will be programming to the socket API (unless you want to learn TLI, which has is just another interface to the very same kernel implementation).
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