All posts by Edward

Read the linked article.

Way back in my college days, we learned to program in everything from assembly language up through “high level” programming languages. Some of us even learned to enter boot strap code using front panel switches to enter machine code as bit patterns on a console!

Today, programming is simplified – tools like App Inventor illustrate this by using “drag and drop” programming methods, assembling programs from components, rather than typing in programing instructions.

Low Code does not necessarily divorce oneself from understanding programming concepts – but it enables the rapid construction of many functions – from user interfaces to underlying algorithms.

AI-based systems introduce a new level of automated code assembly. Go to Chat GPT, for example, and ask it to implement a sorting algorithm in Python – and sure enough, it will generates the source code in Python.

Two or three decades ago, the typical output of a software developer was likely to be a few hundred lines of code per day (at best, after integration, testing, and future modifications before final ship). New tools likely increase this by an order of magnitude or more!a

Android Development, General

Android hackers writing malware attack apps using App Inventor

May 7, 2021 Edward

There is no problem with using App Inventor to write your own apps and share them with others. The problem is that App Inventor makes it easy to write any app – and malware authors have begun to use App Inventor to create apps that are malware and might do bad things.

“App Inventor doesn’t give malicious apps any special powers nor access to exotic exploits to attack your phone. But it does make the production of Trojanized apps enormously easy. With only a basic understanding of Android programming, an attacker can churn out tons of malicious apps. More apps means more confusion, and more opportunities for attack.”

Source: Mobile Threat Monday: Android Attackers Use App Inventor for Evil | PCMag

General, Programming Method, Software, STEM Education

2/3rds of programming projects expected to use “low code” tools by 2025

April 10, 2021 Edward

App Inventor is a “low code”, visual software development tool. Such “drag and drop” programming tools enable non-programmers (and programmers) to create many types of applications without the details of traditional programming code.

This leads to an important issue – will less trained/less experienced programmers inadvertently introduce security problems in their applications?

Gartner predicts that by the end of 2025, over 65% of development projects will use low-code builders. The field of low-code continues to expand. But what security implications does low-code introduce? Low-code refers to tools that enable application construction using visual programming models. Adopting drag-and-drop components instead of traditional code, no-code and low-code platforms enables non-technical folks to construct their own workflows without as much help from IT. Yet, handing power to citizen developers with less security training can be risky. Plus, low-code platforms may hold compromised propriety libraries or leverage APIs that may unknowingly expose sensitive data to the outside world. There’s also the possibility that low-code could increase shadow IT if not governed well.

How to Mitigate Low-Code Security Risks

Learn to program with App Inventor