Elixir Wizards is an interview-format podcast, focused on engineers who use the Elixir programming language. Initially launched in early 2019, each season focuses on a specific topic or topics, with each interview focusing on the guest's experience and opinions on the topic. Elixir Wizards is hosted by Eric Oestrich and Sundi Myint of SmartLogic, a dev shop that’s been building custom software since 2005 and running Elixir applications in production since 2015. Learn more about how SmartLogic uses Phoenix and Elixir. (https://smartlogic.io/phoenix-and-elixir?utm_source=podcast)

Michael Lubas on the Future of Elixir Security

April 06, 2023 40:30 78.62 MB Downloads: 0

In today's episode of Elixir Wizards, Michael Lubas, founder of Paraxial.io, joins hosts Owen Bickford and Bilal Hankins to discuss security in the Elixir and Phoenix ecosystem. Lubas shares his insights on the most common security risks developers face, recent threats, and how Elixir developers can prepare for the future.

  • Common security risks, including SQL injection and cross-site scripting, and how to mitigate these threats
  • The importance of rate limiting and bot detection to prevent spam SMS messages
  • Continuous security testing to maintain a secure application and avoid breaches
  • Tools and resources available in the Elixir and Phoenix ecosystem to enhance security
  • The Guardian library for authentication and authorization
  • Take a drink every time someone says "bot"
  • The difference between "bots" and AI language models
  • The potential for evolving authentication, such as Passkeys over WebSocket
  • How Elixir compares to other languages due to its immutability and the ability to trace user input
  • Potion Shop, a vulnerable Phoenix application designed to test security
  • Talking Tom, Sneaker Bots, and teenage hackers!
  • The importance of security awareness and early planning in application development
  • The impact of open-source software on application security
  • How to address vulnerabilities in third-party libraries
  • Conducting security audits and implementing security measures

Links in this episode:

Michael Lubas
Email - michael@paraxial.io
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellubas/

Paraxial.io - https://paraxial.io/
Blog/Mailing List - https://paraxial.io/blog/index
Potion Shop - https://paraxial.io/blog/potion-shop
Elixir/Phoenix Security Live Coding: Preventing SQL Injection in Ecto

Twitter - https://twitter.com/paraxialio
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/paraxial-io/
GenServer Social - https://genserver.social/paraxial
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@paraxial5874

Griffin Byatt on Sobelow: ElixirConf 2017 - Plugging the Security Holes in Your Phoenix Application
Erlang Ecosystem Foundation: Security Working Group - https://erlef.org/wg/security
Article by Bram - Client-Side Enforcement of LiveView Security

Special Guest: Michael Lubas.