The Psychology Behind Bad Code

The article explains that insecure code usually comes from human factors rather than incompetence. Developers often work under stress, deadlines, and unclear incentives, which makes insecure shortcuts feel reasonable in the moment. Cognitive biases and the pressure to deliver quickly encourage copying unsafe code, skipping tests or documentation, and focusing on features instead of quality. The author argues that improving security requires changing environments and processes so secure behavior becomes the easiest path, shifting the focus from blaming developers to fixing systemic pressures that produce bad code.

https://shehackspurple.ca/2025/11/27/the-psychology-of-bad-code/

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