Twitter last week was a long time in the air, to the frustration of twitterers in Northern Europe and Japan, which the messaging service for more than six hours, not could use. The cause: an error caused by a software update
Software.. Completely invisible, but if it does not operate enters our lives squeaking and grinding halt. We are increasingly dependent on the billions and billions of lines of code that ensure that we can e-mail, word processing but also coffee, driving, wash and take it lightly.
10,000
A programmer can see 10,000 lines programming
1000
One in every thousand lines of code contains a bug
Life is therefore more pleasant, but the complexity of software companies and institutions outgrow. Businesses digitize rapidly and devices that used to mechanically turn now to software. Devices also increasingly need to. And there is more and more complex software is needed. Which increases the risk of errors. “In an average company grows the amount of software by a factor of 1.2 per year,” says professor of mathematics and computer science at the TU Eindhoven Jan-Friso Groote
Source Code
Average is taken first on the 1000 lines a programming language error. It means that a device controlled by software does not do anything or anything other than intended. This can cause dangerous situations. In the US automaker Toyota between 2007 and 2009 was plagued by a series of inexplicable accidents. Cars gave gas without the driver that wild. Only in 2013 the cause came to light. There were errors in the software source code of the engine system. Toyota took out the cars from the market and paid the victims millions in damages. Also, Volvo and Nissan had to take because of software errors models in the marketplace
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Disturbances by software errors are becoming more and more common. And thus take the risk of being a victim of cybercrime.
A software error is similar to a window that is ajar. A hacker can thus in and example to get personal information or passwords.
This summer, Samsung had to hastily repair a bug in the software of its Galaxy models. The error was sitting there for years and made it possible for hackers to enter the units. Last month found that Nest smart thermostat in Google’s a bug which was provided access to private information for example about when residents were absent. Even banks and governments have to deal regularly with software errors.
That’s annoying but recently also costly. Is in fact the law duty to report data leaks introduced on 1 January this year. Which imposes fines on companies if they have the personal information they have not protect good in possession.
High Cost
These are errors that can be detected by testing software. Cambridge University estimates the cost of finding software defects worldwide at $ 312 billion (€ 285 billion). And that amount is increasing hand over fist. According to Martijn Rutten is increasingly important for companies to test software but this has done little. His company Vector Fabrics specializes in finding software bugs. “Businesses where safety is at stake such as Philips Medicare and automotive testing generally 80% of their software.” But an average company comes under Rutten does not go beyond 20%. “They find the cost too high or the importance is not in.” And how later a company behind mistakes, the higher the cost, according to him. “Errors that occur when the product is already in the market, a factor 100 more than if the company discovers it before.”
Fast Development
Also the time that companies have to test their software decreases. The software industry is under enormous pressure Rutten explains. New products follow each other at an ever increasing pace. The software must therefore be developed in shorter time so there is often no time to test the software. ‘Volvo performs every day from a software update and Twitter every twenty minutes. “
8 million
Web browser of a smartphone
24 million
Joint Strike Fighter
100 million
Mercedes S-Class
At the same time products such as smartphones increasingly. The number of processors in a Samsung phone is in two years increased from 1 to 8. They have become sophisticated computers. Thereby acting in accordance Rutten the risk of errors also increases. “A programmer can see an average of 10,000 lines. And only the web browser of a smartphone already has 8 million lines.
Hallmark
Although the quality of software is becoming increasingly important, companies are not required to test their software. “To build a building all its rules and control bodies,” said computer science professor Jan-Friso Groote TU Eindhoven. “But with software, you may do what you want.” And while building software is much more complex.
Well there are quality labels, such as the ISO26262 certification for the automotive industry and the CMM-certified by the American software institute SEI. But they mainly look at whether the processes are properly followed in the development of software. “And a good process does not automatically deliver a good product,” says Rutten.

