With Node.js having become a critical cog at places such as PayPal and Wal-Mart, developers need to be mindful of securing their Node.js applications, technologists are advising.
The server-side JavaScript platform is now being used to protect the likes of financial transactions and other enterprise client data, said Adam Baldwin, chief security officer at security consulting firm ^Lift Security. Node.js shares security issues with its client-side brother, JavaScript, as well with other platforms, Baldwin said. "The core of Node is JavaScript, so Node inherits any concerns there might be with JavaScript. However, the execution context of V8, the JavaScript engine Node uses, is entirely different than a browser because it executes on the server. That difference adds some unique surface area [for attacks].