Toward secure refactoring of object-oriented programs

Security is a significant issue in software systems. The initially secure design of a software system could be at risk of a refactoring transformation. Consequently, via a refactoring transformation, the software could be considered vulnerable, and the refactoring process can undergo security-aware refactoring. This work deals with three security approaches to assist programmers in refactoring their software systems while simultaneously sustaining or possibly improving the security of their software system. In addition, this work deals with security-aware refactoring at the design stage rather than refactoring that requires a full source code. The main aim of this work is to provide programmers with knowledge about secure refactoring processes to improve the long-term maintainability of the software system in a secure way while sustaining the external behavior of the system.