The Underhanded C Contest Challenges Coders to Hide Malicious Code

·1 views

The Underhanded C Contest is a programming competition that invites participants to write C code that appears clean and correct but conceals subtle, malicious behavior. The contest tests developers' awareness of how dangerous code can be disguised within seemingly innocent programs. It serves as an educational exercise highlighting the risks of trusting code that passes superficial review. The competition has gained attention in developer communities, with a recent discussion surfacing on Hacker News.

Read the full story at Hacker News

This is an AI-generated summary. ShortSingh links to the original source for the complete article.

Discussion (0)

AI Will Reshape Software Development Roles, Not Replace Developers

A developer opinion piece argues that AI tools will not replace software engineers but will significantly transform their responsibilities. While modern AI can write code, fix bugs, generate tests, and review pull requests, it still lacks the judgment needed for architectural decisions, stakeholder communication, and understanding business context. The author contends that coding is often the easiest part of software engineering, and that higher-order skills like system design, security, and product thinking will grow in importance. Developers who actively leverage AI for repetitive tasks are expected to gain a productivity edge over those who do not. The piece frames AI as the latest in a long line of technological shifts — similar to the move from assembly language to cloud infrastructure — that redefine rather than eliminate the developer role.

0 comments Read more at DEV Community

ProgrammingDEV Community ·

Developer Builds Free English-Assamese Dictionary With 293,000 Words on Edge Infrastructure

A developer has launched AssameseDictionary.org, a free bilingual digital lexicon mapping over 293,000 English and Assamese words, including translations, phonetic transliterations, definitions, usage examples, and synonyms. To handle the dataset's scale without latency or high server costs, the platform was built on Cloudflare Workers and a global Key-Value store, routing queries to edge locations nearest to each user. The frontend uses vanilla HTML5, ES6 JavaScript, and Tailwind CSS hosted on Cloudflare Pages, avoiding heavy frameworks to keep performance lean. The platform also functions as a Progressive Web App, enabling offline access via service workers for users in low-connectivity environments. A native Android app built on the same serverless architecture is currently in development and expected to reach the Google Play Store soon.

0 comments Read more at DEV Community

ProgrammingHacker News ·

Global review of billions of mRNA vaccine doses confirms safety and efficacy

A global review published in June 2026 has confirmed that mRNA vaccines are safe and effective, drawing on data from billions of doses administered worldwide. The analysis, highlighted by the University of British Columbia, reinforces confidence in mRNA vaccine technology following its widespread deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers found the vaccines' safety profile to be consistent across large populations, with benefits outweighing risks. The review also points to the broader promise of mRNA technology for future vaccine development beyond COVID-19.

0 comments Read more at Hacker News

ProgrammingDEV Community ·

Critical RCE Flaw in Progress Kemp LoadMaster Allows Pre-Auth System Takeover

A critical remote code execution vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-8037, has been identified in Progress Kemp LoadMaster, a widely used enterprise load balancing and application delivery solution. The flaw originates from uninitialized heap memory, which attackers can exploit to corrupt data structures and redirect program execution without requiring valid credentials. Because the exploit requires no prior authentication, conventional perimeter defenses offer little protection against it. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, including data theft, ransomware deployment, and operational disruption. Organizations running affected versions are urged to apply patches immediately to close the exposure window.

0 comments Read more at DEV Community