Understanding Secure File Sharing Through Risk Assessment – Maya

Static vs Dynamic Memory: A Security Perspective

Hello again! After being sick for a week I am now easing back into my work and diving deeper into researching secure file sharing specifically on an internal communication platform. With my fellow interns also working on the code behind a file sharing system, I took the time to do a risk assessment of various scenarios and give them a likelihood and consequence for each.

I first wanted to figure out the main pain points in security for a file sharing system. This was primarily during the transferring of files between users. I then focused on memory storage of files in a secure system and the risks that can come from there.

With static memory storage, it is much easier to assign a variable and keep track of things as you move through a program. However, this makes it easier for a potential hacker to access the memory address and harm the information shared through the system. While the likelihood of this is low now since the company is small, as Socialis grows, the more potential for threats like this are.

On the other hand, you have dynamic memory allocation which keeps the risk of information leaks significantly lower, there is more upfront work with this type of programming and can cause more issues in the way the application runs since there are more factors to take into account when coding the application.

Lessons from Risk Assessment

I have really enjoyed doing these risk assessment scenarios as I have not done them in almost a year. I think this kind of thinking helps me plan out how I want to go about designing a file sharing application and deciphering which risks Socialis is willing to take and which ones are most important to mitigate.

Since it is almost impossible to eliminate risks from these scenarios, I like categorizing which risks are most likely to happen and which ones will pose the most harm if they do happen. With this risk assessment, I found that issues with dynamic memory allocation will be most likely to happen but have the least amount of security risks and the consequences will be less severe than sensitive data leaks.

Reflecting on My Internship at Socialis

Now that I am wrapping up my time with Socialis, I feel very happy with the work I was able to do and learn what working in this industry can be like. The workload and tasks I was doing over the summer had a lot of variety and I really got to dip my toes into all the nuances that can come from working in the technology sector. I also got to use a lot of the knowledge that I gained from my education and apply it to real life situations, which has really helped me understand why I was learning those things in the first place.

My experience working for Socialis has been very positive and for any future interns, I highly recommend joining their team if given the opportunity! When I first came to Japan and started working for them, I was very nervous as I do not speak any Japanese but the team was super accommodating and we were able to communicate really well! Tomo, my direct supervisor, was amazing at allowing me to focus on things I felt excited about while still contributing to the needs of the company. I also felt very comfortable adjusting my schedule if need be which worked out really well in the end!

Working for Socialis has been very rewarding and I really feel like the entire team truly cared about giving me the best experience! I was able to have a great work-life balance and feel like I could explore places in Tokyo and around Japan and still be committed to my responsibilities.

Overall, I am sad to be ending my time here but super grateful to the team and being able to work with them these past eight weeks! I am very excited to see the company grow and thrive as they navigate this innovative space!

– Maya Murthy (Summer Intern 2025)