Which of the following is a key characteristic of Defensive Programming?

Defensive programming is a proactive programming practice that aims to improve software reliability and security by anticipating potential issues and vulnerabilities. One of its key characteristics is the ability to safely block harmful input injection. This involves implementing various techniques and checks in the code to validate and sanitize user inputs, ensuring that malicious input cannot compromise the application or its data.

By identifying and mitigating potential security risks related to input handling, defensive programming helps prevent vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflow attacks. This not only enhances the security of the software but also contributes to its robustness and resilience against unexpected user behavior or malicious actions.

While the other options may relate to software development practices, they do not accurately capture the essence of defensive programming, which is primarily focused on safeguarding the application from harmful inputs and ensuring secure and reliable operation.