Which among the following application needs highest level of security

Last Updated: August 20, 2021

Application security is defined as the set of steps a developer takes to identify, fix, and prevent security vulnerabilities in applications at multiple stages of the software development lifecycle. This article discusses the essentials of application security on mobile, web, and cloud, and shares 10 best practices to remember in 2021. 

Table of Contents

What Is Application Security?

Application security is defined as the set of steps a developer takes to identify, fix, and prevent security vulnerabilities in applications at multiple stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It involves several steps to keep security vulnerabilities at bay, from development to testing and post-deployment reviews, keeping in mind the application deployment environment. These steps span right from application design to code review and post-deployment. 

Today, we live in a connected world, where our dependence on applications is only growing. There are enterprise apps to aid HR, supply chains, procurement, and other internal functions. Without application security, this entire landscape would be left open to vulnerabilities, risking customer and employee data, interrupting business continuity, and holding back growth for individual professionals as well as entire companies. 

Consumers use hundreds of apps every day to access theory necessary and favorite services: ecommerce, banking, music, etc. Professionals leverage a variety of application products to stay productive, from an online spell checker to tablet-based design tools. And, of course, there are backend applications to automate core functions and processes and reduce human efforts. 

Worryingly, applications are often the weakest link in a company’s security posture. Forrester’s latest report found that most external attacks happen either through vulnerabilities in software (42%) or by exploiting a web application (35%). Therefore, application security testing is gaining traction – analysts predict application security testing to be worth , growing at a steady CAGR of 17.7%. 

As our application usage patterns diversify, the definition of application security becomes more complicated. In 2021, developers, software vendors, and enterprises must consider several types of security needs.

Also Read: Application Security Engineer: Job Role and Key Skills for 2021

Top security needs in 2021

• Mobile application security: In 2021, an average smartphone user has between installed on their device, and many of them don’t see regular use. This means that any vulnerability in these apps can be exploited by a threat actor working in the background, and the user only realizes this after it is too late. Mobile application security aims to secure the data stored on smartphones and safeguard transactions by following proper authentication and authorization protocols.
• Enterprise application security: There is a massive market in 2021 for enterprise security as both large and small companies are embracing digitization. Intellectual property, sensitive data, and files protected by employee data privacy laws often pass through enterprise apps, making security essential. Enterprise apps typically receive regular security updates and patches to keep up with new features and customer requirements.
• Web application security: Online connectivity increases the scope of attacks significantly. Users gain access to various applications via a browser, and the data travels across remote servers, outside the safety of the on-premise or local transmission. Several businesses use web apps during their daily workflows – for example, a no-installation browser-based video conferencing tool to quickly initiate a meeting. Web application security measures can protect these apps from harmful data packets, ensuring safe and compliant usage.
• Cloud application security: In 2021, most enterprises are fast-tracking their investments in the cloud for the following reasons:
  • Supporting remote workers with any time, anywhere access 
  • Reducing dependence on physical data centers 

However, when using cloud services, multiple entities share computing resources. This could increase the chance of unauthorized entities gaining access to privileged assets. Therefore, whether an enterprise uses a private cloud or a public cloud environment, reinforcing security is vital. 

Interestingly, these four application security types often overlap, necessitating a wide range of security testing expertise before deployment. Let’s say that an ISV wants to launch a SaaS product for invoice automation — it is a cloud-hosted app with a mobile and web interface intended for enterprise use. The ISV will need to test for all four security parameters before releasing its product. 

The process of testing an application against all possible or known vulnerabilities typically involves six steps. 

Also Read: Top 10 Application Security Tools for 2021

Application Security Testing: 6 Key Steps

Application security testing encapsulates identifying possible weaknesses in the application, attack scenarios and test cases, and threat sources against which you protect the application. To understand the concept of application security testing, remember the following key terms: 

• • Assets: Discrete components of an application to be tested for security, like a dataset or a file.
  • Attack: Any incident that threatens to exploit an application and gain access to your assets.
  • Threat: The source of the attack – the entity or actor who is responsible for orchestrating it. 

There are several ways to test an application’s security capabilities and weed out weaknesses across the SDLC. As we mentioned, this involves six steps: 

1. Embedded security into the app design: Security by design is an excellent way to avoid vulnerabilities in later stages of production when they become costly to find and fix. Developers can construct a threat model of their application, visualizing the app’s architecture. Threat modeling gives you an accurate depiction of systems, personas of potential threat actors, and a catalog of the most likely attacks. Developers can realign app design and tweak the core specifications to maintain security right from the get-go.
2. Thorough black-box security and compliance audit: In a black-box audit, developers, teasers, and the QA team approach the application almost like a user, without any reference to the source code. This helps to recreate application behavior in real-world scenarios, along with all the vulnerabilities and security flaws. You can choose to add black-box security testing to a compliance audit, ensuring that the application is immune to common attack variants and compliant with cybersecurity laws. In enterprise application security, black-box testing ensures that an app is accessible only by authorized personas.
3. White-box code review to isolate the root cause: White-box reviews are integral to application security, as this is the step where a tester or security engineer breaks down the source code to locate flaws/vulnerabilities manually. White-box reviews are a top priority when testing an application for the first time – for example, right after migrating to the cloud or during the initial alpha release of an app. It reveals the root cause of the flaws you might have cataloged at the design and audit steps, indicating a path for resolution.
4. Penetration testing to find unknown unknowns: Penetration testing asks developers to think like a threat actor and ideate on potential attacks. Here, the goal is to find as many unknown attack variants as possible. Some organizations decide to host bug bounty programs, where ethical hackers are provided with a financial incentive to locate security flaws. You could even leverage social engineering (during closed or beta releases), trying to persuade real-world users to allow unauthorized access to the app. Simply put, penetration testing simulates all possible threats the application might face after release.
5. DevSecOps for continuous testing: DevSecOps is a growing market, valued at $1.3 billion in 2020 to reach . Its 29.95% CAGR outpaces the average growth of application security testing – and with good reason. With DevSecOps, you could create a continuous value chain of development, security, and operations without delaying security flaw identification until the post-production stage. Everyone on the value chain takes ownership of security at some level, thereby making the application safer as a whole.
6. Tooling strategy to automate application security testing: With the right tooling strategy, you can reduce testing efforts without compromising application security. Fortunately, there are a plethora of tools to choose from: 

• • Dynamic application security testing (DAST) tools that operate in the runtime environment, testing applications during production 
  • Static application security testing (SAST) tools that analyze source code for “weak” code 
  • Runtime application self-protection (RASP) tools that work inside the runtime environment to detect any suspicious changes in the application
  • Web application firewalls (WAF) that alert you when a threat actor breaches an application server’s network 
  • Software composition analysis (SCA) tools that examine all foundational code snippets in a packaged application, including non-authored and open source code 
  • Interactive application security testing (IAST) tools that run an agent to collect event data from a running application for future analysis 

These tools have changed the very definition of application security testing. Now, it is no longer a manual effort-intensive process, requiring massive teams to perform repeatable tasks. They allow testers to speed up application security assurance like never before, launching faster and adding new features at scale. 

Also Read: What Is Web Application Security? Definition, Testing, and Best Practices

Top 10 Best Practices for Application Security in 2021

Granted that the onus for app security falls on testers and security engineers, but is there a way developers can reduce testing workloads? Yes, there is. There is a set of specific best practices that organizations can adopt to weave security into the application bedrock, optimizing testing timelines and effort.

1. Chalk out an exact patching schedule

Irregular patching is among the most common ways threat actors get access to your systems. Both developers and users must stay up to date with their patching schedules without delays or procrastination. In a complex enterprise environment, chances are you’re using a combination of open-source, third-party, and homegrown applications spread across in-house premises and the cloud. A patch here or there might slip under the radar, leaving the application vulnerable. 

Developers should chalk out an exact patching schedule and follow it religiously. This inspires trust and confidence in users, building loyalty in the long run. You also need the agility to quickly come out with a patch if a user or bug-hunter reports a security flaw. 

Finally, by sending multi-channel alerts to end-users – desktop notifications, emails, etc. – you can ensure that every application instance remains up to date.

2. Treat app data security testing as a priority

This is mainly for web apps and cloud-based applications where data is continuously flowing across servers. The rise of personalization and AI-enabled CX means that most apps will collect vast volumes of customer data; all of this needs to be kept secure.

that a data breach in 2020 could cost you over $150 million on average. By prioritizing application data security testing, you can avoid this damage to brand reputation and industry compliance. Analyze incoming and outgoing data packets, create a blueprint of data interactions, and limit access wherever necessary to protect in-app and in-transit data.

Also Read: Coding and Code Security Go Hand-in-Hand: How Can Developers Manage Both?

3. Don’t ignore open-source libraries

Too often, companies and developers overlook vulnerabilities that could creep in from their open-source library. In fact, Forrester found that open-source security vulnerability grew by 50% since last year. It is clear that enterprises can’t stop using open-sourced content. 

These libraries allow application developers to hone their core capabilities and chase innovation, building on community efforts. It dramatically shrinks SDLC time and efforts – but it is equally essential to bring open-source within your application security ambit. There are specific tools that target open-source code segments, or you could use SCA tools that cover all components of an application before shipping.

4. Be proactive about app permissions

Permissions and user privileges are both critical best practices for application security. App permissions govern data sharing between two apps reducing efforts for the end-user. Permission protocols are a big part of UX today, as we use our social media credentials to sign into a web app, our e-commerce data for banking transactions, and hundreds of other such interoperability scenarios. It’s recommended that developers use signature-based permissions to check the sign-in keys before interacting with another app. 

User privileges bar specific personas from accessing an asset – for example, an employee on probation may not be able to view the full employee repository, including birthdays and home addresses. In case a threat actor obtains the employee’s login credentials, they won’t be able to cause much damage as privilege is limited in the first place.

5. Make a catalog of web apps

Backend applications automate core functions and processes. It is easy for these apps to develop into a gradual sprawl without a formal inventory. User-facing interfaces continue in the foreground without clearly tracking which apps are working underneath – if they contain flaws and whether you need them in the first place. 

A full audit of your application landscape will help assemble a comprehensive application catalog. Once this is ready, you can roll out patches to keep them secure or remove redundant apps to cut down vulnerabilities at the root.

Also Read: Is Application Performance Monitoring Key To Protecting Critical Infrastructure Against Cyberattacks?

6. Follow cookie usage protocol stringently

This best practice is particularly relevant for web applications. On the internet, cookies help bring in greater personalization, benefitting both the application provider and user alike. You can use data from cookies to speed-up site visits and tailor the content as per the user’s personal preferences – but the same data can also find unethical applications in the wrong hands.

It’s a good idea to store only what’s necessary via cookies – for example, a cookie should never be able to remember sensitive information like login credentials, even with the user’s consent. You could also shorten the expiration period for cookies. This might ask users for slightly more effort, but threats will not be able to access months or even years of data by hacking a cookie.

7. Formulate strict rules for container management

Forrester found container security to be a priority during application deployment (37%) and design (20%). Containers let you place applications in a self-contained environment, ensuring no risk to other applications as you build, test, and deploy across the SDLC. But the code stored in containers could be inherently vulnerable, especially when relying on open-source libraries. 

Testing automation tools can help enforce a DevSecOps methodology, where you continuously test your containers for optimal security. You could also sign the container image before sharing it on the cloud, preventing the risk of unauthorized access.

8. Join bug hunting communities

Bug bounty hunting is an increasingly popular strategy for catching severe vulnerabilities before they can cause irreparable damage. And there are bug hunting communities that bring a wealth of expertise in application security, ethical hacking, and new threats. You could network with such communities on social forums like GitHub or sign up for more formal programs like ZDI.

Zero Day Initiative or ZDI matches security researchers with leading software vendors to provide advisory support on application security. Initiatives like these help to stay ahead of the continually evolving cybersecurity landscape. Testing might detect the “known unknowns,” but partnering with bug hunters is among the few effective ways of securing an application from “unknown unknowns.”

Also Read: Is Transparency a Missing Element in Industry Preparedness Against Cyberattacks?

9. Encrypt data by default

Encrypt all data by default to further strengthen your data security measures. This includes your cookie data in web apps, data-in-transit between two permitted applications, and data stored on remote servers. Usually, developers employ two types of encryption:

a. Symmetric encryption where the two entities exchanging data use the same encryption key
b. Asymmetric encryption where two different encryption keys work together 

One foundational best practice to remember is SSL – make sure the website uses an up-to-date SSL certificate, and the domain is always HTTPS-enabled.

10. Formulate secure Session IDs

A Session ID encapsulates all the information used in a single app session, including access parameters and localized configurations. Every session will create a unique ID that links a user’s credentials to HTTP for authorized access. 

But one of the biggest pitfalls developers face is setting up short Sessions IDs with descriptive names — they make it easier for threat actors to identify a session. And a descriptive name, which includes reference details, can inform a threat about the user’s online behavioral patterns. That’s why a long and randomized Session ID is ideal, as it doesn’t give away any of the user’s personally identifiable information. 

Takeaway

Security engineering is a vast field, spanning a wholly different body of research from core application design and development. Bug hunting communities, app security service providers, and specialized consultants can help you nip a security problem in the bud – sometimes even before it becomes a problem. 

Right now, several industries seem to have stagnated in their application security investments. For example, in financial services, investments in container security actually dipped by 20 percentage points in one year. Now is the time to turn the tide in the right direction, understanding the meaning of application security in 2021 and following all the requisite best practices to safeguard the business. 

Which application security best practice does your organization follow? Share your perspective with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. We would love to know more!

Which of the following items would be considered in application level security?

Which attack ranks the highest when IT comes to web application security?

What is application level security?

What are the top 10 application security risks?