Application Security: A Complete Guide

In 2023, the average cost of a data breach reached $4.45 million, the highest in seven years. With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and the cost of data breaches soaring, prioritizing application security is no longer an afterthought but a necessity — and it offers a competitive advantage to businesses that get it right.

Many software companies already understand the importance of application security. According to our 2024 State of Software Quality report, 84% of development teams conduct regular security audits, and 88.4% have a dedicated security team or person.

This article will teach you about application security, common security threats, and best practices to secure and mitigate these threats. Understanding application security will help you develop and deploy reliable, scalable, and secure software applications.

What is Application Security?

Application security, or AppSec, is the practice of protecting software applications from malicious attacks, unauthorized access, data breaches, and other potential threats. These activities include:

• Integrating security into every stage of the application's development lifecycle, from planning and design to coding, deployment, and maintenance.
  
  
• Implementing security best practices such as input validation, encryption, and authentication.
  
  
• Conducting regular security audits and assessments to measure the security level of the application.
  
  
• Monitoring and responding to security incidents and events that happen on the application in real-time.
  
  

What Types of Applications Need to Be Secured?

Many businesses deliver services and products through various application software, some of which rely on other software or apps to operate effectively.

To ensure the security of the entire system, businesses must adopt a comprehensive approach to security. Below are the types of applications that require safeguarding:

Web Applications

Web applications are software programs that run on web servers and are accessed through a web browser. Many businesses ship websites and web apps to allow customers to access their services or products without needing to install specific software on their device.

Some of the security issues web apps face are: 

• SQL injection: Malicious code is injected into an SQL query, allowing attackers to manipulate the database and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
  
  
• Cross-site scripting (XSS): Malicious scripts are injected into webpages, which can then execute on users' browsers, often to steal sensitive data or redirect users to malicious sites.
  
  
• Cross-site request forgery (CSRF): This attack tricks a user into unknowingly executing actions on a web application where they are authenticated, potentially causing them to perform unwanted actions.
  
  
• Broken authentication: Flaws in the authentication process can allow attackers to bypass login systems, impersonate users, manipulate the backend application, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information in the backend.
  
  
• Insecure direct object references (IDOR): Attackers gain access to sensitive objects (files, records) by manipulating URL parameters or request data.

While these attacks are pretty common, they’re relatively easy to prevent. Here are some security measures you must take:

• Input validation: Ensure that all user inputs are properly sanitized to prevent malicious code from being executed (e.g., using parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection).
  
  
• Authentication and session management: Use strong password policies and multi-factor authentication (MFA); ensure session tokens are properly managed to protect user accounts.
  
  
• Cross-site scripting (XSS) protection: Implement input sanitization and Content Security Policies (CSP) to prevent malicious scripts from executing in users’ browsers.
  
  
• Secure data transmission: Use HTTPS (SSL/TLS) to encrypt data in transit, ensuring sensitive information (like passwords) is protected during transmission.
  
  
• Regular security audits: Conduct periodic vulnerability assessments and penetration testing (using a good application testing solution) to identify and fix security issues before attackers can exploit them.
  
  

Cloud-Native Applications

Cloud-native apps are software programs built to run in the cloud. Businesses use the cloud-native approach to take advantage of the elasticity, scalability, and distributed nature of the cloud.

This approach enables teams to deploy and scale components independently, so they can make updates, fix issues, and deliver new features without any service interruption.

Some issues common with cloud-native apps:

• Cloud misconfigurations: Misconfigurations are among the most prevalent vulnerabilities that organizations encounter. These can include issues like overly permissive accounts or insecure backups due to rushed deployment, insufficient knowledge of best practices, or a lack of full visibility into the cloud infrastructure.
  
  
• Insecure APIs: APIs are integral to most modern software applications as they facilitate communication between different software (mobile devices, microservices, apps, websites, etc).  As API handles legitimate requests, it also faces potential threats from bots, spammers, and hackers.
  
  
• Lack of Visibility: As your reliance on cloud services grows, so does the complexity of your infrastructure. With companies often managing thousands of cloud instances, tracking their interconnections or determining which are active in production at any moment becomes challenging. 
  
  
• Poor access management: Weak identity and access management (IAM) is a common vulnerability in cloud systems. It typically arises when users or services are granted access to resources they shouldn't be able to reach or don't require. Inadequate access control can open the door to malicious attacks, such as account hijacking.

Some preventive measures:

• Automated Scanning: Use automated third-party tools (e.g., Codacy) to regularly scan container images, IaC templates, and other cloud-native components for misconfigurations that pose an active risk in production.
  
  
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security: Apply security best practices to IaC to ensure infrastructure is consistently and securely configured. This includes using policies to validate configurations before deployment and automating security checks.
  
  
• Container Hardening: Ensure that containers are built from trusted images, are regularly updated, and are configured with least-privilege settings. Use security tools that specifically focus on container runtime environments to detect vulnerabilities.
  
  
• Service Communication Security: Use secure communication protocols like mutual TLS (mTLS) for microservices to authenticate and encrypt communication between them, preventing unauthorized access or data interception.
  
  
• Enhanced Monitoring and Visibility: Implement robust monitoring and logging systems to gain visibility into the health and security of cloud-native applications. This should include real-time threat detection and alerting across distributed components.

Operating System (OS) Security

The operating system (OS) is the core software that manages hardware resources and provides essential services for other software applications to run efficiently.

It plays a crucial role in application security by managing hardware resources, enforcing security policies, and providing mechanisms for process isolation and communication.

Common threats to operating systems include:

• Privilege Escalation: This occurs when a user or process gains higher access rights than intended, allowing attackers to bypass security restrictions, gain unauthorized control, and perform actions reserved for system administrators.
  
  
• Buffer Overflow: Typically malicious data exceeds a buffer's allocated memory space, causing it to overwrite adjacent memory and allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code or crash the system.
  
  
• Malware: Malware encompasses viruses, worms, trojans, and other types of harmful software. These malicious programs can damage files, erase data, self-replicate, and cause system crashes. Typically, malware runs in the background, stealthily stealing sensitive information from the affected system.
  
  
• Network intrusions: Network intrusion in operating systems refers to unauthorized access to a system through a network. Attackers may exploit vulnerabilities to bypass security measures, steal data, or disrupt services. Intrusions can be carried out via methods like hacking, phishing, or malware.

Best practices to keep your operating system secure:

• Regular Software Updates: Keeping the operating system and installed software up to date is crucial for security. Patches and updates often include fixes for known vulnerabilities, reducing the risk of exploitation by attackers.
  
  
• Access Control and User Permissions: Implementing strict access control ensures that only authorized users can access sensitive data or perform critical system operations. Assigning the least privilege to users and services helps minimize the impact of a potential breach.
  
  
• Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): Firewalls help filter out malicious traffic, while intrusion detection systems monitor network traffic for signs of suspicious activity. Both tools provide layers of protection against unauthorized access and cyberattacks.
  
  
• Antivirus and Anti-Malware Software: Installing antivirus and anti-malware software protects the system from malicious software, such as viruses, worms, and ransomware. These programs scan for and block potential threats, reducing the risk of infection.
  
  

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are essential in modern software development, particularly in the cloud architecture. They allow different services or applications to communicate and share data seamlessly, enabling flexibility, scalability, and integration with external systems.

Common security threats:

• Injection Attacks: APIs are vulnerable to injection attacks, such as SQL injection or command injection, where malicious input is sent to the API. If the API doesn’t properly validate or sanitize input, attackers can manipulate database queries or execute harmful commands, leading to data breaches or system compromise.
  
  
• Broken Authentication: Weak or improperly implemented authentication methods can allow unauthorized access to an API. If an API fails to enforce strong authentication, such as multi-factor authentication, attackers could impersonate legitimate users and gain access to sensitive resources.
  
  
• Excessive Data Exposure: APIs that return too much data, including sensitive information like passwords or personal details, increase the risk of exposing confidential data. Without proper data filtering and response customization, attackers can exploit the API to retrieve more information than necessary.
  
  
• Insecure Direct Object References (IDOR): This occurs when APIs expose internal object references (like file names or database IDs) to users, allowing them to access or modify data they should not be able to. Without proper authorization checks, attackers can manipulate these references to access unauthorized resources.

APIs can be secured with the following practices:

• Use strong authentication and authorization: Implement robust authentication mechanisms, such as OAuth 2.0 or JWT (JSON Web Tokens), to ensure that only authorized users and services can access the API. Additionally, enforce proper authorization to ensure users can only access resources they’re permitted to.
  
  
• Validate and sanitize input: Always validate and sanitize incoming data to prevent injection attacks, such as SQL or command injections. Ensure that the API checks for expected data types, formats, and lengths, and blocks any potentially malicious input from being processed.
  
  
• Encrypt data in transit: Use TLS (Transport Layer Security) to encrypt data transmitted between clients and APIs. This protects sensitive information from being intercepted or tampered with by attackers during communication, ensuring privacy and integrity.
  
  
• Implement rate limiting and throttling: Protect your API from abuse and denial-of-service attacks by setting limits on the number of requests a user or service can make in a specific time period. Rate limiting and throttling help prevent overloading the API and reduce the risk of malicious exploitation.
  
  

Types of Application Testing Tools and Solutions

A well-tested software product ensures reliability, security, and high performance. Comprehensive testing is best implemented with an automated tool. Here are the different types of application testing tools and solutions we have.

Vulnerability Management Tools

Vulnerability management tools are designed to detect security flaws within networks, systems, and software. Once vulnerabilities are identified, these tools either propose solutions or take automatic steps to mitigate the risks.

The ultimate aim is to strengthen the system's defenses and prevent potential cyberattacks.

Key functions:

• Vulnerability scanning: These tools regularly scan systems, networks, and applications to identify known vulnerabilities based on threat intelligence databases like CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures).
  
  
• Risk assessment and prioritization: After identifying vulnerabilities, these tools assess the severity and risk level (usually based on factors like CVSS score, asset criticality, and exploitability) to prioritize which issues should be addressed first.
  
  
• Remediation tracking: Vulnerability management tools help track the progress of remediation efforts, ensuring that vulnerabilities are resolved on time.
  
  
• Patch management: Many tools integrate patch management functionality, automatically identifying missing patches and even deploying them to mitigate vulnerabilities.
  
  
• Reporting and analytics: They generate detailed reports, including vulnerability trends, risk analysis, and compliance assessments. These reports can be used for compliance audits or internal reviews.
  
  

Using vulnerability management tools offers numerous benefits, such as:

• Proactive threat mitigation: Vulnerability management tools continuously scan for weaknesses, allowing organizations to identify and address security flaws before they can be exploited. This proactive approach reduces the chances of a successful cyberattack.
  
  
• Improved compliance: Many industries have regulatory standards (such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS) that require organizations to maintain a certain level of security. Vulnerability management tools assist with compliance by identifying security gaps.
  
  
• Increased efficiency: Automation features such as automated scanning, patch deployment, and reporting reduce the manual effort required to manage vulnerabilities, allowing security teams to focus on higher-level strategic tasks.
  
  
• Cost savings: Addressing vulnerabilities proactively can prevent costly data breaches, downtime, or reputational damage that may arise from exploited weaknesses.

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

SBOM is a comprehensive list of all the third-party components, libraries, and dependencies that make up a software application.

The list, which is generated by an SBOM tool, also provides information on each component’s licensing, version, and patch status.

Key functions:

• Component identification: SBOM tools help automatically identify and list all third-party and open-source software components in the codebase. This includes libraries, frameworks, and even dependencies that the application relies on.
  
  
• Version tracking: An SBOM tool also records the version of each component. This is important because vulnerabilities can exist in specific versions of components, and tracking versions allows organizations to monitor and update them accordingly.
  
  
• Vulnerability mapping: Many SBOM tools integrate with vulnerability databases like NIST’s National Vulnerability Database (NVD) or other security feeds to cross-reference the identified components against known vulnerabilities (CVEs). This enables organizations to quickly check if their codebase includes components with security flaws.
  
  
• Compliance management: SBOM tools help organizations comply with various regulations (e.g., government mandates, and industry standards. For instance, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a directive requiring federal agencies to produce SBOMs for their software acquisitions. 

Below are some of the main benefits of using SBOM:

• Enhanced security: With a clear view of the components used in an application, organizations can quickly identify and address vulnerabilities. If a critical vulnerability is found in an open-source library, having an up-to-date SBOM allows teams to patch the affected components promptly.
  
  
• Improved compliance and governance: Regulatory bodies are increasingly requiring that companies disclose their software components, especially in industries like finance, healthcare, and government. SBOM tools help organizations maintain accurate records for compliance, enabling easier audits and faster responses to regulatory demands.
  
  
• Faster vulnerability remediation: SBOM tools help organizations quickly map vulnerabilities to specific components, reducing the time it takes to patch vulnerable parts of the software and, consequently, mitigating the risks of security breaches.
  
  
• Supply chain transparency: SBOM tools provide visibility into the software supply chain, ensuring that organizations know exactly what’s in their software.
  
  
• Increased trust and reputation: Having an SBOM can demonstrate to customers, partners, and other stakeholders that an organization is taking proactive steps in managing the security and integrity of its software, which can enhance trust and reputation.
  
  

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) 

SAST tools are security solutions that analyze an application's source code, binaries, or bytecode to identify vulnerabilities without executing the program. Organizations deploy SAST to perform "static" analysis—meaning they review the code in its static state (i.e., before the program is run) to find potential security flaws such as coding errors, misconfigurations, or vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

Key functions of SAST tools: 

• Code scanning: SAST tools scan the application's source code, bytecode, or binaries for common security issues such as buffer overflows, SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), hardcoded secrets, and improper input validation. They identify potential vulnerabilities by comparing the code against a set of security rules, industry standards, and common coding mistakes.
  
  
• Code quality assessment: These tools often analyze not just security vulnerabilities but also code quality, checking for maintainability, adherence to best practices, and potential code smells that could introduce security risks.
  
  
• Early detection: Because SAST tools analyze code early in the development process (typically during the development or CI/CD pipeline phase), they help identify security flaws before the code goes live, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities making it into production.
  
  
• Detailed reporting: Once vulnerabilities are detected, SAST tools generate detailed reports with information about the type of vulnerability, its severity, the exact location in the code, and often suggestions on how to fix it. This makes it easier for developers to address issues quickly.
  
  
• Compliance checks: Some SAST tools can automatically check the code against industry regulations and security standards like PCI DSS, HIPAA, or GDPR, ensuring that applications comply with relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

Key benefits:

• Early Detection of Vulnerabilities: One of the most significant advantages of SAST tools is that they identify vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle. Most SAST tools integrate seamlessly with popular IDEs, SCM tools, cloud platforms, and other developer tools, which makes it easy to catch issues during coding or early testing phases, allowing teams to fix issues before they reach production.
  
  
• Cost-effective: Fixing vulnerabilities early is less expensive than addressing them in later stages of development or after an application is deployed. SAST tools save organizations money by helping to avoid costly patching or incident response efforts down the line.
  
  
• Integration with DevOps/CI-CD Pipelines: SAST tools are often integrated into modern DevOps workflows, allowing for continuous security testing during the development process. This means security is part of the development lifecycle, not something that happens after deployment.
  
  
• Comprehensive Code Analysis: SAST tools analyze the entire codebase, including custom code, third-party libraries, and frameworks, providing a thorough security assessment. They don’t rely on runtime behavior, so they can detect vulnerabilities in all parts of the application.
  
  
• Regulatory Compliance: For industries that must adhere to specific regulations (e.g., finance, healthcare), SAST tools can help organizations meet the security requirements laid out by these regulations. They can automate checks against compliance standards, simplifying the auditing process.
  
  

Dynamic Application Security Testing

DAST is a security testing methodology that focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in web applications while they are running (in a dynamic state). It analyzes an application from an external perspective (as a user would interact with it), rather than in its static form. This enables software teams to find issues that might not have been visible during SAST.

The key function of DAST:

• Detects Runtime Vulnerabilities: Unlike static analysis tools, DAST identifies vulnerabilities that arise during the execution of an application, such as issues with user input, authentication flaws, and session management problems.

Benefits:

• Real-world attack simulation: DAST tools simulate how an attacker would exploit vulnerabilities in a running application. This provides a more accurate representation of potential threats that could occur in a live environment.
  
  
• No source code required: DAST operates by testing the application’s runtime behavior and doesn’t require access to the source code. This makes it ideal for testing third-party applications or web applications where source code might not be available.
  
  
• Identifies critical security issues: DAST tools can discover a wide range of security vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and other runtime flaws, which are commonly targeted by attackers.
  
  
• Helps meet compliance standards: DAST can assist in meeting security compliance requirements, such as those outlined by GDPR, OWASP Top 10, and other regulatory frameworks, by detecting common vulnerabilities and security issues.
  
  
• Provides detailed reporting: DAST tools generate detailed reports on vulnerabilities, including steps to reproduce the issues and suggestions for mitigation, which can be helpful for development and security teams.

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)

IAST is a security testing methodology that combines elements of both Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) and Static Application Security Testing (SAST).

While the software is executed in a test environment, the IAST tool uses agents or sensors to gather data as the application runs, allowing it to detect security vulnerabilities dynamically, like DAST, but with the depth and insight of static analysis.

Benefits of IAST:

• Real-time security insights: IAST provides immediate feedback during application execution, making it easier to identify and address vulnerabilities as they arise in real-time.
  
  
• Context-awareness: Unlike DAST, which only tests external interfaces, IAST can provide a detailed and precise analysis of how vulnerabilities occur by examining both the application’s source code and its runtime behavior. This offers a more thorough understanding of the root cause.
  
  
• Better coverage: By combining the benefits of SAST (static analysis) and DAST (dynamic analysis), IAST offers better coverage and can identify a broader range of vulnerabilities. It analyzes both the code structure and the application’s runtime behavior, ensuring fewer blind spots.
  
  
• Reduced false positives: IAST provides more accurate and detailed vulnerability reports than DAST. Because it works inside the application, it can eliminate many false positives that might occur in traditional DAST testing. It knows precisely where vulnerabilities reside and why they occur.
  
  
• Faster remediation: IAST helps developers fix vulnerabilities faster by providing detailed, actionable feedback. This can significantly reduce the time needed for remediation compared to other methods, such as manual penetration testing.

Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST)

MAST refers to the process of evaluating the security of mobile applications to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers. This testing focuses specifically on mobile platforms (such as iOS and Android) and considers the unique security risks that come with mobile environments.

The key function of MAST:

• Comprehensive analysis: MAST typically involves a variety of techniques, including static analysis (examining the app’s code), dynamic analysis (observing the app during execution), and behavioral analysis (monitoring app interaction with the underlying mobile operating system). It can also include penetration testing, reverse engineering, and vulnerability scanning to detect potential security issues.

Here are some benefits of using the MAST technique:

• Identifies platform-specific vulnerabilities: Mobile apps often run on different platforms (iOS, Android), each with its own unique vulnerabilities. MAST can help identify platform-specific weaknesses that other testing methods may miss.
  
  
• Improves data security: Mobile apps often handle sensitive data such as personal information, payment details, and location data. MAST ensures that this data is securely stored, transmitted, and protected from unauthorized access.
  
  
• Detects insecure APIs: Many mobile apps rely on third-party APIs for functionality. MAST checks that these APIs are secure, have proper authentication and do not expose sensitive data.
  
  
• Prevents data leaks: With mobile apps, data leakage is a common problem—whether through insecure storage, insecure transmission, or improper app behavior. MAST helps detect these risks and provides recommendations for securing data flow.
  
  
• Mitigates reverse engineering and code tampering: Mobile apps are often reverse-engineered by attackers who seek to modify the app’s code or steal its assets. MAST can identify code obfuscation issues and recommend measures to protect the app’s code from tampering.
  
  
• Weak authentication and authorization: Poorly implemented authentication and authorization mechanisms can allow unauthorized access to mobile apps. MAST checks for flaws such as weak passwords, insecure token storage, and session management vulnerabilities.

Web Application Firewall

WAF is a security system designed to monitor, filter, and block malicious HTTP/HTTPS traffic to and from a web application. It sits between the web server and the client (usually users’ browsers) and acts as a barrier to protect the web application from a variety of attacks and threats.

Key functions of WAF:

• Traffic filtering: WAFs analyze all incoming traffic to the web application and filter out malicious requests that may exploit vulnerabilities in the app.
  
  
• Request monitoring: They also inspect each HTTP request and response to detect malicious activities, such as code injections, XSS, and unauthorized access attempts.
  
  
• Rate limiting: Some WAFs can restrict the number of requests from a particular source to prevent denial-of-service (DoS) or brute-force attacks.
  
  
• Blocking attacks: When a malicious request is detected, the WAF can either block it, redirect it, or return an error message to the attacker.
  
  
• Customizable rules: WAFs allow administrators to create custom security rules that specifically address the needs of the application and its threat environment.

Benefits of WAF:

• Protection against web application attacks: WAFs are designed to protect against common web application attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), file inclusion, and CSRF. These are some of the most prevalent types of attacks targeting web applications today.
  
  
• Mitigation of zero-day exploits: WAFs can provide protection against newly discovered vulnerabilities (zero-day exploits) in applications by blocking suspicious traffic or malicious patterns before they can reach the vulnerable application.
  
  
• Protection from DDoS attacks: While not a complete solution for large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, WAFs can help mitigate smaller DDoS attempts by filtering malicious traffic, blocking IP addresses, or throttling excessive requests.
  
  
• Layered security: A WAF adds an extra layer of security to an application, sitting between the external traffic and the application itself. This enhances the overall security posture of the application and helps with the defense-in-depth strategy.
  
  
• Reduced risk of data breaches: By filtering out harmful traffic, WAFs can prevent attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches, theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP)

RASP is a security solution that protects applications by monitoring them in real-time. It is designed to understand the app’s internal processes and remove threats as they happen, providing a layer of defense that other tools might miss. This makes it a smart, in-the-moment security measure that adapts to the unique needs of the application.

The tool works by embedding security features into the application at the runtime level. It operates as part of the application itself (often within the server-side environment) and can detect vulnerabilities and attacks during execution. This could include:

• Monitoring system calls
• Inspecting data inputs/outputs
• Analyzing request and response flows
• Assessing application logic and behavior

Benefits of RASP:

• Real-time protection: Unlike traditional security systems that monitor external traffic or rely on pre-defined signatures, RASP provides the application during its execution, offering protection in real-time.
  
  
• Contextual awareness: Because RASP is integrated within the application, it provides more granular and context-aware security; it understands how the application is supposed to behave and has information about the current state of the application and what data and code is affected.
  
  
• Automatic threat mitigation: RASP can automatically block or mitigate threats without requiring manual intervention. For instance, if an attack is detected, it can prevent the malicious activity from proceeding and notify security teams.
  
  
• Zero-day protection: RASP goes beyond traditional signature-based detection by focusing on the behavior of the application. Instead of relying solely on predefined attack patterns, it can identify and respond to unusual activities within the app, making it capable of detecting and blocking zero-day attacks or any other threats that haven’t been previously recognized.
  
  
• Reduced false positives: Since RASP operates within the application and understands its expected behavior, it can reduce false positives that might occur in traditional network-based security systems.
  
  
• Easier to deploy: RASP can be added to applications without major architectural changes. This is in contrast to some other security solutions that might require major rewrites or redesigns of the application.
  
  

Application Security Best Practices

Adhering to best practices throughout the entire SDLC is key to minimizing the risk of security vulnerabilities. Below are some essential security best practices to keep in mind.

Perform Threat Assessment

Threat assessment is a critical component of any comprehensive security strategy. It enables organizations to identify potential attack vectors and prioritize threats based on likelihood, severity, and overall impact.

So, how do you conduct a threat assessment? Here are some key steps to follow:

1. Map potential threats:

• Identify assets: Begin by cataloging all critical assets—this includes sensitive data, intellectual property, intellectual infrastructure, and systems essential for operations. This will give you a clear picture of what you need to protect.
  
  
• Identify threat actors: Who might try to attack the system? This could be internal or external actors such as cybercriminals, disgruntled employees, hackers, competitors, or nation-state actors. Each threat actor has different motivations and resources.
  
  
• List threat scenarios: Consider all possible attack scenarios, such as data breaches, DDoS attacks, insider threats, ransomware, or physical attacks on infrastructure. Think about both common and sophisticated attacks.

2. Assess current security measures:

• Evaluate existing security tools: Review the current security posture and technologies in place, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), encryption, and access controls. Are these tools up to date and configured correctly?
  
  
• Check policies and procedures: Beyond tools, assess the organization’s security policies, such as incident response plans, user access management, and security awareness training. Are employees educated about security best practices, and is the organization prepared for potential breaches?
  
  
• Vulnerability assessment: Perform a vulnerability scan or penetration testing to identify weaknesses in the infrastructure, software, and networks. Are there unpatched systems or misconfigured components that could be exploited?

3. Identify gaps:

• Compare current defenses to identified threats: After identifying potential threats and reviewing existing security measures, compare the two. Are there security gaps where current measures fail to cover certain attack vectors or critical assets? For example, if your sensitive data resides in an unencrypted database or you have inadequate intrusion detection capabilities, these would be gaps.
  
  
• Risk assessment: Conduct a risk assessment by evaluating the likelihood and impact of each threat scenario. This helps prioritize which gaps need to be addressed first and which vulnerabilities pose the greatest risk to the organization.

4. Develop mitigation strategies:

• Address vulnerabilities: Based on the identified gaps, implement countermeasures like patching software, upgrading firewalls, or implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA). This step should also include setting up monitoring systems to detect suspicious activity.
  
  
• Plan for incident response: Ensure that there is a well-defined plan to detect, contain, and recover from a security breach. Simulated attack exercises (red team testing) and threat intelligence sharing with trusted partners can be part of this phase.
  
  
• Implement ongoing monitoring: Continuous monitoring of systems, networks, and applications is essential to detect emerging threats and vulnerabilities in real-time.

Shift-left Security

Shift-left security is the practice of integrating security measures earlier in the software development lifecycle (SDLC), rather than waiting until later stages, like testing or production. This approach enables development and QA teams to identify and resolve vulnerabilities sooner, reducing costs and risks. 

Here are four benefits of shift-left security:

• Early vulnerability detection: By integrating security from the start of development, you can catch vulnerabilities early on, before they grow into bigger issues later in the process.
  
  
• Cost savings: Fixing security problems early is much cheaper than dealing with them after the app is deployed. Shift-left security helps save money by preventing expensive fixes down the line.
  
  
• Faster releases: With security already built into the development process, there's less need for last-minute fixes, which speeds up the release cycle and helps get your product to market faster.
  
  
• Better collaboration: Shift-left security brings together developers, security teams, and operations, creating a more collaborative approach. It also helps developers understand security better, so they can write safer code from the start.

Here are four ways to implement shift-left security:

• Integrate security into CI/CD pipelines: Include security checks within your IDE, Git providers, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. That way, you can spot vulnerabilities early and ensure every build is secure before it moves forward.
  
  
• Adopt static and dynamic analysis tools: Use Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools early in development. SAST analyzes code before it’s executed, while DAST tests running applications. Both help identify issues early on, ensuring security is embedded in the code from the get-go.
  
  
• Developer training: Provide developers with ongoing security training so they can recognize and address potential vulnerabilities as they write code. Encouraging secure coding practices from the beginning helps reduce risks and minimizes the chances of introducing security flaws.
  
  
• Use threat modeling early: Introduce threat modeling during the design phase of development. By mapping out potential threats and attack vectors early on, teams can plan for security risks proactively, making it easier to build secure applications from the ground up.

Prioritize Vulnerabilities

Not all vulnerabilities present the same level of risk. Some may be easily exploitable with severe consequences, while others are more obscure or difficult to exploit. 

Prioritizing vulnerabilities helps organizations focus their resources on the most pressing threats, reducing the risk of major breaches or disruptions.

Best practices:

• Use CVSS scores: The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities. While it provides useful context, it shouldn't be the sole deciding factor. CVSS scores help evaluate the technical severity (e.g., ease of exploitation, impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability).
  
  
• Prioritize by business-criticality: Beyond CVSS, consider the criticality of the affected asset. For example, a vulnerability in a system that handles sensitive customer data or essential business operations should be prioritized over one in a less critical environment, even if both have similar CVSS scores.

When dealing with open-source components, CVSS scores are helpful, but they don’t always reflect the actual risk. The real risk depends on factors such as how widely the vulnerable component is used, whether it's directly exposed to the internet, and how actively it's maintained. 

Assessing the practical impact based on actual usage and exposure is crucial, rather than relying on raw CVSS numbers.

Five Common Application Security Threats and Mitigation Strategies

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the security of web applications. One of its most popular and influential projects is the OWASP Top 10, a standard awareness document for developers on web application security. It represents a broad array of the most critical security risks to web applications based on data analysis from web sources and community feedback.

These five vulnerabilities were highlighted on the OWASP list as key security concerns. You need to know how each can hurt your business and how to effectively mitigate them in order to fully protect your business.