How To Ensure Application Security
As more and more companies are moving their operations online due to digital transformation, the need to secure becomes more pressing. In fact, many organizations do their best to protect their cloud from data breaches and malicious insiders, but often neglect application security.
However, the truth is that application security is just as important, if not more so, than other types of security. Applications are being attacked now more than ever, precisely because attackers have learned that application security is not the focus of most companies.
While apps are often the target of attacks, that doesn’t mean application security is difficult to implement. In fact, most organizations can prevent most app security breaches by just adopting a few basic security practices. Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s delve deeper into the world of application security.
What is application security?
Application security is the use of software, processes, and hardware to protect applications from external and internal threats. Application security is designed to make it difficult or impossible for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in an application.
In other words, the goal of application security is to ensure that applications can be used safely even in the face of attacks. This includes everything from protecting an application’s code and data to ensuring that the application is available when users need it.
Why application security matters
Applications are an incredibly convenient way to offer a service to customers. They can be used to book a hotel room, order a product, or even transfer money from a mobile device. The fact that they’re so convenient is exactly why they’re such a big target for attackers.
Because applications store sensitive data and often have access to critical systems, they can be incredibly valuable to attackers. A breach of an application can result in the loss of customer data, financial damage and even reputational damage.
Application security is important because it can help prevent attackers from causing serious damage to an organization. Not to mention that the need for application security is becoming more pressing as more businesses go online.
Best practices to ensure application security
Now that we’ve established why application security is important, it’s time to talk about some best practices for ensuring it. While there is no magic bullet when it comes to application security, these tips can help you make your app more secure.
Conduct regular security tests
One of the best things you can do to ensure application security is to regularly test your app for vulnerabilities. This allows you to identify and fix problems before attackers can exploit them.
There are many different types of security testing, but some of the most common are penetration testing, application scanning, and code reviews. Regular testing allows you to ensure that your application is as secure as possible.
Use a web application firewall
Another great way to ensure application security is to use a Web Application Firewall (WAF). A WAF is software that sits between your app and the internet and filters traffic for malicious requests.
By using a WAF, you can even prevent attackers from reaching your app, not to mention any vulnerabilities that may exist. Not to mention, a WAF can also help protect your app from Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.
Implement access control measures
Another important security measure is the implementation of access control measures. This means that you should carefully control who has access to your app and what they can do in the app.
One option is to use an authentication system like OAuth to control who can log into your app. Additionally, authorization allows you to control what users can do once they are logged in. By implementing these measures, you can make it significantly more difficult for attackers to gain access to your app.
Encrypt sensitive data
Another best practice to ensure application security is to encrypt sensitive data. This means that you should use a cryptographic algorithm to encrypt the data in a way that makes it unreadable without the key.
Encrypting data is important because it can help prevent attackers from accessing sensitive information, even if they are able to breach your app. By encrypting data, you can make it significantly more difficult for attackers to do harm.
Conclusion
Application security is important because it can help prevent attackers from causing serious damage to an organization. There are many different best practices for ensuring application security, but some of the most important are conducting regular security tests, using a web application firewall, and encrypting sensitive data. By following these best practices, you can help ensure your app is as secure as possible.