Application security refers to the security measures at the application level designed to prevent data or code theft or hijacking within the application. It encompasses the security considerations that need to be taken into account when developing and designing applications, as well as the systems and approaches to protect applications after they are deployed.
Application security can include hardware, software, and procedures that identify or minimize security vulnerabilities. A router that hides a computer's IP address from the internet can be considered a form of hardware-based application security. However, security measures implemented at the application level are also often integrated into the software. For example, an application firewall that strictly defines which activities are allowed and which are prohibited. Procedures may involve tasks such as an application security routine that includes protocols like regular testing.
Application security refers to the process of developing, adding, and testing security features within applications to prevent security vulnerabilities against threats such as unauthorized access and modifications.
Application security is important because today's applications are often available over multiple networks and connected to the cloud, which increases vulnerabilities to security threats and dangers. There is increasing pressure and incentives to ensure security not only at the network level but also within the applications themselves. One reason is that hackers are more interested than ever in attacking applications. Conducting application security tests can reveal weaknesses in applications and help prevent such attacks.
Application security is not a single technology but a set of best practices, features, and/or characteristics added to a company's software to help prevent and resolve threats from cybercriminals, data breaches, and other dangers.
There are several types of application security programs, services, and devices that a company can use. Firewalls, antivirus software, and data encryption are just a few examples to prevent unauthorized users from entering a system. If a company wants to protect specific and confidential data sets, it can establish unique application security policies for those resources.
Application security can occur at various stages, but best practices are most often established during the application development phases. However, companies can also leverage different tools and services post-development. In general, there are hundreds of security tools available to companies, each serving unique purposes. Some reinforce code changes, others monitor emerging threats in the code, while others establish data encryption. Additionally, companies can choose more specialized tools for different types of applications.
Benefits of application security
Companies rely on applications for virtually everything they do, so keeping them secure is non-negotiable. Here are several reasons why companies should invest in application security:
Companies know that general data center security is important, but few have well-defined application security policies to keep up with cybercriminals and even stay one step ahead. In fact, the Veracode State of Software Security Report shows that 83% of all tested applications (about 85,000) had at least one security flaw. In total, Veracode found 10 million flaws, indicating that most applications had a significant number of security breaches.
The existence of these security flaws is quite concerning, but what's even more concerning is when companies lack the necessary tools to prevent these flaws from leading to security breaches. For an application security tool to be successful, it needs to both identify vulnerabilities and resolve them quickly before they become a problem.
But IT managers need to go far beyond these two main tasks. Identifying and fixing security breaches is the daily grind for application security staff, but as cybercriminals develop more sophisticated techniques, companies need to stay several steps ahead with modern security tools. Threats are becoming harder to detect and more harmful to businesses, which cannot afford outdated security strategies.
Currently, companies have various options for application security products, most of which fall into one of the following two categories: security testing tools (an established market intended to analyze the state of their application security) and "shielding" security tools, which protect and reinforce applications to make breaches much more difficult to execute.
Within security testing products, there are even more specific categories. First, there are static application security testing tools, which monitor specific points of the code during the application development process, helping developers ensure they do not inadvertently create security gaps during the development process.
Second, there are dynamic application security testing tools, which detect security breaches in running code. This method can simulate an attack on a production system and help developers and engineers defend against more sophisticated attack strategies. Both static and dynamic testing are valuable, so the emergence of a third type, interactive testing, which combines the benefits of both, is no surprise.
Lastly, mobile application security testing tools, as their name suggests, detect gaps in mobile environments. This method is unique because it can study how an attacker uses the mobile operating system to breach the system and the applications running on it.
Moving on to application "shielding." As mentioned, tools in this category are designed to shield applications from attacks. Although it sounds ideal, it is a less established practice, especially compared to testing tools. Nonetheless, the main subcategories within this type of tool are outlined below.
First, we have runtime application self-protection (RASP), which combines testing and protection strategies. These tools monitor the behavior of applications in both desktop and mobile environments. RASP services allow developers to stay informed about the security status of applications through frequent alerts and can even shut down an application if the entire system is at risk.
Second and third, code/application obfuscation and encryption/anti-tampering software are two categories that essentially serve the same purpose: preventing cybercriminals from breaching the application's code.
Lastly, threat detection tools analyze the environment in which applications run. This category of tools can assess the state of that environment, detect potential threats, and even check if a mobile device has been compromised due to unique "fingerprints" of the device.
The main vulnerabilities in applications are: code injection, incorrect authentication and authorization, exposure of sensitive data, buffer overflow, configuration security vulnerabilities, and cryptography issues. Below, we explain in more detail what these implications mean for your company's applications.
Despite their convenience, there are drawbacks when it comes to relying on web applications for businesses. One thing all business owners must recognize and protect against is the presence of software vulnerabilities and threats to web applications.
While there is no 100% guarantee of security, some steps can be taken to avoid harm. If you are using CMS, the hacked report by SUCURI shows that over 50% of websites are infected with one or more vulnerabilities.
If you are new to web applications, here are some common threats you should be aware of and avoid:
As we have seen, major application vulnerabilities can compromise your customers' security and hinder your company's growth by lacking both local and international regulatory frameworks. Below are some tools and ways to prevent cyber-attacks:
There are different types of application security features, such as authentication, authorization, encryption, logging, and application security testing. Developers can also code applications to reduce security vulnerabilities.
Software developers can integrate authentication and authorization procedures into applications to ensure that only authorized users access them. Authentication procedures verify the identity of users. This is achieved by requiring users to provide a username