Having a secure web application isn’t just ideal for protecting your users, but it also makes business sense. After all, preventing security breaches can save your company thousands or millions of dollars in fines and fees.
But how do you secure web applications? These are just a few steps we recommend regularly taking to protect your app and its users.
Since user accounts are particularly vulnerable to tampering by hackers, it’s essential to have multiple authentication and authorization measures in place.
Multi-factor authentication is becoming a standard security measure for web applications because it protects user accounts from being compromised. Some of the most popular ways of implementing MFA include:
RBAC assigns permissions to specific roles rather than individual users. While they can gain permissions associated with their roles over time, using RBAC reduces the likelihood of attackers gaining unauthorized access through a user account with too many permissions.
Code obfuscation tools make your code harder for attackers and the decompiling tools they use to understand it. There are multiple forms of code obfuscation that you can implement during web application security testing and other parts of the development process:
Whether you’re building applications to sell or as an internal part of your business, there are likely trade secrets you don’t want falling into the hands of hackers. By securing your app in the earliest iterations of the security development lifecycle (SDL), you can take a proactive approach to building secure software while reducing development costs.
This form of data encryption protects data sent between two networks or services when it’s most vulnerable. Encryption in transit ideally protects data from being intercepted and compromised by attackers who may be “listening in” on the communications.
Encryption at rest protects stored data by converting it into code. This code can only be decrypted with a secret key that the user has access to. This type of encryption is usually performed on devices or in backup media.
Sometimes, the most basic security measures are the most effective. Regularly applying updates for both your proprietary and open-source components goes a long way toward protecting your application.
Many of the most infamous security breaches began because developers or digital security teams waited too long to apply patches. If your application uses open-source components, implement security patches as soon as they become available.
Doing so can keep your app from becoming the next Equifax.
Most applications utilize at least some open-source components in their source code, as this can save hundreds of hours during the development process. However, not all open-source or third-party libraries are created equal.
Some open-source libraries aren’t well-maintained or are more likely to be exploited by attackers because they lack sufficient accountability measures. Utilize libraries with licenses from reputable organizations, such as the Open Source Initiative, to ensure that your open-source components are safe and legitimate.
Your user inputs are among the most vulnerable parts of your application. Validation and sanitization measures make it easier to protect them.
Input validation is essential for ensuring your application’s API protects your users’ information just as much as the app itself. By requiring input validation for your app, you add another layer of security to your API traffic and protect the vulnerable endpoints of your API.
This prevents users from entering invalid data into your app’s fields and makes it more difficult for attackers to exploit them to gain unauthorized access.
This protective method converts potentially dangerous characters in your user input into a safe format before loading them onto the webpage. This can prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) or injection attacks.
Output encoding should be performed before your content is sent to the target interpreter. By being precise with the timing of this action, you can keep your program safe without interfering with how the content behaves in other parts of your app.
Utilizing the secure attribute for your cookies protects your users from having their activity observed by unauthorized parties. It prevents browsers from transmitting cookies over unencrypted channels.
This is especially important for applications that handle sensitive data, such as banking or healthcare information. By implementing session timeout rules in your application, you prevent users from accidentally exposing their data when they use it on a public device or network. This protects them from data theft and makes it harder for attackers to use spyware on their accounts.
Consistent and frequent security testing for web applications is crucial to protecting users and maintaining a good reputation. We recommend performing these tests on your application to ensure that your security measures are working effectively.
Whether you conduct it internally or recruit the work of a third-party white hat, performing penetration tests allows you to simulate a cyberattack. Penetration tests will enable you to check your application’s system for vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.
Conducting security scans automatically makes it easy to establish a habit of remediating and securing issues early and often. Plenty of different tools are available to help you scan for potential vulnerabilities in your proprietary or open-source code.
For example, tools like Kiuwan allow you to conduct both static application security testing and software composition analysis tests. This program can be used in conjunction with PreEmptive to protect all aspects of your application.
Your users are the first line of defense for your application. This applies to both privately available apps, such as those you distribute through the Play Store or App Store, and those you distribute directly. Everyone has a role in protecting your application—nobody is exempt.
Whenever you onboard a new employee, they should be immediately required to undergo and complete security training either shortly before or right after they start using your app. You should also provide regular practices for employees and users so they know how to recognize and report potential threats.
Take a DevSecOps approach to your coding practices from the beginning of the software development lifecycle to help your application stay safe. Some steps you can take for secure coding practices include:
PreEmptive makes it easy to protect your code from the outset of the software development process. Request a free trial today to see how easy it is to protect your apps from hackers and reverse engineering.