3 Secure Methodologies to Create A Secure Application

Nowadays, application security is one of the things that can make or break an entire company. This is because ignoring security issues can expose an organization to more risks. Furthermore, organizations store a lot of sensitive data in business applications, and the data can easily be stolen by a hacker if there is no application security in place.

This further shows that organizations that underinvest in security can end up with financial loss and a bad reputation.

Application Security Testing Methodologies

Just as the web and mobile applications grow, the vulnerabilities in a system increase as well. Hackers can now easily infiltrate into a system and steal valuable client information and consumer trust within a blink of an eye. This is why it is important to have good application security to mitigate risk at the early stages of development until the application is ready.

There is also a need for periodic assessments by application security experts to detect a threat easily. Software security methodologies are usually extensive, complex, and need specific expertise. Some of the application security testing methodologies are stated below.

Agile Security Testing

This is the process of testing where security requirements are translated into automated security test cases. By using the test-driven development this way, security tests will be created even before the system exists.

Threat Modeling Methodologies

Threat modeling is the process of identifying and enumerating the potential cyber threats such as the defense mechanisms or the weaknesses in a system and then provide the appropriate security mitigations. Furthermore, threat modeling helps ethical hackers to look past the list of attacks and to think about new attacks that may not have been considered.

Some of the threat models are stated below.

◉ Assets prioritized by risk

◉ Threats prioritized by likelihood

◉ Attacks most likely to occur

◉ Current countermeasures likely to succeed or fail

◉ Remediation measures to reduce the threats

Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Methodology

This methodology helps organizations develop and maintain a secure web application. OWASP system of security testing is based on the generic development model that makes it very easy for organizations to pick and choose what is suitable for their SDLC Models. Furthermore, some organizations use the OWASP security testing framework as a foundation for their security testing methodologies.

What Is the OWASP Top 10?

OWASP top 10 is an online document on the OWASP’s website that consists of ranking and remediation guidance for the 10 most critical web application security risks. The report is according to the consensus of security experts from all over the world. Furthermore, the risks are ranked based on the frequency of the discovered security defects, the magnitude of their potential impacts, and the severity of the vulnerabilities.

How Does OWASP Top 10 Work and Why Is it Important?

The OWASP top 10 list starts in the year 2003. However, every 2-3 years, the list is updated according to the advancements and the changes in the application security market.

The importance of OWASP top 10 is that it provides a key checklist and internal web application development standard for lots of organizations. Auditors also use the OWASP 10 to indicate whether or not an organization falls short of compliance standards. Furthermore, integrating the OWASP top 10 into SDLC Methodologies demonstrates an organization’s commitment to the industry’s best practices for secure development.

OWASP Top 10 Categories

◉ Injection

◉ Broken authentication

◉ Sensitive data exposure

◉ XML External Entities (XXE)

◉ Broken access control

◉ Security Misconfiguration

◉ Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

◉ Insecure deserialization

◉ Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities

◉ Insufficient Logging and Monitoring

Application security Testing Tools

It is common for software to have bugs and weaknesses. However, the prevalence of software-related problems is the reason why application security experts use application security testing (AST) tools. Some of the AST tools that are available are stated below.

◉ Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

◉ Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

◉ Origin Analysis/Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

◉ Database Security Scanning

◉ Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) and Hybrid Tools

◉ Mobile Application Security Testing (MAST)

◉ Application Security Testing as a Service (ASTaaS)

◉ Correlation tools

◉ Test-Coverage Analyzers

◉ Application Security Testing Orchestration (ASTO)

Things to Know Before Hiring an Application Security Engineer

Organizations need to employ an application security engineer that can choose the suitable SDLC model based on a project requirement. You also need to make sure the professional is knowledgeable about the secure software development process.

Furthermore, the hired experts must incorporate input validation techniques, authentications, authorizations, defense coding practices, etc. in the SDLC Models. An application security engineer must also be familiar with lots of relevant tools and have hands-on experience.

Source: eccouncil.org