When it comes to developing software applications, many people assume that it’s as simple as plug-in and go, but as developers know, there is more to applications than that. The security of your applications is vital in order to provide a safe and user-friendly experience, and this complete guide will cover some of the best practices for how you can achieve this for your application.
Software Patches And Updates
The first step to ensuring your application is secure is by providing regular software patches and updates. As technology grows and changes each year, it is imperative that you are using the latest tools and code, which will make sure you don’t have any gaps that can be exploited by malicious users or hackers looking to steal the data from your application. Many of the components in your application may be subject to licensing agreements, and it is essential that you keep on top of any updates those companies have for the aspects you are using, which will not only increase your application’s security but enhance the user experience.
Train End-Users And Developers
Security should be part of the company culture, and to produce this, you will need to provide thorough training to both the end-users of an application and the developers creating it. Awareness of security will help end-users spot problems with their processes which could lead to data breaches even with a well-maintained application. Furthermore, security training benefits developers as they will be able to establish secure coding practices and implement them into their work; this will create fewer errors in the code and reduce the number of vulnerabilities that need to be fixed at a later date.
Utilize Automation
Automation is the ideal solution for a developer as it helps to reduce the risk of human error in performing long, manual tasks. Daily security checks are among the functions that can be automated, such as configurations or firewall analytics, to provide more coverage than can be achieved when done manually, which also frees up your team so they can focus on other areas of their work. Furthermore, you could also benefit from implementing application security testing to periodically check for vulnerabilities that may have occurred due to updates or any gaps in the code that could lead to data breaches; if you’re interested in which tests you need in order to improve application security, head over to ForAllSecure for more information on application security testing.
Reduce User Permissions
A common problem in many organizations is end-users having too many permissions and access to data not relevant for their job roles. In order to remove the risk of too many people with access to aspects of the business they shouldn’t have, which could lead to accidental data leaks or leave the company open to cyber-attacks, it is imperative that you reduce the user permission. Provide end-users with only the permissions they need to perform their roles, and in the event they need access to more, it can be altered for that specific user even on a temporary basis when they are working on a unique project. This will reduce the gaps and vulnerability in your application and ensure that there are no breaches further down the line.
Create An Incident Response Plan
No matter how perfect your code or security practices are, there is always a risk of a cyber-attack or data breach, which means you need to ensure an incident response plan has been created to assist you in the event something goes wrong. An incident response plan will provide you with the perfect way to respond to any issues that occur and how to limit the damage to not only your application but the business as a whole.
Develop Detailed Security Policies
As well as having an incident response plan, you should also develop detailed security policies. Additionally, once these policies have been developed, it is good practice to create a knowledge base when they can be used by your team whenever they need to refresh their memories on specific policies or train new staff. These policies will provide the foundation for your security strategies that will allow you to create more secure applications as well as maintain security following the release to end-users.
Limit Movement With Segmentation
Creating segmentation and using it to limit movement within the network is the ideal way to reduce the damage that can be done in the event of a cyber attack. In order to do this, you will need to identify where the data is stored and create segments with limited traffic that only specific users can access, which will reduce how the likelihood of a cyber-attack being successful. End-users won’t need access to these areas of the network, which means if a weak password allows an attacker in, your application’s network is protected as the hacker’s movements will be restricted to what that user can access.
Henry Lares is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Huffington Post. In regards to academics, Henry earned an engineering degree from Apex Technical School. Henry has a passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.