Contact us anytime to know more — Kuldeep K., Founder & CEO CISIN
These serious cybersecurity threats are increasing in severity every day. It is important to take all necessary precautions to protect your apps. These security features are included in many businesses' progressive web development services, which include those offered by the top Android app developers.
You can take several security measures to reduce the chance of cyber-attacks. They cannot guarantee security, but they can reduce the risk. Software engineers can be contacted to discuss cybersecurity and defense. These are our top recommendations to protect your online applications. Many companies have focused in the past two years on moving to remote work in cloud-based enterprise software systems. Application security teams had to adjust to this change and face increasing challenges.
According to The report, 43% of data breaches were caused by web application vulnerabilities in 2019. Surprisingly 79% of organizations deliberately pushed vulnerable code into production while considering their own security posture to be higher than 7/10, according to Enterprise Strategy Group research. Application security is something that businesses cannot ignore, with the average cost for data breaches at $ 3.86 million. These numbers have risen by 12% in the past five years.
Web applications are more vulnerable than other IT assets because they are open to the Internet. Web forms and APIs are frequently used as targets in attacks against web applications with the goal of changing user or machine input. This article will focus on web application vulnerabilities as well as the best practices to protect web applications from malicious attacks and accidental damage. To protect your web application, you can download the Security Requirements Checklist.
Web Application Vulnerabilities
Web application vulnerabilities allow attackers to modify source code, steal data, and otherwise disrupt the normal operation of an application.
The OWASP Top Ten document lists the top security threats to web applications. Let us take a look at some of the most common attack vectors.
- SQL Injection is when malicious SQL code is used to manipulate backend databases. This can lead to unauthorized data listing, deletion (or dropping) of tables, or unauthorized administrative access.
- Cross-Site Scripting is an attack on users of an application. It can be used by hackers to gain access to user accounts, infect Trojans, and modify page content to deceive or deface websites. The stored XSS variant, which is when malicious code is persistently injected into an application, is also dangerous. Reflected XSS refers to malicious scripts being reflected from an application to the browser of the user.
- Remote File Inclusion (RFI), remote injection of files to a web server. This could lead to code execution and malicious scripts in applications, compromise of web servers, and data theft.
- Cross-Site Request Forgery is an attack that can result in unwanted funds transfers, password changes or data theft. An attacker can exploit a user's open sessions to cause the browser to perform unknowing actions on a site where the user is logged in.
Secure coding practices and the sanitization of application inputs and outgoings can help protect applications from most vulnerabilities. This is not enough. Web applications are constantly being developed. Security testing must be included at every stage of the development cycle to detect and fix vulnerabilities early.
Additionally, many web applications are built using third-party open-source components that could be potentially vulnerable and should be regularly scanned.
Web Application Security Techniques & Tools
Security in applications starts with security in the project. What happens next when everything is perfect? There are generally two ways to find out more about the security of web applications. These are static and dynamic security tests. They should complement each other, not exclude them. These technologies can be used to secure your web applications from vulnerabilities and to respond to attacks, if any.
SAST
Static Application Security Testing solutions (SAST) scan your source code for security vulnerabilities and risks. Many web applications include code scanning at multiple stages of development, including when you commit new code to your codebase and during a build. SAST is usually rule-based, and scan results often include false positives. You will need to analyze and filter these results carefully to find real security problems.
To monitor security issues during development, we use SonarQube's static analysis tool. Integrating it with CI/CD pipeline is a good idea to ensure that it scans every merge/commit. SonarQube provides a visual representation that checks the security, maintainability, and reliability of the code base. It supports more than 20 programming languages. This allows it to work with most backend and frontend frameworks.
DAST
Dynamic Application Security Testing, or DAST, is a method of testing code that has been deployed to identify vulnerabilities. You can perform it manually or automatically by using specific tools. Manual testing involves working with API tools such as Burp Suite, Fiddler and Postman. Automation DAST tools send large numbers of requests to the application code. These include malicious and unexpected inputs. This is done in an attempt to find vulnerabilities. It analyzes the results and identifies security vulnerabilities. To speed up regression testing, we used OwaspZap after a thorough manual security analysis. While scanners cannot replace human creativity, root cause analysis or the ability to think outside of the box, they can perform routine tasks at an even faster pace and volume.
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is a security method that uses dynamic scanning tools in conjunction with human security expertise to identify security gaps in web applications. Pentesters are real threat actors. They exploit vulnerabilities, gain unauthorized access, steal data and disrupt services. They do this under contract with the web app's owner and within a defined scope. This means that they do not cause any real harm to the organization. This technique is more difficult than DAST and SAST. However, it can detect additional risks that automated tools cannot.
XDR
Extended detection and response (XDR) solutions are a new breed of security platforms that allow security teams to use one interface to detect and respond quickly to threats no matter where they may be found in the IT environment. XDR gathers security data at all levels of the security stack, including web applications, networks and private and public clouds. It uses advanced analytics and automation to detect, triage and analyze known and unknown threats. It integrates directly with security tools and can respond in real time to threats.
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What Are The Most Common Security Threats To Web Applications?
There are many attack types that can be used to attack web applications, depending on the attacker's goals and the nature of the target organization's work. These are some of the most common attack types:
- Zero-Day Vulnerability: These vulnerabilities are not known to the application's developers and therefore do not have a solution. Each year, we see more than 20,000. These attacks seek to exploit vulnerabilities quickly and then attempt to evade security vendor protections.
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): This vulnerability allows an attacker to insert client-side scripts onto a webpage to gain access to important information, impersonate the user or trick them into divulging important information.
- Sql Injection: SQi allows an attacker to exploit vulnerabilities in the way that a database executes search queries. SQi is used by attackers to access unauthorized information, alter or create new user permissions or manipulate or destroy sensitive data.
- DoS And DDoS Attacks: Attackers can overload targeted servers or their infrastructures with different types of attack traffic using a variety of vectors. Servers that are unable to process incoming requests effectively will behave slowly and ultimately deny service to legitimate users.
- Memory Corrupt: When a memory location is accidentally modified, it can lead to unexpected behavior in software. Bad actors will try to exploit memory corruption using exploits like code injections and buffer overflow attacks.
- Buffer Overload: Buffer overload is an anomaly in which software writes data to a specified space in memory called a buffer. Buffer overflow results in data being written to adjacent memory locations. This behavior might be used to introduce malicious code into the target computer's memory and perhaps lead to the development of a vulnerability.
- Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF): Cross-Site Request Forgery is a technique that tricks a victim into using their authorization or authentication to make a request. An attacker can use the account privileges to send a request pretending to be the victim. An attacker can steal, destroy, or modify sensitive information if an account is compromised. Administrators and executives, who are highly privileged accounts, are often targeted.
- Credential Stuffing: Hackers might use bots to quickly enter large amounts of stolen usernames and password combinations into a login portal for a web application. This practice can allow the attacker to access a user's account and may result in fraudulent purchases or data theft.
- Page Scraping: Attackers could also use bots in large quantities to steal content from websites. This content could be used to imitate the page owner, gain a price advantage, or for other malicious purposes.
- API Abuse: APIs (or Application Programming Interfaces) are software that allows two applications to communicate. They may be vulnerable to attackers, which could allow them to intercept sensitive data or send malicious code to one of the applications. As API usage increases, this is a more common attack. The OWASP API Top Ten List summarizes the key API security threats that organizations today face.
- Shadow APIs: Developer teams use rapid development to achieve business goals. They often create and publish APIs without notifying security teams. These APIs could expose sensitive company data. Security teams charged with protecting APIs are not aware of their existence.
- Third-Party Code Abuse: Modern web applications often use a variety of third-party tools, such as an ecommerce website that uses a third-party payment processor. An attacker may be able to exploit a weakness in these tools to steal data, stop it from working, or inject malicious code into another part of the application. Magecart attacks are an example of such an attack. They skim credit card information from payment processors. These attacks can also be called browser supply chain attacks.
- Misconfigurations Of The Attack Surface: An organization’s attack surface refers to its entire IT infrastructure that is susceptible to cyberattacks. This includes servers, devices and SaaS, as well as cloud assets that can be accessed via the Internet. The attack surface is vulnerable to attack if certain elements are not properly configured.
What Are The Most Effective Methods For Safeguarding Web Applications?
When we think about IT security, we usually think of operating system security or network security. With the increasing use of web-based applications for, well, everything, more attention is being paid to "cybersecurity," which we have been familiar with since the early 1990s and the birth of the internet.
In both daily work and personal life, web applications play a crucial role. Web applications allow individuals and businesses to simplify their lives and achieve more with fewer resources.
- They do not need a meticulously organized warehouse.
- For communication, there is no need to rely on physical mail.
- Today, the web is the main focus of most marketing initiatives.
- Customer service no longer directs you to 1-800 lines but rather to websites.
Targeting consumers and clients in new ways is possible with web apps. You can communicate with consumers and provide product support using web apps.
We transfer so much sensitive information over so many different online channels and use web applications for so many different things. We must thus take a strong stance in order to safeguard and defend this information. There is no web technology that has been proven to be completely impervious. Every day, new dangers surface that necessitate altering or enhancing defenses and web-focused security. These guidelines will help improve the caliber of web applications.
Read More: What Are The Benefits Of Outsourcing Web Development In 2023?
These Are 11 Tips For Developers To Keep Your Information Safe And Secure
#1. Web App Development
Security is a must be sure to consider security when you are developing web applications by Mobile App development companies.
#2. Be Paranoid
Require Injection & Input Validation (User Input Is Not Your Friend). Unless otherwise demonstrated, it is a prudent guideline to consider any input hostile. Input must be validated in order for the workflow of a web application to accept only properly formatted data. This stops corrupt or faulty data from processing, which could cause downstream components to malfunction.
These are some types of input validation:
- Data type validation (ensures parameters are of the correct type: text, numeric, etc).
- Data format validation (guarantees that data complies with the proper format specifications for formats like JSON as well as XML).
- Value validation for the data(verifies that parameters are inside the expected boundaries of valid value ranges as well as lengths).
There are many other aspects to input validation and injection prevention. However, it is important to remember that inputs should be validated using both a syntactical and a semantic approach. Syntactic validation must enforce correct syntax (SSN, date of birth, money, and entire numbers); however, within a particular business environment, semantic validation must enforce the accuracy and validity of their values (Low prices are less expensive than high prices, while end dates are later than start dates.).
#3. Encrypt Your Data
Encryption refers to the process of encoding information in order to make it secure from others. While encryption does not prevent data from being transmitted in an unauthorized manner, it does obscure the content for those not authorized to view it.
Encryption is the most popular method of protecting sensitive information in transit. The use of it can also be made to safeguard data that is "at rest," such as that which is kept in databases or other kinds of storage. web development services and APIs should be used with authentication. However, the data should also be encrypted when using them. Hackers are best friends with an open and unencrypted web service (and hackers have developed increasingly sophisticated algorithms to find these services quite easily).
#4. Use Exception Management
Good exception management is another security measure that is development-focused. In the event of a failure, you would not want to display more than a generic error message. The end-user is not going to benefit from the system messages being displayed verbatim. Instead, they can be used as valuable clues to potentially dangerous entities.
Consider the following three outcomes when developing.
- Let the operation go ahead.
- Reject the operation.
- Handle exceptions.
In most cases, if there is an error or exception, you will be able to reject the operation. An application that is secure will prevent operations from being unintentionally permitted. You would prefer that an ATM display a helpful notice to the user if it malfunctions (and keep the cash from falling to the ground.)
#5. Apply Authentication, Role Management & Access Control
When building a web app, it is important to implement effective account management practices like strong password enforcement and secure password recovery mechanisms. You can require users to re-authenticate while accessing private features. Making sure that every user can get the resources they require is one of the main objectives when developing a web application.
By adhering to the concept of least privilege, it will be much less likely that an attacker will carry out actions that, in some circumstances, could bring down the platform as a whole or the application in question. (Thus negatively affecting other applications on the same platform or system). Another consideration for access control and authentication is password expiration, account lockouts, where applicable, and SSL to prevent passwords or other account-related information from being exposed.
#6. Do Not Forget Hosting/Service-Focused Measures
As important as security mechanisms that are development-focused, configuration management at the service level can be crucial to ensure your web development services remain safe.
#7. Avoid Security Misconfigurations
There are numerous ways to go wrong because there are so many options for web server administration software today.
- Files/directories not being protected from being served.
- It is not possible to remove the default, temporary, or guest accounts from the website server.
- Ports should not be left open on the web server.
- Use of obsolete/defunct software libraries.
- Use of outdated security protocols.
- Digital certificates can be canceled.
A well-documented process is necessary for both setting up new websites and setting up web servers and software to support them.
Modularity in web server functionality enables increased control and security. However, you should be careful with how they are used. When managing security features and options that are more risky, be extremely careful.
#8. Implement HTTPS And Redirect All HTTP Traffic To HTTPS
Previous discussions on encryption were focused on development-focused approaches. It is a preventative measure that can be taken in order to protect information. This is usually done using HTTPS (SSL) or Secure Sockets Layer. SSL is a technology that encrypts the link between a browser and a web server. This protects the privacy of the data that is passed between browsers and web servers. SSL is used by millions upon millions of websites. It is the industry standard to protect online transactions. A blanket SSL use is recommended, not only to protect your entire site but also because of the potential for issues with resources such as stylesheets and JavaScript if they are not referenced via HTTPS.
#9. Include Auditing & Logging
Auditing and logging at the server level is also a concern. This information is often built into content-serving software applications like IIS (Internet Information Services). If you want to view details about an action, it is simple to obtain. Logs are often the only way to determine if suspicious activity has occurred. However, logs also allow for individual accountability by tracking an individual's actions. Activity and Audit Logging, in contrast to Error Logging, are simpler to set up because they are frequently integrated into web server software. It can be used to detect unwanted activity, track the actions of end users, and review any errors that may have been missed at the code level. Logs might be required in certain cases. These cases, as you know, require the proper handling of log data.
#10. Rigorous Quality Assurance And Testing
A third-party service that is skilled in vulnerability scanning or penetration testing can be a great option if your circumstances permit. These specialized services can be very cost-effective. It is better to be cautious than sorry. You do not have to rely solely on your internal quality assurance process for every web application that you use. It is always a good idea to add another layer of testing in order to spot any holes that were not identified using other methods of testing.
Security upgrades and routine testing will go more smoothly if there is a clearly defined and repeatable process. Also, a detailed inventory of all web apps and their locations will help. Not knowing which online applications use a certain code library while trying to fix security issues with it can be irritating. Online applications must be safe and free from any security holes or flaws that might contravene PCI or HIPAA regulations. You should ensure that you are following these guidelines in your design and approach. You should always consult an expert in adhering to these guidelines to ensure that you are fully prepared to respond to attacks and to follow all rules set forth by the governing agencies.
#11. Stay Positive And Keep Up With The Bad Guys
We frequently bring up cybersecurity when speaking with others. We often use military analogies. New tactics and attacks are continually being developed and constantly evolving threats. The online presence of businesses must be vigilant to avoid being hacked. Similar to an effective military plan, cybersecurity depends on being proactive.
A security plan should be clearly defined for all sensitive web applications. Prioritizing high-risk applications is one way to do this. This can be made easier if your company has an inventory of all web applications it uses or provides to its customers. Your approach to security threats changes as well. It is important to be vigilant about the increasing sophistication of adversaries as well as the ever-expanding weaknesses that we use web applications to solve our most difficult business problems.
While you cannot expect to avoid all attacks, it is possible to build your own intelligence to help you meet the challenge. Engage your leadership and ensure you have sufficient resources to create an active defense that can detect and respond to security threats and hazards.
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How CISIN Secures Web Applications
External breaches are still a major concern. The complexity of security teams is only increasing due to open source, API and containers. Companies are beginning to realize the importance of integrating security into the development phase. In order to keep the development of online applications secure from vulnerabilities, CISIN is dedicated to remaining up-to-date on new tools and methodologies. To find out additional information regarding how our development team can help you, contact us for software development services for mobile applications or other services.
