How to Secure Your Web Application from Common Web Vulnerabilities

Businesses are using web apps extensively to interact with their clients and other stakeholders. Web applications generally are developed first and tested afterward. With the increase in cyber attacks, this approach is no longer acceptable. 

In a business setting, security is at the forefront of all web and software development processes. In this blog, we will specifically focus on securing web applications from common web functionalities.

So, let's get started.

Web application developers need to follow certain best practices to ensure that applications they develop are secure and not vulnerable to threats. We go through a list of 10 such best practices.

You should keep web application security at the top of priority list at the development stage itself. Test the robustness of your web application by sending various input types to see if the system behaves erratically. 

Make use of static application security tests (SAST), dynamic application security tests (DAST), and Penetration Tests (PT). By maintaining security standards during development, you will save a lot of time, which can be wasted in the future.

Encryption is a common practice these days and you should also ensure that your web application data is encrypted. It is not only the most common way of protecting data while transmitting but also can be used to protect data "at rest."  

Make sure that when using APIs or Web Services, authentication plans for everyone accessing them are implemented, and data across these services should also be encrypted. 

If you have an open unsecure web application, then it can easily be identified by hackers.

SSL technology is used to ensure that data flow between server and end users is encrypted. All web applications require this technology and can be enabled by using the HTTPS protocol. 

This is needed to protect highly sensitive data like credit card numbers, social security numbers, and login credentials. If you do not use HTTPS, your web application users will be warned by the commonly used web browsers. This will give a negative signal about your web application. 

This is another development-focused security measure. You don't want to display anything more than a generic message in case of failure. If you include the actual system message as it is, it is of no use for a user.

On the other hand for hackers, such messages can give clues that they can exploit. At the development stage, you should consider only three possible outcomes, which are allowing the operation, rejecting the operation, and handling an exception.

In case of an exception or error, you can go back to rejecting the operation. This will ensure that a web application that fails securely will not allow any other operation.  

To prevent unauthorized access, passwords are the front line of defence. You should use this feature smartly as it can increase the security of your web application substantially. 

You should also ask your web application users to keep strong passwords with numbers, alphabets, special characters, etc. and change them frequently.

During the development stage, adopt a business password manager for internal use. It will create strong passwords automatically, which can be easily accessed and will not be lost. 

For your users, you should have strong password policies to reduce the level of risk. The minimum length of passwords should be eight characters and should include numbers, characters, and alphabets as mentioned above.

Cybersecurity is like an arms race with new weapons coming out with every passing year. Businesses who have an online presence have to keep up with these threats by being proactive. It is like having a military strategy.

Have a well-defined blueprint of a security plan for your web applications. You should give priority to high-risk applications. For this, have a repository of all your web applications used by you or your end users.

As threats evolve, so should your strategy to counter them. Although it may not be possible to prevent all attacks, you should certainly aim to do so. 

You may be familiar with the concept of a firewall, which is a middle ground between your system and the internet. It monitors and filters the incoming HTTP traffic. A Web Application Firewall does something similar. 

It analyzes incoming requests, blocking malicious activity and prevents SQL injections and Cross-site Scripting (XSS). It is an extra defense mechanism, but it cannot be substituted for other security layers.  

If your web application allows, make use of third-party services that can do penetration testing or vulnerability scanning. This should be in addition to your own testing efforts. 

By adding another layer of testing, you can identify a few loopholes that were never identified. 

In order to make security upgrades and have smooth routine testing, have a good policy in place. You should not fix security bugs with a specific code library when you do not know which web applications are using it. 

Your web applications should also be free from breaches which would fail any PCI or HIPAA guidelines. You should also consult experts who specialize in following these guidelines.

It is not possible to be 100% sure that there will be no successful cyber attacks on your web application/s. This is the reason why you should regularly back up your data related to the web application. 

In case of a breach, data leakage, or theft, back ups will be needed in restoring the functionality of your web application. This will allow you to get back to normal in very less time.

When a web application is being designed, you should ensure that each and every user gets as little privilege as possible to get what they need from the system. By giving minimum privilege, you will substantially reduce the chances of an intruder performing operations. 

Other measures for authentication and access control include password expiration and account lock-outs wherever applicable. Secure Sockets Layer(SSL) should be used to prevent passwords and account-related information from being sent without masking.

So, now you are aware of best practices to make your web applications secure from common web vulnerabilities. Web technology is evolving with every passing year and so are hacking attempts. This makes securing your web applications top priority and you should ensure the same.

For your IT services requirements, get in touch with ELITEX Systems.