Why is AppSec important?

Application security (AppSec) is an important component of software development. If an application is not fully secured, then the chances of losing important information and data become high. To ensure that the key information and data are intact and cannot be breached or stolen, the implementation of application security is done. Organizations are investing a good amount of money to secure their applications, so that not only the performance of the application is up to the mark, but the brand image of the business is also good, which will, in turn, build trust among customers. In this article, you will get to know why application security is important.  

What is Application Security (AppSec)?

It is the process of adding, developing, and testing an application’s security features so that security vulnerabilities can be prevented against threats such as modification and authorized access. An application’s security weaknesses are found and fixed.

It is a set of best practices, functions, and features that are added to an organization’s software so that threats can be prevented from data breaches, cyber attackers, and other illegitimate sources. There are different kinds of application security devices, services, and programs an organization can use based on its security framework. Data encryption, antivirus systems, and firewalls are just a few examples through which unauthorized users are prevented from entering a system.

The need for organizations to take a solid approach towards building a secure application:

As per some of the top industry research reports, external attacks are common on an application that is weak in terms of security and vulnerabilities in the software. The platform of web applications is most targeted. Organizations must put in a sizeable amount of investment in securing their IT infrastructure and systems.

As per a research report, the amount of investment for securing applications compared to the risk involved is low. There is a gap between the level of risk involved for an application and the investment being done by the organizations to secure applications. 

The strategic importance of application security:

1. Valuable application security tools: Security scanning tools and runtime protection tools are considered to be highly important. When applications are in the development stages, security testing tools are used, so that vulnerabilities can be remediated. Applications are tested in the build and design stages. The focus is on identifying applications’ vulnerabilities and fixing them before they are moved into a production environment. Software composition analysis, IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing), DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing), and SAST (Static Application Security Testing) are used. 

When the applications are in the production stage, runtime protection tools are implemented. An extra layer of protection is provided by runtime protection tools. They are designed in order to protect from malicious threats, while the application is in the production environment. To defend against attacks, a real-time environment is used. RASP (Runtime Application Self Protection), bot management, WAF (Web Application Firewalls) are some of the tools used.

2. Security weaknesses and software vulnerabilities are tactically and perfectly handled: There is an increasing trend towards conducting illegitimate attacks on those software applications that have flaws in their security mechanism. Most of these incidents happen at the application layer and hence application security testing needs to be performed. 

By implementing application security testing measures, vulnerabilities in the software application can be identified and thus dealt with in the early stages of the software development life cycle, before they might get into the trap of a security breach or cyber attack.    

Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing application security for your specific project, then do get connected with a globally acclaimed software testing services company that will provide you with a tactical implementation roadmap that is in line with your project-specific requirements.