Web Application Security Solution

In this day and age of cyber-attacks, you must secure all of your data at all times. We don’t know what sensitive data can be exposed. In order to secure our data, we remember to install firewalls and antiviruses, but forget about securing our web applications and services. 

So, how do we go about protecting our web applications?

What is Web Application Security? 

The process of protecting our online services, websites, and web applications against malware and cyber threats is known as web application security. These threats target numerous web applications like content management systems like WordPress, SaaS Applications like Zoom, or Administration tools like phpMyAdmin and exploit their code.  

When organizations fail to safeguard their web applications, they risk highly sensitive data belonging to their customers open to interpretation and exploitation. This leads to information theft, revoked licenses, and damaged client relationships. 

Web Application Security Issues and Solutions

Without proper disinfection, organizations leave their apps open to vulnerabilities, which can lead to a number of problems. But in order to avoid these problems, it is necessary to pinpoint the vulnerable locations and acknowledge ways to mitigate them.

Web Application Vulnerabilities

Here are some of the attack vectors that lead to Web Application Vulnerabilities:

SQL injection

When hackers use harmful SQL code to manipulate backend data, they reveal this SQL code exposure present in your web application. This malicious code helps them disclose all kinds of sensitive information. Leaving this vulnerability unchecked can lead to fatal consequences for your organization like deletion of important info and erasure of sensitive data.  

Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF)

An attack that may lead to unauthorized fund transfers, altered passwords, or data theft is known as Cross-Site Request Forgery. This occurs when a malicious web application forces a user’s browser to execute an unintended action on a site where the user is already logged in.

Remote File Inclusion 

A hacker employs this type of attack to remotely inject a file onto a web application server, potentially leading to the execution of malicious scripts or code within the application, along with manipulation or data theft.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Cross-site scripting is an injection attack aimed at users to gain access to accounts, release Trojans, or change page content. Stored XSS happens when malicious code is directly injected into an application. Reflected XSS occurs when a malicious script is bounced off an application and onto a user’s browser.

Web Application Security Solutions

Web application security is a dynamic, ever-changing field, that adapts as new vulnerabilities and threats emerge. Now, what should we do to mitigate the vulnerabilities listed above? Here are some ways that will work for your organization and work as web application security solutions:

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Traffic suspected to or known to exploit web application vulnerabilities is filtered by WAFs. They are necessary as new vulnerabilities can emerge rapidly and discreetly, making it challenging for most organizations to spot them on their own. 

DDoS Mitigation

These services are positioned between the public internet and servers. They use specialized filtering and high bandwidth capacity to prevent surges of malicious traffic from overwhelming the server.

API Gateways

Sometimes there are shadow APIs that go neglected by strong systems, and API gateways detect these sneaky monsters. They also block traffic targeting API vulnerabilities and assist in managing and monitoring API traffic. 

Client-Side Security

This security is necessary as your clients are the most important part of your business. It involves monitoring for new third-party JavaScript dependencies and changes in third-party code, enabling companies to detect cyber-attacks more quickly.

Bot-Management 

With the use of AI bots, you utilize machine learning techniques to distinguish between human users and automated traffic, effortlessly prohibiting automated bots from accessing your web services. 

Web Application Security Checklist

When you’re attempting to secure your web applications, here’s a checklist you can follow in order to ensure that you add the best web application security solutions:

Gather Information

• Review all applications manually.
• Identify entry points and client-side codes.
• Classify third-party hosted content.

Recheck Authorizations

• Test for path traversals.
• Check vertical and horizontal access control issues.
• Verify for missing authorization and insecure direct object references

Enable Cryptography

• Ensure secure data transmissions.
• Confirm specific data encryption.
• Evaluate for weak algorithms and randomness errors.

Effectively Secure All Your Applications

When you add this checklist to your application development and deployment, you can effortlessly add security to your applications. Additionally, effective tools for attack surface management should also offer a centralized platform to map your attack surface, identify potential security risks, and mitigate those risks with a few clicks. So, ensure that you install all necessary tools and systems before inviting guests to your business.