A business’s success relies heavily on web applications. That’s why several companies nowadays count entirely on web apps to provide a SaaS product for other customers and develop applications for internal use.
Can you envision this 21st century without web and mobile apps? Hard to digest, right? Undoubtedly, these web apps have pervasively entered into this digital world, making it impossible for any digital process to exist without them.
Robust security measures are important to boost web applications’ security due to the surge in malicious hackers. Knowing these web application security techniques will not only impede cyber criminals but also keep you informed about the ongoing hazards while safeguarding your company. Over 63% of every security incident ensues due to weak passwords or swiped login credentials, whereas over 77% pertains to exploiting programming mistakes through injection assaults.
Follow the below-mentioned 7 strategies if you want to improve web application security and thwart hacking attempts.
- Protect your Login Pages using SSL Encryption
- Create a Strong Security Strategy
- Scan your Website for Susceptibility
- Create App Control Guidelines
- Have a Top-notch Password Policy
- Frequently Backup your Data
- Utilize Exception Management
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Protect your Login Pages using SSL Encryption
To maintain the safety of your website, a URL with the padlock symbol of SSL certificate installation is important. HTTPS encrypts the information transmitted from your browser to the web server and thwarts a third party from accessing it while in motion.
Therefore, all attempts to snatch the data will be futile if a cybercriminal tries to intercept it. But if your website doesn’t possess a legit SSL, the search engines will flag your site as insecure, which deters your visitors from visiting.
In such cases, browsers notify users not to send any passwords or payment details in these circumstances. Consider implementing a Wildcard SSL certificate for comprehensive protection for all subdomains.
Create a Strong Security Strategy
Every organization must have a strengthened web application security strategy, which includes all necessary steps and assistance in tackling data safety for your business. So, consider implementing these areas in your strategy to improve web application security:
- Share guidelines and policies
Each employee must comprehend their responsibilities in adhering to the norms about the company’s security.
- Investigate access controls
According to the guidelines, access to information should be obstructed. Therefore, performing daily internal audits will help detect any anomalies.
- Patch applications
In case your company needs the required resources to upgrade software constantly, it would be better to implement an app patch management procedure regardless of how intricate or time-consuming it might be. Once you’re done installing the updates, ensure they’re properly checked prior to implementation to steer clear of potential errors with compatibility and availability.
- Impede third-party access
Phishing is the most common web application security threat. All you need to do is keep tabs on finding out and avoiding these attacks.
Scan your Website for Susceptibility
Safety investigations and scans must be performed daily to stay on top of the game of web application security. You must conduct scanning on your sites at least once a week. Moreover, execute scans after every nominal to major changes you make to your web application.
It’s worth understanding that safety scanners, even if the top-notch ones, may not spot every vulnerability as the scanners are either pattern-oriented or heuristic, but malware or adware are engineered to be deceptive from scanners.
Create App Control Guidelines
The utilization of third-party applications brings additional intricacy to your web app ecosystem. Unfortunately, it also instigates potential susceptibility because of the need for more support for standard guidelines or direct access to your business’s infrastructure.
Implementing application control regulations, which software may regularly impose, is one of the best ways to ensure that only essential additions are utilized. The first step is to see if they adhere to particular guidelines based on usability, security, and compliance while deploying brand-new applications. If not, consider altering the third-party substances with internal fixes or finding a highly secured alternative that fulfills the company’s needs.
Prior to implementing any app into your web ecosystem, perform a risk evaluation for every component using the below-mentioned characteristics:
- Capability of reconfiguring without interfering with functionality.
- Capability of patching by implementing modifications from reliable sources, for example, supplier websites or source code archive sites.
- Capability of maintaining the necessary number of parallel configurations successfully.
- Capability of thwarting untamed augmentation of configuration alterations and managing changes based on approved guidelines.
- Capability of evaluating, administering, and enforcing granular access rights for web apps utilized by internal users and external patterns.
Have a Top-notch Password Policy
While considering web application security and how to improve it, top-notch password policies are part and parcel of it. Several businesses these days have ethical password norms to strengthen their online safety. With these password guidelines, innumerable websites, programs, and databases remain password-protected by the owners. Consequently, people often end up applying a similar password everywhere to ensure they will remember the login credentials.
The 21st century’s hackers have outwitted website owners by using automated brute-forcing software to see whether the websites are susceptible. Hence, to safeguard against brute force, you should always utilize intricate and distinct passwords, having a proper blend of upper and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers. Besides setting a hard-to-guess password, you may also consider using 2FA, as it will incorporate an additional layer of safety for your accounts.
Frequently Backup your Data
Preserving an up-to-date version of your website would be beneficial if a hacking attack or malware infection occurred and you had to reconstruct your website. You’ll be delighted you had it stashed away when the time comes to resume living.
As a result, periodically backup your files. It’s important to remember that nearly every host supplier offers backups from their computer systems in case of a breach.
Utilize Exception Management
Last but not least, a development-oriented safety technique uses proper exception management. You would never like to demonstrate anything instead of a generic error text during a failure.
The end-user is not served by including the exact system notifications verbatim; rather, it is an essential asset for possibly hazardous organizations. Therefore, while developing, you must consider these three outcomes from a safety point of view:
- Allowing the operation
- Rejecting the operation
- Tackling an exception
You will often return to refusing the operation in the event of a special circumstance or problem. Activities won’t be mistakenly permitted if a program crashes safely. For instance, you might want an ATM that shows a straightforward, amiable text to the user rather than spew cash all over the place if it malfunctions.
Conclusion
In addition to preventing third-party hackers from accessing your IT infrastructure, having robust web application security measures in place can also assist you in staying mindful of current vulnerabilities, implementing suitable protections, and defending your company from WATs and API threats.
