How can you design web applications that align with your organization's risk tolerance?

You can engage a external security partner who can identify any vulnerability on your external facing applications and infrastructure at least every six months. So that you can remediate them as quickly as possible. These days there are security partner who have offering of continues penetration assessments on your external environments so that there is no exploits open. The key would be how fast you can remediate the vulnerability. Based on this you can create your risk tolerance.

Establishing Requirements and Constraints Translate your security objectives into specific requirements for your web applications. These requirements may include technical controls, such as encryption and access controls, as well as procedural controls, such as incident response plans and user training. Prioritizing Security Measures Prioritize your security measures based on the severity of the risks and your organization's resources. Implement the most critical measures first to address the highest-priority risks.

Assessing risk tolerance is akin to setting the navigational bearings for a ship’s journey. It involves a thorough understanding of what risks your organization can weather and those it must avoid. Utilizing frameworks like NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework offers a structured approach to gauge your cybersecurity posture. This evaluation is not just about ticking compliance checkboxes but delving into how each NIST function — (Govern), Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover — aligns with your organizational ethos. It’s about striking a balance between embracing innovation and mitigating risks, a dynamic process that adapts as new threats and business opportunities emerge.

Designing a web application entails a understanding of its objectives and use. There should be a review of the business landscape and all factors that will potentially influence its change such as resources, capabilities, identified vulnerabilities, emerging regulations for in country and cross border and privacy. Compromising controls must be assessed and provision for alternate controls should be in place. Adoption of SbD is crucial regardless of the depth of resources that an enterprise has.

Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication for user authentication. Encrypt sensitive data in transit and at rest. Regularly update your web applications with the latest security patches. Implement a vulnerability management program to identify and fix vulnerabilities.

CIA is still the simplest form of implementing principles. - Has confidentiality of data within the application maintained? e.g. Encryption in transit, rest & use - Who & how the access to application controls are maintained & managed. Authorization & Authentication for integrity purpose - Is the application critical, if so how is are maintaining your resiliency & availability.

Integrating security principles into web application design is akin to constructing a resilient fortress. Minimizing the attack surface is like meticulously planning the fort's layout to reduce vulnerabilities. Implementing defense in depth transforms your application into a multi-layered defense system. Secure coding standards represent using superior materials to fortify this digital fortress. Validating input and output ensures each access point is rigorously scrutinized, preventing any malicious entry. These practices, akin to architectural pillars, uphold the application's security integrity, crucial for aligning with organizational risk tolerance.

Utilizing security architecture tools in web application design is like employing a master architect for robust and secure structures. Threat modeling acts as the foundational blueprint, identifying potential vulnerabilities. Security design patterns provide reliable building solutions, reinforcing the application’s defenses. Security testing is the rigorous inspection, identifying and addressing flaws. Finally, security monitoring serves as an ongoing surveillance system, guarding against emerging threats. This methodical approach ensures that the application is not just secure but resilient and adaptive to evolving cyber challenges.

Threat Modelling always helps but if you are smaller organization and does not have capabilities to do threat model then keep it simpler by limiting the access to the application & ensuing encryption to begin with. Over the course of time re-determine the risk by putting application risk assessment process in place.

Use defense in depth architecture to ensure robust layers are in place for reduction in impact to the organization. Incident response is not just an IT process it should involve other key stakeholders in case of breach.

While designing any web application, engaging with a design assurance team during the entire end to end process can be fruitful in determining the gaps and fixing it before the application goes into production. A design assurance team can be independent and provide guidance on the best practices and the required security principles to be implemented as per the risk appetite of the business function. Secure by design process is helpful in building risk tolerant and resilient web applications.

In reinforcing web application security, fostering a culture of security awareness is paramount. This means instilling security consciousness from developers to executives. Regular training, keeping pace with security trends, and community engagement enhance overall security knowledge. Importantly, integrating user experience with security design ensures measures are effective yet unobtrusive. The journey towards aligning web application design with organizational risk tolerance is ongoing, requiring adaptation to the ever-evolving digital landscape.