How to Build and Effective Application Security Program for Your Business

Application security (AppSec) is the practice of protecting your software applications from various threats and vulnerabilities that could compromise their integrity, confidentiality, or availability. AppSec is not only a technical issue, but also a business issue, as it affects the reputation, trust, and value of your products and services. Therefore, it is essential for business leaders to understand the importance of getting the AppSec program right and to support it with adequate resources and commitment.

In this article, we will cover some of the most important aspects of building an effective AppSec program for your modern tech business, based on the best practices and recommendations from the industry and the security community.

1. Assess you current state and set your goals

The first step in building an AppSec program is to evaluate where you are now, identify the gaps and risks in your software development lifecycle (SDLC), and set your goals and priorities for improvement. You can use frameworks and tools such as the OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM) or the Microsoft Agile Secure Development Lifecycle to help you with this process. You should also consider the following factors:

• The size, complexity, and diversity of your applications and technologies
• The business impact and criticality of your applications
• The regulatory and compliance requirements for your industry and market
• The budget, resources, and skills available for your AppSec program
• The culture, mindset, and awareness of your development and security teams

2. Establish a paved road secure development lifecycle

A paved road secure development lifecycle is a concept that aims to make the easiest way of developing software also the most secure way. It involves creating a culture of collaboration and partnership between the development and security teams, and providing them with the tools, processes, and guidance to build security into every stage of the SDLC. A paved road secure development lifecycle should include the following elements:

• Security requirements and design: Define and document the security objectives, standards, and best practices for your applications, and incorporate them into the design and architecture of your software.
• Security testing and verification: Perform various types of security testing and verification activities throughout the SDLC, such as code reviews, static analysis, dynamic analysis, penetration testing, and vulnerability scanning, to identify and fix security issues as early as possible.
• Security deployment and operations: Implement security controls and measures to protect your applications in the production environment, such as encryption, authentication, authorization, logging, monitoring, patching, and incident response.
• Security education and awareness: Provide regular and relevant security training and awareness programs for your development and security teams, as well as other stakeholders, to improve their security knowledge and skills, and to foster a security culture.

3. Leverage security champions and automation

One of the key challenges of implementing an AppSec program is to scale it with the increasing velocity and complexity of software development. To overcome this challenge, you should leverage two powerful strategies: security champions and automation.

Security champions are developers who have a special interest and expertise in security, and who act as the liaisons and advocates for security within their development teams. They can help you to:

• Promote and enforce the security standards and best practices
• Educate and mentor their peers on security topics and techniques
• Identify and escalate security issues and risks
• Communicate and collaborate with the security team

Automation is the use of tools and technologies to automate and streamline the security tasks and processes in the SDLC, such as testing, verification, deployment, and operations. Automation can help you to:

• Increase the speed and efficiency of security activities
• Reduce the human errors and inconsistencies
• Improve the coverage and quality of security testing
• Provide continuous feedback and visibility

4. Measure and improve your AppSec program

The last but not least aspect of building an effective AppSec program is to measure and improve it continuously. You should define and track the key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that reflect the progress and success of your AppSec program, such as:

• The number and severity of security issues and incidents
• The time and cost of fixing security issues and incidents
• The compliance and alignment with the security standards and best practices
• The satisfaction and engagement of the development and security teams

You should also conduct regular reviews and audits of your AppSec program, and use the feedback and data to identify the strengths and weaknesses, and to implement the necessary changes and improvements.

Conclusion

Building an effective AppSec program for your modern tech business is not an easy task, but it is a worthwhile investment that can bring you many benefits, such as:

• Enhancing the security, quality, and reliability of your applications
• Protecting your customers, data, and reputation from cyber threats
• Increasing your competitive advantage and market value
• Complying with the regulatory and compliance requirements
• Improving the collaboration and productivity of your development and security teams

We hope that this article has given you some useful insights and tips on how to build an effective AppSec program for your business. If you need more help or guidance, please feel free to contact us or visit our website for more information.