11 Best Practices for Developing Secure Web Applications

Are you an entrepreneur pondering maintaining cybersecurity? If so, the first thing that appears in your mind is often the network and endpoint security. However, web application security has become increasingly crucial nowadays!

You might think that you have already organized your tasks to hit the following steps, but there have not been things sufficiently done to Secure Web Applications. Therefore, as a business site owner, you must be conscious of the significance of online security and wonder about the best practices for Secure Web Applications!

However, web application security often gets slipped through the cracks between app management, code development, and visual design. But it must be prioritized if you plan on going commercial with your application. Hence, the following are the top 11 practices for developing Secure Web Applications. Let’s get started! 

Perform a threat assessment

A comprehensive threat analysis will let you know two things:

• What are those menaces?
• What needs to be protected?

Hence, you should start by making a list of the assets you will require to safeguard upon completing your web app. At the same time, you need to develop a broad list of potential threats along with the chance that they will ensue. Moreover, be honest about the type of measure you think your team can maintain in the long run.

Hence, excessive buying might lead to your security norms and practices being forgotten. Lastly, performing such a threat analysis will help you guide the security standards you execute during the development process to protect your assets.   

Adopt a cybersecurity framework

Cybersecurity is highly challenging and needs a well-organized approach to execute. It’s hassle-free to overlook specific aspects and fall prey to the menaces. Due to this, various companies base their web security strategy on a chosen cybersecurity framework.

The biggest benefit of adopting a cybersecurity framework is the understanding that it’s merged and web security can’t be treated as an isolated issue. Implement this strategic approach that starts with painstaking research on security risks.

Encrypt everything

You must not stop using basic technologies, like HSTS and HTTPS encryption. Also, you can implement SSL encryption for all user data you send to and obtain from the server. While HTTPS makes man-in-the-middle attacks impossible, these are considered great.

From a system administrator to a former employee, this somebody could be anybody. Encryption and hashing are needed to protect your data even though someone has access to it. To do so, you should go with an EV code signing certificate, which helps you Secure Web Applications? So, don’t forget to encrypt your server with this type of SSL security as it follows higher authentication and assures code integrity and private key safety!

Utilize a web application firewall

Are you wondering what a web application firewall is? It is a filter for HTTP traffic between a client and a server. Also, it doesn’t allow any spiteful requests to go through and invade your databases.

Firewalls are the most renowned ways to safeguard software at the network’s entry points as they assess all incoming traffic and impede every dubious activity. Moreover, firewalls don’t need developers to modify anything in their source code, making them hassle-free to use.

Utilize exception management

Another best practice for Secure Web Applications is to use exception management. You will never want to demonstrate anything more than a generic error text during a failure. It includes the real system messages that don’t do the end-user any good and instead work as stunning clues for potentially menacing entities. Hence, while developing Secure Web Applications, you need to consider three probable outcomes from a security perspective:

• Enable the operation
• Reject it
• Tackle an exception

In case of an error or an exception, you will go back to rejecting the operation. A web application that securely fails will thwart operations from non-deliberately being permitted.

Always back your data up

In the era of malware infestation or security infringement, you have to retrieve your website. It would be disastrous not to have an updated version of your website stored. Therefore, when it’s high time to go live again, you will be pleased to have it tucked away. Here comes the importance of backing your data up! It’s worth remembering that most host providers will offer backups from their servers if an event like this occurs.

Avail of real-time monitoring

Performing real-time assessment using tools such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), and high-security logging can assist in web application security.

As a business person or a developer, you can rely on putting preventive measures in place for your application security. Also, you must ensure that any violation of cyberattack that may ensue anytime can be spotted and vanquish well through real-time assessment.

Utilize cookies securely

The next area that various companies don’t usually ponder while addressing the best practices of web applications is the usage of cookies. These are highly convenient for the users and businesses as they enable users to be identified by the sites every time they visit.

This is how future visits remain faster and more personalized. Although you don’t have to block website cookies, you must adjust the settings to reduce the risk of attacks. You must follow these:

• Never use cookies to preserve critical or sensitive information.
• You must be conservative while setting expiration dates for cookies.
• Lastly, consider information encryption preserved in the cookies you use.

Invest in the right security professionals

It’s very sensible and considered the best practice for Secure Web Applications. Sometimes it’s cumbersome to stay on top of the web application security. You need the right security professionals to keep pace with the new susceptibilities!

A security service provider or an expert can execute scans and audits and assess your web app performance for perilous vulnerabilities in your site—all you have to ensure is performing detailed research before investing in any specific freelance security expert.

Execute regular testing

You need to ensure that you execute security testing and common vulnerabilities throughout your application development lifecycle. The leading tools used for this stage are Static Application Security Testing and Automated Dynamic Application Security Testing.

The web developers use both instead of one of them as those help them identify issues early, making room for affordable fixing of the app security. Also, it lets you become more aware of your application security.

Never skimp on a tight host

Are you wondering about the security of a web application without a secure host? Every worthy web developer knows that a secure web hosting organization with an amazing and genuine reputation must be used for hosting any web app. A great way to tell if a hosting company is moderate is to review numerous sites that aren’t associated with the hosting company.

You must take note of their blog posts or product pages: Are they constantly updating their platform to boost security? Are they proactively discussing new menaces to web app security? How amazing is their technical support? So, you must not be afraid to spend a deluge of time researching hosts for your web application.

Conclusion

It’s staggering that various options are available to Secure Web Applications and boost their security. So, these are the 11 best practices for developing Secure Web Applications if you’re willing to upkeep your business reputation and make it free of vicious attacks.