Top 7 Web Application Security Best Practices

Web Application Security Tips

The world of app development has experienced extraordinary growth since 2010. Additionally, with the availability of millions of smartphones and online apps, applications have integrated themselves into our daily lives. Regardless of the sizes, sectors, or locations of the businesses, web app attacks are one of the leading causes of data leaks. The official data from a popular Report served as proof of this. It's essential for companies to carefully consider security procedures while creating web apps to prevent these threats.  

You cannot just rely on security solutions to maintain the optimal security posture and defend your sensitive data against cyberattacks. Here is a list of seven key elements that we believe should be considered in your web application security strategy.  

Verify all user authentication and authorization  

To verify the user's identity, a security control mechanism is required. Usually, a User ID account and a password are used for this. The password must be long enough and complicated enough to include both alphabetic and, if possible, special characters. After the user is authenticated, a security control mechanism must also ensure that the user’s access privilege to the data must be limited to only his authorized access level. Implement user access with the minimum privilege required.  

Encrypt everything you can  

Use basic technologies like HSTS encryption and HTTPS encryption, but don’t stop there. Implement SSL encryption for all user information you send to and receive from the server. While HTTPS is great and makes man-in-the-middle attacks nearly impossible, it is insufficient if someone has access to your server.  

This somebody can be anybody, from a system administrator to a former employee. You need encryption and hashing to protect your data from unauthorized access.  

Use Penetration Testing  

One of the most sophisticated elements of any security assessment is penetration testing. It places your software in nearly real-world scenarios where a QA professional assumes the role of a hacker and attempts to compromise the system using any technique, from physical violation to programming.  

The majority of vulnerabilities may be successfully found through penetration testing, which also produces a thorough report that can be used as a foundation for a security check and a reference for identifying the weakness that led to a breach. To ensure that all possibilities are taken into account, penetration testing offers several techniques.  

Data Backups  

Your online app faces additional threats in addition to someone stealing sensitive data. In truth, not all of the most devastating events you may experience will be malicious.  

Simply losing significant amounts of data might ruin your company and make going about your regular business nearly hard. One of the greatest strategies for web application security is to periodically backup your data. Ensure that your backups are secure and up to date.  

Regularly scan the site   

You must frequently check your website, preferably at least once every week, to improve the safety and security of your web app. When you update your web apps, you should also audit your website.  

One scanner cannot perform all of your scanning needs. The majority of scanners operate using a heuristic technique, which entails the scanner executing questionable code in a virtual machine and evaluating its results. Others use pattern-based scanning, which involves comparing the code to a comprehensive list of known dangers.  

Malware frequently has a structure that prevents scanners from easily detecting it. While some scanners provide false-positive findings, some discover malware more quickly than others. You can get rid of various virus types by using several scanner types.  

Multi-Factor Authentication  

There is a reason why multi-factor authentication has become standard practice among some of the biggest businesses in the IT sector. Without this type of authentication, it is just too simple to use a compromised account to access private data. Attackers will have very little to no possibility of logging into an account when you have multi-factor authentication methods set up.  

Keep Passwords Secure  

The most secure passwords are those that combine upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. The majority of us find it quite difficult to remember passwords. In these cases, password vaults may be used to safely store all of the passwords in one location.  

At KnackForge, we follow industry-standard mobile app security best practices along with a robust security testing strategy to ensure the reliability and integrity of our applications. We strongly believe that creating mobile apps should focus on innovation, creativity, and a secure user interface. Our extensive testing practice and experienced app development specialists strive to provide you with the most secure and reliable web applications.