Several security solutions provide both cloud security and application security, offering comprehensive protection across cloud environments and software applications. Here are some top solutions:

1. Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

🔹 What it Covers:

• Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)
• Cloud Workload Protection (CWP)
• API Security & Compliance
• Web Application & API Protection (WAAP)

🔹 Best For: Organizations using multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP).

2. Microsoft Defender for Cloud

🔹 What it Covers:

• Cloud security for Azure, AWS, and GCP
• Application security scanning
• Threat protection & vulnerability management

🔹 Best For: Businesses using Azure and Microsoft-based cloud solutions.

3. AWS Security Hub + AWS WAF

🔹 What it Covers:

• Centralized security monitoring for AWS services
• Application security via AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF)
• Threat detection & compliance monitoring

🔹 Best For: Organizations running applications in AWS.

4. Cloudflare

🔹 What it Covers:

• Web application firewall (WAF)
• DDoS protection & bot management
• Secure API gateways and Zero Trust security

🔹 Best For: Businesses needing fast, scalable app security across any cloud.

5. Check Point CloudGuard

🔹 What it Covers:

• Cloud security for workloads, networks, and apps
• Container & serverless security
• Application-layer security against API attacks

🔹 Best For: Enterprises with hybrid and multi-cloud architectures.

6. Fortinet FortiWeb + FortiCWP

🔹 What it Covers:

• FortiWeb: Web application security (WAF, bot mitigation)
• FortiCWP: Cloud security (visibility, compliance, risk assessment)

🔹 Best For: Organizations needing integrated cloud and application security in one ecosystem.

Which One Should You Choose?

• For Multi-Cloud & API Security → Prisma Cloud, Check Point CloudGuard
• For Microsoft-Azure Environments → Microsoft Defender for Cloud
• For AWS-Centric Security → AWS Security Hub + AWS WAF
• For Web Apps & API Protection → Cloudflare, FortiWeb

Automated testing is a critical skill that software engineers should have. As coding techniques, third-party libraries, and programming languages evolve, so do problems associated with them. Issues like bugs and security vulnerabilities also evolve with time.

Attackers can always find ways to exploit any loophole they can find in an application’s codebase. Therefore, it’s imperative to have a clear understanding of the many ways we can test an application. Let’s focus on Source Code Analysis and Static Application Security Testing.

Source code analysis tests an application’s entire codebase to find bugs and security vulnerabilities and fix such bugs before the software is shipped to users.

There are two ways to perform source code analysis - static analysis and dynamic analysis. In static analysis, code is analyzed without having to execute it. In dynamic analysis, the code is run and executed to include an understanding of user experience.

When we say Static Application Security Testing (SAST), it’s a term that can be interchangeably used with source code analysis. The main point to understand when we use the term SAST is we perform it mainly to find security flaws in the application. How this is done is by giving the tester full access to the entire code base, libraries, etc., that make up the application. For this reason, it’s sometimes called “white box testing.” The advantage of doing SAST is that bugs and security vulnerabilities are detected and fixed early on in the software development lifecycle.

For context, we also have what we call Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), which is more of the “black-box testing” kind as source code isn’t accessible to testers. It is more about ascertaining the software’s problems through testing user behavior and how the application reacts.

In conclusion, there’s no real difference between source code analysis and static application security testing; you can think of SAST as a subset of source code analysis.

These are the basics.

Shifting left to the developers desk we have Static Analysis Software Tools or SAST, which routinely finds coding errors that lead to problems down the line.

Then we have Dynamic scanning or DAST to find runtime errors.

RAST for API scanning. Everyone uses REST these days as SOAP is a long forgotten memory because it sucked.

IAST for pentesting in containers. This runs and tests software for every possible flaw known to exist.

PtaaS or Pentesting as a Service. Putscnon containerized software in a sandbox environment and hammers away at it to find vulnerabilities.

WAF or Web Application Firewalls. Just like it sounds a WAF only looks for and blocks attempts to compromise software or exploits.

I could go deep into analyzing software by hand but that is generally considered to be a waste of effort these days. Not sorry wannabe aka script kiddie “(un)Ethical Hacker” types. These people have always been a joke.

Thoroughly testing your application for security flaws involves a structured and systematic approach. Below is a comprehensive guide:

1. Conduct a Risk Assessment

• Identify Assets: Determine critical data, functionality, and resources your application handles.
• Threat Modeling: Analyze potential threats and attack vectors specific to your app's architecture.
• Prioritize Risks: Rank risks based on impact and likelihood.

2. Implement OWASP Guidelines

Leverage the **OWASP Top 10** to identify common vulnerabilities:

• Injection (SQL, Command, etc.)
• Broken Authentication
• Sensitive Data Exposure
• XML External Entities (XXE)
• Broken Access Control
• Security Misconfiguration
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• Insecure Deserialization
• Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities
• Insufficient Logging & Monitoring

3. Perform Security Testing

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
• Analyzes source code or binaries for vulnerabilities without executing the app.
• Tools:
• Checkmarx
• SonarQube
• Fortify Static Code Analyzer
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
• Tests the application in a running state to identify runtime vulnerabilities.
• Tools:
• Burp Suite
• OWASP ZAP
• AppScan
• Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)
• Combines elements of SAST and DAST to test code and runtime behavior simultaneously.
• Tools:
• Contrast Security
• Veracode
• Penetration Testing
• Simulate real-world attacks to uncover weaknesses.
• Focus on areas like:
• Authentication mechanisms.
• Business logic flaws.
• Input validation.
• Tools:
• Metasploit
• Kali Linux
• Burp Suite Pro
• API Security Testing
• Ensure secure handling of data between client and server.
• Tools:
• Postman
• SoapUI Pro
• OWASP API Security Top 10 Checklist

4. Test for Specific Vulnerabilities

• Injection Flaws
• Test for SQL, command, and NoSQL injection.
• Validate input and use parameterized queries.
• Tool: SQLmap
• Authentication and Authorization
• Test for weak credentials, session hijacking, and privilege escalation.
• Use tools like Hydra or Medusa for brute force testing.
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• Inject malicious scripts into input fields to test how the app handles them.
• Tool: XSSer
• Sensitive Data Exposure
• Test data encryption (in transit and at rest) and check for sensitive data leaks.
• Use Wireshark or Fiddler to monitor data packets.
• Security Misconfigurations
• Scan for unpatched software, unnecessary services, and default credentials.
• Tool: Nessus

5. Validate Secure Practices

• Input Validation:
• Ensure all input is sanitized and validated.
• Session Management:
• Use secure cookies and implement timeouts.
• Error Handling:
• Ensure error messages do not expose sensitive information.

6. Automate Security Testing

• Integrate security testing into your CI/CD pipeline using tools like:
• SonarQube
• OWASP ZAP
• GitHub Advanced Security

7. Perform Real-World Scenarios

• Test on Multiple Environments:
• Run tests on staging, production-like environments, and under different network conditions.
• Simulate Social Engineering Attacks:
• Test for phishing or credential stuffing vulnerabilities.

8. Monitor and Log

• Enable Logging:
• Log all security-relevant events (e.g., login attempts, permission changes).
• Monitor Logs:
• Use tools like Splunk or ELK Stack to detect anomalies.

9. Engage in Continuous Testing

• Regular Updates: Test after every update or feature addition.
• Bug Bounties: Open the app to ethical hackers to find vulnerabilities.

10. Documentation and Reporting

• Document vulnerabilities found, their impact, and mitigation strategies.
• Provide detailed reports for stakeholders.

Would you like help with setting up specific tools, designing test cases, or analyzing vulnerabilities?

Ensuring the safety and security of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) involves a multifaceted approach.

Here are key practices and technologies that contribute to making APIs secure:

1. Authentication and Authorization

Authentication: Ensure that users or systems are who they claim to be. Common methods include:

• API Keys: Unique tokens that identify the client making the request.
• OAuth 2.0: A widely-approved framework for access delegation.

Authorization: Determine what authenticated users are allowed to do. Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) or Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) to restrict access to API endpoints based on the user's identity and roles.

2. Data Encryption

Transport Layer Security (TLS):

Use TLS (HTTPS) to encrypt data in transit, preventing eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.

Data Encryption at Rest:

Protect sensitive data stored in databases using encryption methods to safeguard against unauthorized access.

3. Input Validation and Sanitization

Validate and sanitize all incoming data to prevent injection attacks (e.g., SQL injection, XML injection). Use whitelisting techniques to ensure only acceptable inputs are processed.

4. Rate Limiting and Throttling

Implement rate limiting to control how many requests a user can make in a specific timeframe. This protects against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and helps ensure fair usage.

5. Logging and Monitoring

Maintain detailed logs of API access and activities. Monitor these logs for unusual patterns or unauthorized access attempts. Use automated tools for threat detection and alerting.

6. Error Handling

Avoid revealing sensitive information in error messages. Provide generic error messages that do not expose internal workings or details that could aid an attacker.

7. CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing)

Configure CORS to specify which domains are allowed to access your API, helping to prevent unauthorized access from unknown sources.

8. API Versioning

Implement versioning to manage changes over time without breaking existing clients. Clearly document deprecated features and endpoints.

9. Security Testing

Regularly conduct security assessments, including penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, to identify potential weaknesses in your API.

10. Use of Security Standards and Protocols

Adhere to security standards such as OWASP API Security Top 10 and implement best practices outlined by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).

11. Implementing Firewalls and WAFs (Web Application Firewalls)

Use WAFs to filter and monitor HTTP traffic between the client and the server, protecting against common web vulnerabilities.

12. Securing API Documentation

Restrict access to API documentation to authorized users only, to prevent exposure of sensitive endpoints.

I hope my answer is helpful and informative to you.

Happy Learning and Happy Coding !!

Thanks,
Kailash
JavaCharter

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) contributes to regulatory compliance and adherence to cloud security best practices in several ways:

1. **Vulnerability Detection**: DAST tools scan applications for vulnerabilities by simulating real-world attacks. By identifying security flaws, organizations can address them before they become compliance violations or security breaches.

2. **Compliance Verification**: DAST helps verify that applications meet regulatory requirements for security. By identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, organizations can demonstrate due diligence in protecting sensitive data and meeting compliance standards.

3. **Risk Mitigation**: DAST identifies vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches or unauthorized access. Addressing these vulnerabilities reduces the risk of non-compliance and helps protect sensitive information.

4. **Application Security**: Regulatory standards often require secure applications. DAST helps organizations ensure that applications hosted in the cloud meet security best practices, minimizing the potential for vulnerabilities that could lead to non-compliance.

5. **Data Protection**: Many compliance regulations mandate the protection of personal and sensitive data. DAST helps identify vulnerabilities that might expose such data, allowing organizations to implement proper safeguards.

6. **Audit Trail**: DAST generates reports detailing vulnerabilities and their severity. These reports can serve as an audit trail, showing efforts made to identify and address security issues, which is crucial for compliance purposes.

7. **Continuous Monitoring**: Regular DAST scans provide continuous monitoring of applications, helping organizations maintain security and compliance over time as applications evolve.

8. **Cloud-Specific Threats**: Cloud environments introduce unique security challenges. DAST can identify vulnerabilities specific to cloud deployments, ensuring compliance with cloud security best practices.

9. **Patch Management**: DAST identifies vulnerabilities that may require patches or updates. Keeping applications up to date helps organizations comply with security patch management requirements.

10. **Incident Prevention**: By identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited, DAST helps prevent security incidents that could lead to non-compliance issues.

11. **Security Governance**: DAST contributes to overall security governance by aligning with cloud security best practices and ensuring that applications meet the necessary security standards.

Ultimately, DAST plays a crucial role in maintaining the security and compliance of cloud-hosted applications. It helps organizations identify, assess, and mitigate vulnerabilities, reducing the risk of non-compliance and ensuring that applications adhere to cloud security best practices.

Actually - it doesn’t. Containers are just a way to package application and run it from container within the environment.

One way you can think about containers increasing application security is that it strips the components needed to run application to bare minimum included in container. In reality a lot of containers are built on base from public registry or built without really thinking about security of components.

From security standpoint what is often missed:

• Containers still needs to be services and maintained. if there is a vulnerability identified in component which is part of the container image, it requires container image to be updated with newer version (often omitted).
• Same goes for containers built on top of other images - you need to take care about updating your images when vulnerabilities will be identified in base image.

Most of the containers runs right now in orchestration environment like Kubernetes. Running it requires significant configuration and knowledge (unless run as an option from cloud provider like Azure, AWS or GCP). Running it on your own means that there is plenty of components which be mis-configured from security standpoint..

Benefit of less components included in container image and smaller footprint are often too little to compensate the other factors.

Also containers doesn't influence app security at all - you still need to pay attention to what your code does and how it is written.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) and Application Security Testing (AST) are both tactics used to find vulnerabilities in the security of software applications, but they approach it from different perspective.

1. AST (Application Security Testing): AST covers a broader range of testing procedure, including both static and dynamic analysis.Static Application Security Testing (SAST) involves analyzing the application's source code, byte code, or binary code to find security vulnerabilities without executing the program. SAST tools examine the code for security vulnerabilities, coding errors and other weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers. AST also includes other techniques like Software Composition Analysis (SCA) to identify vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and components used in the application.
2. DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing):DAST focuses specifically on testing the running application from the outside. DAST tools interact with the application in its run time(i.e when it is live) just like an hacker would, sending requests and analyzing responses to identify vulnerabilities. SAST looks at the application's internal code on other hand DAST evaluates the application's runtime behavior. DAST can find vulnerabilities that may not be perceivable in the source code alone, such as configuration issues, authentication flaws, and input validation problems.

In brief, AST is a broader category that confines various testing techniques, which includes both static and dynamic analysis, while DAST specifically refers to dynamic testing of running applications.

Application security is critically important for several reasons, as it directly addresses the protection of software applications from various security threats and vulnerabilities.

Here are some key reasons why application security is crucial:

1. Protection of Sensitive Data: Applications often handle sensitive information such as user credentials, personal details, financial data, and proprietary business information. Ensuring application security is essential to prevent unauthorized access and protect this sensitive data from theft or manipulation.
2. Prevention of Data Breaches: Security breaches can lead to the exposure of confidential information, resulting in financial losses, legal consequences, and damage to an organization's reputation. Robust application security measures help prevent data breaches and safeguard the integrity of user data.
3. Compliance with Regulations: Many industries are subject to regulations and compliance standards that mandate the protection of user data. Application security measures ensure that organizations meet these regulatory requirements, avoiding legal penalties and maintaining a trustworthy business environment.
4. Minimization of Business Risks: Inadequate application security exposes organizations to various risks, including financial losses, reputational damage, and legal liabilities. Proactively addressing security vulnerabilities helps minimize these risks and contributes to the overall stability of the business.
5. Preservation of Brand Reputation: A security breach can have a lasting impact on an organization's reputation. Consumers and stakeholders expect companies to prioritize the security of their applications and the data they handle. Maintaining a strong application security posture helps preserve brand trust and reputation.
6. Prevention of Malicious Activities: Applications are susceptible to various cyber threats, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers. Application security measures help prevent these malicious activities, ensuring the proper functioning of the software.
7. Business Continuity: Security incidents, such as successful cyber attacks, can disrupt the normal operation of applications, leading to downtime and service interruptions. Application security contributes to business continuity by reducing the risk of disruptions caused by security incidents.
8. Adaptation to Evolving Threats: Cyber threats are continually evolving, and new vulnerabilities emerge over time. Regularly updating and adapting application security measures ensure that organizations stay ahead of potential threats and maintain a strong defense against emerging risks.
9. Customer Trust and Loyalty: Customers value the security of their data and are more likely to trust and remain loyal to organizations that prioritize application security. Demonstrating a commitment to protecting user information helps build and maintain positive relationships with customers.
10. Competitive Advantage: In today's digital landscape, security is a significant differentiator. Organizations that prioritize application security can use it as a competitive advantage, attracting customers who prioritize the safety of their data when choosing products or services.

Web Application Security: Essential Practices

Web application security (Web AppSec) consists of strategies and practices designed to protect websites, web apps, APIs, and infrastructure from cyber threats such as data breaches, theft, and ransomware attacks. These measures ensure that applications function correctly and securely, even under attack.

The Complexity of Web Security

Web security is multifaceted, requiring a combination of tools, best practices, and proactive measures to:

✔ Design a secure web architecture

✔ Develop and maintain secure source code

✔ Detect and mitigate vulnerabilities

✔ Monitor infrastructure against known threats

✔ Prepare for previously unknown security risks

✔ Enhance incident response strategies

✔ Educate end users on account and data protection

Depending on the size and security requirements of a project, security measures may be implemented as a dedicated phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) or integrated throughout development and maintenance.

Key Web Application Security Measures

1. Web Application Firewalls (WAFs)

WAFs analyze incoming traffic to identify and block malicious requests, cyber threats, and common attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).

2. Input Validation

To prevent injection attacks and direct data manipulation, web applications must:

✔ Sanitize user input to accept only predefined formats

✔ Reject unexpected inputs to prevent malicious payloads

3. Access Control & Authentication

Strict access control ensures that only authorized users can access specific features and data. Best practices include:

✔ Role-based access control (RBAC) – Assign permissions based on user roles

✔ Multi-factor authentication (MFA) – Strengthen authentication beyond passwords

✔ Session management – Enforce secure logins and session timeouts

4. Secure Architecture & Coding Practices

To minimize vulnerabilities, developers should implement:

✔ Zero-trust architecture – Verify every request, even from inside the system

✔ Code reviews & security audits – Identify flaws early in development

✔ Timely updates for third-party packages – Prevent exploits from outdated components

5. Continuous Monitoring & Logging

Ongoing monitoring is critical for detecting anomalous behavior and potential security breaches. Important steps include:

✔ Tracking system activities for unusual behavior, such as unauthorized data access

✔ Monitoring external data exchanges to prevent leaks

✔ Detecting compromised accounts through suspicious sign-in patterns

Final Thoughts

Implementing robust web security practices ensures that web applications remain resilient, secure, and compliant with industry standards. By integrating security throughout the entire development lifecycle, developers can effectively protect users, data, and infrastructure.

Hi there,

Thanks for the A2A. I assume you should ask or try to find answers to such questions at StackOverflow or Information Security Stack Exchange. Since, I got the privilege to answer it here, let’s proceed then.

SQL Injection flaws are introduced when software developers create dynamic database queries that include user supplied input. To avoid SQL injection flaws is simple. Developers need to either: a) stop writing dynamic queries; and/or b) prevent user supplied input which contains malicious SQL from affecting the logic of the executed query.

UNSAFE JAVA EXAMPLE:

The following (Java) example is UNSAFE, and would allow an attacker to inject code into the query that would be executed by the database. The unvalidated "customerName" parameter that is simply appended to the query allows an attacker to inject any SQL code they want. Unfortunately, this method for accessing databases is all too common.

String query = "SELECT account_balance FROM user_data WHERE user_name = " + request.getParameter("customerName");  
 
try  
	{ Statement statement = connection.createStatement( ... ); 		     	       ResultSet results = statement.executeQuery( query );  
	}  
 
... 

One of the primary defense against such attacks is use of Prepared Statements with Parameterised Queries. The use of prepared statements with variable binding (aka parameterized queries) is how all developers should first be taught how to write database queries. They are simple to write, and easier to understand than dynamic queries. Parameterized queries force the developer to first define all the SQL code, and then pass in each parameter to the query later. This coding style allows the database to distinguish between code and data, regardless of what user input is supplied.

Prepared statements ensure that an attacker is not able to change the intent of a query, even if SQL commands are inserted by an attacker. In the safe example below, if an attacker were to enter the userID of tom' or '1'='1, the parameterized query would not be vulnerable and would instead look for a username which literally matched the entire string tom' or '1'='1.

Language specific recommendations:

• Java EE – use PreparedStatement() with bind variables
• .NET – use parameterized queries like SqlCommand() or OleDbCommand() with bind variables
• PHP – use PDO with strongly typed parameterized queries (using bindParam())
• Hibernate - use createQuery() with bind variables (called named parameters in Hibernate)
• SQLite - use sqlite3_prepare() to create a statement object

In rare circumstances, prepared statements can harm performance. When confronted with this situation, it is best to either a) strongly validate all data or b) escape all user supplied input using an escaping routine specific to your database vendor as described below, rather than using a prepared statement.

Safe Java Prepared Statement Example:

The following code example uses a PreparedStatement, Java's implementation of a parameterized query, to execute the same database query.

// This should REALLY be validated too  
String custname = request.getParameter("customerName");  
 
// Perform input validation to detect attacks  
String query = "SELECT account_balance FROM user_data WHERE user_name = ? ";  
 
PreparedStatement pstmt = connection.prepareStatement( query );  
 
pstmt.setString( 1, custname);  
 
ResultSet results = pstmt.executeQuery( ); 

For such things, I strongly recommend to have a look at OWASP Top 10 documentation for web application and secure coding flaws: https://owasp.org/www-pdf-archive/OWASP_Top_10-2017_%28en%29.pdf.pdf and Query Parmeterization Cheat Sheet

Hope this helps !!!

SAST and DAST are the main two security testing types:

SAST (Static Application Security Testing) Works by scanning vulnerabilities at code level that is before even running the application. This type to testing aims at saving data loss by wrong/improper code writing practices and handling all exceptions in proper way.

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) Works by scanning vulnerabilities at run time, that is scanning the end user application and testing it without looking into the application source code. this type of testing manipulates the UI and design/structure of the application to take leverage of any hidden vulnerability to gain access.

IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing) a recend addition to the security testing type is a combination of both techniques. Finding and reporting bugs looking at code level and exploiting it at runtimie.

sast dast testing has always been a preference while safeguarding any application while IAST still remains relatively new to prove reliable.

Application security measures are practices and techniques used to protect software applications from threats and vulnerabilities throughout their lifecycle. These measures are essential for ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of an application and its data.

One fundamental measure is secure coding practices, which involve writing code that is resilient to attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows. Developers are trained to follow best practices and coding standards that reduce common vulnerabilities. Additionally, code reviews and static code analysis tools are employed to identify and rectify security issues early in the development process.

Authentication and authorization mechanisms are critical for controlling access to applications. Strong authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), ensure that only authorized users can access the application. Authorization protocols, like role-based access control (RBAC), define permissions based on user roles, ensuring that users can only perform actions they are allowed to.

Encryption is another vital security measure, protecting data both at rest and in transit. Sensitive information, such as passwords and personal data, should be encrypted using strong algorithms to prevent unauthorized access. Secure communication channels, like TLS/SSL, encrypt data transmitted between clients and servers, safeguarding it from interception and tampering.

Regular security testing, including vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, is conducted to identify potential security weaknesses in the application. These tests simulate real-world attacks to uncover vulnerabilities that might be exploited by malicious actors. Automated tools, such as dynamic application security testing (DAST) and static application security testing (SAST), complement manual testing efforts, providing complete coverage.

Patch management and regular updates are crucial for maintaining application security. Developers must promptly address vulnerabilities discovered in third-party libraries and frameworks by applying patches and updates. Automated dependency management tools can help track and update these components efficiently.

Security logging and monitoring are essential for detecting and responding to security incidents. Applications should log significant security events, such as login attempts, access to sensitive data, and configuration changes. Security information and event management (SIEM) systems aggregate and analyze these logs, helping security teams to identify and respond to suspicious activities swiftly.

Finally, user education and awareness programs are vital components of application security. Educating users about security best practices, such as recognizing phishing attempts and using strong passwords, can significantly reduce the risk of successful attacks. Regular training sessions and updates on emerging threats help maintain a security-conscious culture within the organization.

In brief, application security measures confine a range of practices, from secure coding and access control to encryption, testing, patch management, logging, and user education. By implementing these measures, organizations can significantly enhance the security posture of their applications and protect them from evolving threats.

Ensuring robust application security is crucial in today's digital landscape. Several leading solutions offer comprehensive protection:

• CloudDefense.AI: Provides an integrated platform combining vulnerability management, compliance monitoring, and runtime protection to secure cloud-native applications.
• Veracode: Specializes in application security testing, offering tools for identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Checkmarx: Focuses on static and dynamic application security testing, helping developers detect and remediate security issues in code.
• Sonatype Platform: Emphasizes software supply chain security, ensuring that open-source components used in applications are free from vulnerabilities.
• GitLab: Offers integrated DevSecOps capabilities, enabling continuous security assessment and vulnerability management within the development pipeline.

Each of these platforms provides unique features tailored to enhance application security, allowing organizations to choose solutions that best fit their specific needs.

Application security confines a range of practices and tools designed to protect software applications from threats and vulnerabilities throughout their lifecycle. These practices are crucial for safeguarding sensitive data, ensuring compliance with regulations, and maintaining user trust. The different types of application security include:

1. Static Application Security Testing (SAST): This involves analyzing an application's source code, byte code or binary code to identify security vulnerabilities. SAST tools scan code at rest, providing developers with insights into potential flaws early in the development process, allowing for timely remediation.
2. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Unlike SAST, DAST examines applications in their running state. It simulates external attacks to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited in a live environment. This approach helps uncover issues such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other runtime vulnerabilities.
3. Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST): IAST combines elements of both SAST and DAST by embedding agents within the application to monitor and analyze code behavior in real-time during normal operations. This hybrid approach provides a comprehensive view of security issues by capturing both static and dynamic vulnerabilities.
4. Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP): RASP tools are integrated directly into the application runtime environment, offering real-time protection by detecting and blocking attacks as they occur. RASP enhances security by providing continuous monitoring and immediate response to threats, helping to mitigate zero-day vulnerabilities and other sophisticated attacks.
5. Web Application Firewalls (WAF): WAFs protect web applications by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic between an application and the internet. They help prevent common attacks such as cross-site forgery, cross-site scripting, and SQL injection by analyzing incoming requests and blocking malicious traffic.
6. Threat Modeling: This proactive approach involves identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities during the design phase of application development. By anticipating and addressing security concerns early, developers can build more robust and secure applications.
7. Security Code Review: This manual or automated process involves examining an application's source code to identify security flaws. Code reviews are typically conducted by experienced security professionals who can spot subtle vulnerabilities that automated tools might miss.
8. Penetration Testing: Also known as ethical hacking, penetration testing involves simulating Cyber attacks on an application to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. Pen testers use various techniques to uncover security weaknesses, providing detailed reports and recommendations for improving security.
9. Secure Development Practices: These include following secure coding standards, conducting regular security training for developers, and integrating security checks into the continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. Emphasizing security throughout the software development lifecycle helps minimize vulnerabilities.
10. Container Security: With the rise of containerized applications, securing container environments has become essential. Container security involves ensuring the integrity of container images, securing the container runtime, and implementing robust access controls to protect against threats specific to containerized applications.

Combining these types of application security practices form a comprehensive strategy to protect software applications from a wide array of threats and vulnerabilities, ensuring they remain secure throughout their lifecycle.

There is a lot that goes into making web application secure. Just like lawyers at your law firm are known to “Follow the money”, you should simply “Follow the data”. So when you follow the data, ask yourself the questions like

a) Who is the Creator i.e. producer of data

b) Who owns the data ?

c) Who is consumer i.e. authorized users who can access the data or modify the data.

d) How is this data going to be accessed? Web App only? Any API? Database access? Any other way? Do you get data from another source? do you make your data available for another application via FTP or other mechanism?

Think of any different ways data can be accessed, modified.

This will lead to how you can ensure Integrity of the data ( i am not talking about digital signature..just plain simple way..of knowing was this data modified by right person).

Confidentiality - Once you know where the data is stored and how it is accessed, map out all the path to see how the data is secured on the network and when it is stored in database or file system. Ask yourself, what will happen if someone can gain access to this data?

If you focus on data, then you will know your risk exposure.

Now the hacking part. Every app can be hacked. Question is how easy are you going to make it for others to hack into your system. So you have to build layers ..like firewalls, and intrusion detection monitoring ,etc.

Now comes the last and fun part. Best hack of Web App is not by hacking into firewalls and breaching your perimeter. Its pretending to be a real user but able to gain access to data. How is this possible? This will come from all the known “Front end” i.e. how data is being accessed/retrieved. API or UI.

Now look into each technology category and see what are the known common risks. OWASP is a good start.

Then look into mitigations. Would a firewall be good enough ? do you need Authentication or both Authentication and Authorization, what monitoring functionality is available, etc.

When do you need external help. You can use help anytime. But knowing what kind of help you need will save you lot of time and money. Not sure what your role is. Work with Software Development team, and ask these questions, about 70% they know how to answer them based on what is already supported in framework. They just may not know why it exists. ( because it may be hidden under Security). Next have Dev Team work on Microsoft STRIDE model.

Next sit with your network infrastructure team and ask them these questions- how do they protect (or what options they have) to trust communication between A to B. Overlay that with specific scenarios based on your STRIDE or “Follow the data” analysis.

Next you need someone who knows security .. to find vulnerabilities ( Pen test) and to fix ( Application Security / Developer). You have to map the identified vulnerabilities into appropriate layer ( API, Web, Database, etc.). Between Pen Testing /Ethical Hacking and someone who can translate the vulnerabilities into actual design /implementation , you will be on your way to secure the app.

I we are buying or developing a new application we need to take care of Info Sec angle as well and that initiative is known as Application Security Measures. there are many published document which can provide you the idea of the measures taken but grossly we need to consider following:

1. Security on Design Document
2. Security on Source Code
3. Security measure on the Host environment ( it can be cloud based or on prem and detailed Security measure to be drilled)
4. We also need to consider the security measure of the data which this application is going to handle
5. also if we are handling a sensitive customer information or PI related info then other measures in accordance to the law of the land becomes critical
6. if we are buying a part of application or getting it developed by small time vendors then the vendor credibility regarding Info Sec also becomes part of application security

We need to think also the cost of application and Risk and Vulnerability of the breach so that we can design a better Application Security Process

Hope some ideas I could provide.

The definition I give in my public talks is:

Application Security is the subset of Information Security focused on protecting data and privacy from abuse by adversaries who have access to the software system as a whole. Its purpose is to make software resilient to attack, especially when network defenses alone are insufficient.

(Frank Rietta)

Web app security especially challenging because all security is ultimately software security. Often times:

1. There is no firewall because the web app makes authentication decisions
1. This means adversaries have direct access to the web app over encrypted TLS connections!
2. There is often no defense in depth between the database and the application logic in the web app
3. Developers are continually making the same mistakes year-after-year, which leads to remarkable stability of the OWASP Top 10

Web application security helps us understand the threats faced broadly and to guide development processes to ensure that security is being considered throughout the development process via activities such as:

1. Developer education on the OWASP Top 10 and the ASVS
2. Threat modeling to help drive design decisions toward options that provide for defense in depth
3. Including security considerations in the Agile development process through the use of:
1. User stories with security constraints and testable security in the definition of done
2. Abuser stories that document user stories from the point of view of a malicious adversary

In short, web app security is a challenging practice because there is no silver bullet. The goal is to harden applications against adversaries who have 24/7 world-wide access because our customers must have access as well.

Neil K. Jones, IBM Market Segment Manager:

“This question can be interpreted in two different ways, so I’ve followed a two-pronged approach in my response below. The first section of my response educates you about the multiple levels of application security testing protection that your organization can pursue. The second section provides you with a series of companion IT Security solutions that should complement your application security regimen. Neither of these options should be considered mutually-exclusive.

Multiple Layers of Application Security Protection

If your organization’s relatively new to Application Security Testing, you’re most likely considering DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) or SAST (Static Application Security Testing) options to identify your highest-priority application vulnerabilities. Please click on the links I’ve provided to find definitions for these popular testing options.

In a nutshell, DAST permits you to tackle the highest-risk applications in your “running-state” app portfolio and quickly identify vulnerabilities. DAST also helps your developers to improve their coding practices over time and helps you to build a business case for more comprehensive application security testing in your entire organization. My colleague, Alexei Pivkine, has written a compelling blog about the potential impact of DAST Automation on the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), which I strongly encourage that you review and share.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is frequently a more strategic effort that’s intended to help enforce secure coding best practices in applications’ source code and mitigate vulnerabilities that exist in applications over time. I recently authored a blog that recaps the latest developments in IBM’s Application Security portfolio, and several of these new developments are associated with our SAST testing capabilities.

For your convenience, I’ve recapped recent developments in our Application Security on Cloud SAST offering below:

• IBM Security Open Source Analyzer facilitates control and visibility over rapidly-expanding open source risks and helps to identify vulnerable open source components in your software code.
• Our Application Security on Cloud Intelligent Finding Analytics (IFA) cognitive learning capability enables organizations like yours to achieve SAST false positive removal rates of 98 percent or more without sacrificing security testing quality.
• Intelligent Code Analytics takes your SAST initiatives even further by leveraging cognitive computing to extend language coverage. This is critically important, since coding languages evolve rapidly, with new frameworks being made available on a regular basis.

You can test-drive the SAST and DAST capabilities of IBM Application Security on Cloud and DAST capabilities of IBM Security AppScan Source by clicking on the links to the free trials that I’ve provided.

You should also check out the 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Security Testing, to learn more about the vendors that are active in this rapidly-evolving market.

Layering Your IT Security Solution Portfolio

Another way to think of “layering” is to consider how Application Security solutions integrate with complementary IT Security solutions, so that you bolster your organization’s comprehensive security protection At IBM, we refer to this as the IBM Security Immune System. The premise behind the Immune System is that when your security infrastructure’s overloaded, the health of your entire IT environment is weakened. This is similar to our personal health suffering, when we don’t eat properly or otherwise over-do it.

As such, IBM’s Application Security solutions play nicely with the following companion security solutions:

• IBM QRadar® Security Intelligence Platform, which integrates security information and event management (SIEM), log management, anomaly detection, and configuration and vulnerability management to deliver superior threat detection, greater ease of use and lower cost of ownership.
• IBM Security Guardium®, which offers a comprehensive data-security platform providing a full range of capabilities—from discovery and classification of sensitive data, to vulnerability assessment of data and file activity to monitoring, masking, encryption, blocking, alerting and quarantining to protect sensitive data.
• IBM mobile security solutions, which integrate with IBM Application Security on Cloud mobile application security testing capabilities to help you proactively resolve potential security vulnerabilities on mobile applications and improve operational efficiency.
• IBM cloud security solutions, which provide on-demand computing resources—everything from applications to data centers—over the Internet on a pay-for-use basis.

As I mentioned before, the two approaches I’ve outlined in this response should not be considered mutually-exclusive. For optimal success of your security program, I strongly recommend that you adopt both approaches, and consult the resources that I’ve shared above. Thank you!”

Any information IBM provides is not legal advice.

Good question! APIs are kept secure through strong authentication techniques, such as OAuth, data encryption via HTTPS, and appropriate access control settings to restrict user actions. Input validation, rate limitation, and abnormal activity monitoring all aid in preventing abuse or attacks. I hope this information helps!

It really doesn't.

If you are seeking to have a strong mitigation against mitm , you should consider some FIDO ("Fast IDentity Online" - FIDO Alliance - Wikipedia ) specification like U2F or UAF instead of SAS.

The idea behind SAS is to use an out-of-band channel to pass a secret to the other user, who is supposed to verify that against what was passed in-band. It is okayish, and it seems likely that it won't be done the right way very often. doing it wrong offers little protection against anyone who is proxying that channel, or otherwise in the middle as suggested by the question.

FIDO specifications work by PKI; the user's device holds a private key, and that is used to generate a public key to be registered with servers to which the user wishes to authenticate.

After that, when the user wishes to authenticate, the server issues a challenge, which, at the press of a button or confirmation of biometrics, or similar gate, the user can sign and return, offering an authentication mechanism which can't be stolen in-flight or used by a MITM.

The Wikipedia link above should offer pointers to more details, but Google u2f and FIDO authentication if you want to hear about it from a source to which I haven't referred you.

Attackers can potentially use many different paths through your application to do harm to your business or organization. Each of these paths represents a risk that may, or may not, be serious enough to warrant attention.

Sometimes these paths are trivial to find and exploit, and sometimes they are extremely difficult. Similarly, the harm that is caused may be of no consequence, or it may put you out of business. To determine the risk to your organization, you can evaluate the likelihood associated with each threat agent, attack vector, and security weakness and combine it with an estimate of the technical and business impact to your organization. Together, these factors determine your overall risk.

Because today's apps are frequently available over multiple networks and connected to the cloud, they are more vulnerable to security attacks and breaches. Application security testing can expose application-level flaws, assisting in the prevention of these attacks.

Web security is essential for preventing hackers and cyber thieves from gaining access to critical data. Businesses risk malware spreading and escalating, as well as attacks on other websites, networks, and IT infrastructures if they don't have a proactive security policy in place.

Here are some reasons why do we need application security:

• Ascertain the information's security.
• Builds client trust and improves company reputation
• Assist in the removal of any potential hacks
• The Most Difficult Obstacles to Ensuring Application Security
• A scarcity of appropriately skilled workers

LoginRadius uses a multilevel security web app environment to secure consumer identification. OpenID Connect is used by the APIs (OAuth 2.0 protocol). In addition, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services host LoginRadius applications.

The CIAM platform is also kept up to date with the most recent government rules and compliances in the various locations. Consumer data is protected in the cloud directory, which also allows and manages consumer consent for data collection and use.

LastPass and 1Password are not really security apps but password management tools which will make it easier to securely create, store and access those complex passwords in the future.

If you are looking specifically for security applications then you might want to alter your question to reflect this ask versus just asking specifically about password management tools.

Lastpass and 1password are similar in terms of what they do, offer end to end encryption for storing your data, but have different approaches in terms of the how since Lastpass stores your passwords online versus 1Password which stores them locally.

While the debate between these two rage on between their customers, I find Lastpass to be the least secure having had its security compromised multiple times over the last two years. Everything from having its database of users hacked and user PII data including salts and password reminders compromised to users being vulnerable to phishing scams to the most recent being able to extract passwords from a websites autofill features: LastPass hacked; security compromised for good

I dont remember coming across anything similar for 1Password other than when people decided to store their vaults on their own servers and having Google crawl through the metadata, which I dont chalk that up as a failure for 1Password since it was not created for that type of usage. Even so, if someone was to gain access to your machine, they could always brute force your application, so nothing is 100% secure.

In terms of other apps:

• Use a VPN when on public or free wifi networks, VPN unlimited is cheap and good.
• Use a port monitoring and permissions tool such as Little Snitch to manage every single connection in and out of your computer
• Use full disk encryption on all of your devices, Windows Pro and MAC OSX have this built in.
• Use either Google or Microsoft for funneling your email through to help filter spam and viruses but also, never open or click on anything sent to you by someone you do not know and inspect emails from people you do. Make sure headers, language, file names, domains, etc.. are all good before you do anything with an email
• Enable dual authentication on every account you can making sure you need access to two separate devices to gain access.

There are a bunch more but this is a good start.

These are actually two different questions - but the short answer is Yes, they are.

Lastpass is a commercial password vault available via the Internet. Your password vault is encrypted on your local machine before it is sent to Lastpass; therefore, they have no way of decrypting your data. If they can’t do it, no one else can either - which is exactly the point.

I don’t know 1Password as well, but in the past it was a password manager application that ran on the Macintosh - but it appears to have an online component now. A local password manager will keep your passwords encrypted on the local machine, while not making them available to any other machines.

I’ve used Lastpass for some time, and there are many benefits to using a password manager that I never expected:

• Comes with a password generator
• Easy to reset all passwords after a hack
• Passwords can be totally random, since memorization is unnecessary
• Form fill is very nice
• One site, multiple accounts is handled very well
• Security analysis across all passwords

I recommend Lastpass whole-heartedly.

Applications are an integral part of every business’s daily operations. Today’s generation is mostly found to be engaged in online activities. This change has caused enterprises to invest heavily in business applications to spread their services and take their services directly to customers. The need for business applications is never-ending, and with this security concerns and threats also arise on the other hand. Due to this, the necessity for application security testing arises.

Application security testing is the process of detecting possible weaknesses or loopholes in an application and some attack scenarios and test cases that might lead to loss of data. It ensures that an application is free from threats or risks that could cause data breaches or theft. The best practice for checking whether all security measures are implemented is while developing the application and by regular security check when the application is functioning.

Primarily, there are 3 types of application security testing and they can be categorized into: black box, gray box, and white box.

• Black Box Testing: In this type of testing method, functionalities of a software application are tested without regard for internal code structure, implementation specifics, and internal paths. This authorizes the tester to simulate a real attack by an external.
• White Box Testing: This is a type of testing in which a tester or automation testing mechanism has full access to the internals of the application. It helps in baring some important security threats, like internal security holes, poor code quality, business logic vulnerabilities, etc. This testing usually uncovers threats that cannot be exploited easily by an outside attacker.
• Gray Box Testing: Gray box testing is basically a combination of black box and white box testing. It evaluates software applications by partial knowledge of the internal working structure of the application. This type of testing identifies context-specific issues in the software application. For instance, if a tester discovers a flaw in testing, then he’ll alter the codes to resolve the problem and will retest it again.