Web Application Security Best Practices
Tags: security, bestpractices, webdev, webcomponents
Published: 2022-06-30 08:18:10

## Create a security blueprint for your web application 

Without planning, `web application security` best practices cannot be kept up to date. In many cases, companies deal with the situation in  a disorganized way and achieve almost nothing. Sit  with your `IT security team` to create a detailed and actionable web application **security plan**. You need to outline your organization's goals. 

For example,  you can improve `overall compliance` or  protect your brand more carefully. You also need to `prioritize the applications` that need to be backed up first and how to test them. Whether done manually, in a cloud solution, on-premises software, managed service providers, or otherwise. 
 

## Inventory your web application 

You probably don't have a  clear idea of ​​which application it depends on every day, as your business is organized as you think it is possible. In fact, most organizations are running many `malicious applications`  at a given point in time and are only aware of them when problems occur. 

You can't  maintain `effective web application` security without knowing exactly what applications your organization is using. 

`How many are there?` `Where are you?` Performing such an inventory can be a daunting task and can be time consuming. When running, keep in mind the purpose of each application. Many applications can be  redundant or completely meaningless. 

## Prioritize your web applications

After completing an `inventory` of your existing web applications, prioritizing them  is the next logical  step. You may doubt it now, but your list will likely  be very long. If you don't prioritize which apps to focus on first, you'll struggle to make  meaningful progress. 

Sort apps into three categories: 
 

### Critical 

Critical applications are mainly those that are `outward facing` and contain customer information. These are the apps that need to be dealt with first as they are  most easily targeted and exploited by hackers. 

### Serious 

Serious applications can be `internal` or external and may contain  sensitive information. 

### Normal

Normal apps are much `less exposed`, but they should be put to further testing. 
 






By categorizing your apps this way, you can reserve more `intensive testing for important apps` and use less intensive testing for less important ones. This allows you to make the best use of the company's resources and will help you  progress faster. 

## Prioritize Vulnerabilities

When you go through the list of web applications before testing them, you have to decide which vulnerabilities are worth removing and which are not too worrying. Removing all vulnerabilities from all web applications is simply not possible or even worth your time. Even after `rating your apps` by their importance, it will take considerable  time to test them all. 

By limiting yourself to only checking for  the most `dangerous security holes`, you'll `save a lot of time` and  get things done much faster. When it comes to determining which security holes to focus on, it really `depends on the applications` you're using. Also keep in mind  that as testing goes on, you may find that you've overlooked some issues. 

Don't be afraid to pause testing so you can regroup and focus on additional security holes. Finally, remember that in the future this job will be much easier, because you are starting over now and it won't be later. 

## Run applications that use as few privileges as possible 

Even after all  your web applications have been `evaluated, tested, and removed` for the most problematic security holes, you are still not clear. Each web application has `specific privileges` on the local computer and the remote computer. These privileges can and should be adjusted to improve security.

For the vast majority of applications, only system administrators have full access. Most other users can get what they need with `less permissive` settings. 

In the unlikely event that privileges are misaligned for an application and some users cannot access the functionality they need, the problem can be resolved as it happens. It is  better to be too `restrictive` in this situation than to be too permissive. 

## Have protective measures in place in the interim 

 
Even if you run a small, fairly simple organization, it can take weeks  or even months  to go through the list of web applications and  make the necessary changes. During this time, your business may be more vulnerable to attacks. Therefore, it is important to have other `safeguards in place` in the meantime to avoid major problems. 

To do this, you have several options: 

- Remove certain functions from certain applications. If the feature makes the app more vulnerable, it might be a good idea to remove said feature in the meantime.  
- Use a `web application firewall (WAF)` to protect from the most worrisome security holes. 
- Throughout, existing web applications must be continuously `monitored` to ensure that they are not attacked by third parties. 
- If your business or website is hacked during this time, identify the weakness and fix it before moving on to another job. You should make it a habit to carefully `document these vulnerabilities` and how they are handled so that future events can be addressed appropriately. 

## Use cookies securely 

Another area that many organizations don't think about when discussing web application security best practices is the use of cookies. `Cookies` are extremely convenient for businesses and users. They allow users to be remembered by the websites they visit so  future visits are faster and, in many cases, more personalized. 

However, cookies can also be manipulated by hackers to  access  protected areas. While you certainly shouldn't stop using cookies - indeed, it would be a huge step backwards in many ways - you should adjust your settings  to minimize the risk of being hacked.

First, `do not use cookies to store  sensitive or important information`. For example, `do not use cookies to remember a user's password`. This makes it very easy for hackers to gain unauthorized access.  

You  also need to be careful about setting the `cookie expiration date`. Sure, it's good to know that cookies are valid for users for several months, but in reality, all cookies pose a security risk.  Finally, consider `encrypting the information`  stored in the cookies  you use.  

Gratitude for perusing my article till end. I hope you realized something unique today. If you enjoyed this article then please share to your buddies and if you have suggestions or thoughts to share with me then please write in the comment box.



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