Discover the best practices for securing your web applications and protecting your data and that of your users. From strong authentication to regular testing, learn how to secure your web applications effectively.

What is Web application security?

Web application security protects websites, applications and APIs against various cyber threats, such as data theft and unfair competition. This security practice encompasses different strategies and covers multiple aspects of the software supply chain.

How does web application security work?

Web application security protects the technology used in web application development, offering a high level of security. It protects against online threats and ensures the safe operation of web applications.

Performing an in-depth analysis of web application security tests is a fundamental step in guaranteeing and securing your web applications in 2024.

Web application security testing involves discovering and correcting vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. It is strongly recommended that this testing be carried out during the software development life cycle (SDLC) rather than after the webapplication has been launched.

By integrating testing into every phase of the software development cycle, developers can proactively address concerns and reduce potential security risks. With this approach, web security is no longer an afterthought, but a central element integrated into the development process.

Best practices for securing your web applications in 2024

Let's take a look at the 10 best practices for securing your web applications in 2024.

1. Use web application security software

Web application security software adds extra protection to your application infrastructure. It also guaranteesapplication confidentiality, integrity and availability.

Web application security software identifies and mitigates security risks. It continuously evaluatesapplication code, data and network communications to detect potential vulnerabilities and suspicious activity.

Using a variety of security testing techniques, such as static application security testing (SAST) and dynamic application security testing (DAST), these tools assess theapplication 's security posture and provide valuable information.

2. Implement strong authentication

Installing strong authentication means going further than simply associating a username with a password. It means adding extra steps to confirm who you really are, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Multi-factor authentication means that, to enter a website, you need to provide more than one proof of identity. This may include a combination of the following:

Something you know: This could be a regular password or a PIN code of your choice. Passwords should be complex to avoid guesswork.
Something you own : Like a physical object - a security card, a USB key - which generates unique codes, or which must be physically connected to gain access.
Something you are: This refers to unique biological characteristics, such as your fingerprints, face or iris, used to identify you.

By requiring at least two different types of such proof before granting access, the risk of someone else gaining unauthorized entry is greatly reduced, even if one of these pieces of information is compromised.

3. Secure data encryption

In modern companies, data in transit and at rest requires secure encryption to guarantee its safety.

Data in transit is information that is actively moving from one place to another, such as data transmitted over the Internet or via a private network. Such data is vulnerable to eavesdropping, especially if transmitted via unsecured channels.
Data at rest refers to information stored on hard disks, databases or cloud storage systems. This data is vulnerable to unauthorized access if the storage medium is compromised.

The use of the SSL/TLS protocol for data transmission is essential to strengthen encryption and prevent data theft during transfer over the Internet.

4. Adopt secure programming techniques

To protect against recurring security issues, such as remote malicious code execution or cross-site scripting attacks, it's crucial for developers to use reliable programming methods. Here are some key strategies for keeping your code safe from threats:

Checking incoming data : Ensure that information submitted by users, whether via forms or downloads, is secure before processing. This prevents the introduction of harmful code into your web application .
Encoding outgoing data : To avoid script attacks between sites, encode all data displayed. Adapt the encoding to the type of content, such as HTML, XML, etc. JavaScriptor CSS, so that user contributions are treated as simple data rather than executable code.
Using parameterized queries : By separating data from SQL statements, you can consolidate the structure of your queries and prevent them from being altered by malicious actors.
Avoid storing sensitive information in clear text: Never write confidential elements such as passwords, access keys or API tokens directly into your code. Prefer secure approaches such as environment variables or configuration files to manage this information.

5. Back up regularly

Deploying a robust backup strategy is vital to the preservation of your data. It ensures the availability of your information after unforeseen incidents, be they security breaches, hardware failures or natural disasters.

A good backup strategy needs to define what data to back up, how often, and how to monitor the process. It must also provide for data recovery after an incident, such as a ransomware attack.

Here are some more tips for implementing regular data backups:

Vary backup locations : Keeping backup copies away from your main site adds a layer of protection for recovering lost data.
Physically protect your backups : Ensure the physical security of your external back-ups, in particular by using fire-resistant safes adapted to the media used.
Check the safety of your service providers: If you're using cloud or external backup services, make sure they're reliable and offer safeguards to keep your data secure.

6. Keep your web tools up to date

Regularly updating your web applications and associated software helps you to correct known vulnerabilities and block illicit access attempts.

Updates bring not only security patches, but also performance enhancements and new features to better defend against evolving threats.

7. Conduct frequent safety audits

Periodic security checks are essential to detect potential weaknesses and take the necessary corrective action to improve your overall protection. These checks also ensure that your systems meet industry standards.

An audit can start with a vulnerability assessment to identify risks. Penetration tests, simulating attacks, are particularly useful for identifying unknown weaknesses and testing the effectiveness of existing protection.

8. Regularly check the diary

Good log management is crucial for several reasons: it helps to spot suspicious behavior, diagnose technical problems, comply with regulations, and respond to cyber-attacks.

It's important to capture information from various points on the network and from different sources to get a complete overview of system activity.

Some best practices for log management include :

Determine what needs to be recorded : Identify critical operations to monitor, such as connections, transactions or data modifications.
Centralize log collection : Gathering logs in a central location facilitates their analysis and prevents the loss of important information, especially in dynamic environments.
Adding context to logs : To simplify big data analysis, provide sufficient context to log entries, helping to investigate and resolve security incidents more effectively.

9. Ensure proper error management

Poor error handling in web applications can lead to security problems, such as the inadvertent disclosure of internal error messages, stack traces or database dumps. When disclosed, this information can provide attackers with clues to potential flaws in the webapplication .

Here are some key points to consider:

Avoid displaying detailed internal information. Provide meaningful error messages only when it is necessary to record diagnostic information required by webapplication managers.
Test error handling mechanisms. Test your tools thoroughly to check how the webapplication reacts to different errors. Ensure that internal errors are handled efficiently without crashing the system or consuming excessive resources.
Use error handling frameworks and libraries. Express.js for Node.js, Django for Python and Laravel for PHP are excellent examples of frameworks.

10. Deploy web application firewalls (WAF)

Implementing webapplication firewalls adds an extra layer of security.

WAF filters and monitors incoming traffic, detecting and blocking common attack patterns. A robust webapplication firewall improvesapplication security posture without making major changes to workflow.

Conclusion

Best practices for securing your web applications in 2024 involve a proactive, multi-layered approach. Adopting best practices for the development and management of your applications is crucial to preventing threats and protecting user data.

This includes the secure validation and coding of inputs and outputs to avoid vulnerabilities such as SQL injections and XSS attacks. In addition, regular backups and constant updating of your web tools play a fundamental role in preparing for any security incident, ensuring fast and efficient data recovery.

Finally, frequent security audits and good log management are essential to identify and correct potential vulnerabilities, thus continuously improving the security of your web applications.

By integrating these practices into your security strategy, you'll be better equipped to protect your web applications against emerging threats in 2024 and beyond.