Business Continuity – 7 Steps to Secure Your Web Application
Web security is the ability to protect your organization’s web-based resources from hackers and malware. This can be done through strategy, infrastructure, training and monitoring. It is an important part of business continuity.
Unlike internal network applications, web applications are accessible to anyone with an internet connection and can be attacked in a variety of ways. This makes it extremely important to implement robust web security measures before your web application is live.
1. Strong Password Policy
The first step in securing your website is to create and enforce a password policy for all users who have access to it. This will ensure that if one person gets into the backend of your website, it is unlikely they will be able to do much damage. It is also a good idea to require that users use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters to create a unique login password.
2. Secure Your Web Application During Development
To secure your web application, you need to make sure that it is properly scanned for vulnerabilities and patched before launching. This will help to prevent a hacker from exploiting a security vulnerability that could cause your web application to crash.
3. Input Sanitization
The best way to prevent an XSS vulnerability is to remove or sanitize the data that is entered by the user in an HTML form. This will reduce the risk of an attacker using this data to run a malicious script on the server.
4. Inline Authentication
A web application can be easily compromised by malicious actors who are looking for an opportunity to steal login credentials from the site’s users. This is especially true of sites that allow visitors to login using their email address and password.
5. Encryption
A common tactic for preventing a phishing attack is to use an encrypted link. This is a great way to prevent an attacker from stealing sensitive information, such as credit card numbers.
6. Secure Your Web App During Tests and Upgrades
It is important to test web applications before they are deployed in production, and to deploy updates as soon as possible after the initial release. This will ensure that your web applications are not vulnerable to exploits or vulnerabilities that could lead to data loss, such as a SQL injection.
7. Monitor Vendors and Their Security Policies
It’s critical to regularly review the security policies and practices of your technology partners. This is because a security chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
8. Keep Your Website Free of Malware and Phishing Attempts
A hacked website can result in the theft of customer information, or it can propagate illegal content to your customers. This can have a devastating impact on your business and damage your reputation.
9. Provide Employee Education & Support
The best way to keep your website secure is to provide your employees with the information they need to stay safe online. This includes explaining to them the importance of keeping their personal information private and not clicking on weird links that could potentially lead to a malware infection.