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Sunday, June 15, 2008

Web application security: Don't bolt it on; build it in

In light of breaches in Web application security worldwide, the importance of catching potential areas for intrusion is necessary at the beginning. Performing application vulnerability testing during production (and not after a breach has been detected) can save a company thousands of dollars. The only way to ensure the highest level of security is to build it in from the outset.

How secure are your Web applications? Unless you conduct application vulnerability testing throughout the lifespan of your applications, there's no way for you to know about your web application security. That's not good news for your security or regulatory compliance efforts.
Companies make significant investments to develop high-performance Web applications so customers can do business whenever and wherever they choose. While convenient, this 24-7 access also invites criminal hackers who seek a potential windfall by exploiting those very same highly available corporate applications.

The only way to succeed against Web application attacks is to build secure and sustainable applications from the start. Yet, many businesses find they have more Web applications and vulnerabilities than security professionals to test and remedy them - especially when application vulnerability testing doesn't occur until after an application has been sent to production. This leads to applications being very susceptible to attack and increases the unacceptable risk of applications failing regulatory audits. In fact, many forget that compliance mandates like Sarbanes-Oxley, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and European Union privacy regulations, all require demonstrable, verifiable security, especially where most of today's risk exists - at the Web application level.

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