Manage web security like a pro
Recently, Finnish public sector has faced some significant security breaches, all because crucial security updates were not applied in time. Helsinki City breach has been the biggest in Finland ever. These incidents highlight just how vital it is to prioritize security in software development and solutions management. At Digitalist, we’re committed to keeping our projects secure and resilient against cyber threats by using advanced tools and security best practices.
Our Security Specialist Aka together with our Senior Solutions Architect Marc briefly explain how web security management is done like a boss. Let's go!
You already know why security updates matter
Security updates are like the routine maintenance checks for your car—they're essential to keep everything running smoothly. These updates patch vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit, fix bugs discovered post-deployment, and enhance security features. Ignoring these updates can leave systems exposed, potentially leading to data breaches, loss of sensitive information, and serious financial and reputational damage.
A report from IBM found that the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million. That’s a hefty price to pay for something preventable. In another example, the 2017 Equifax breach, which affected 147 million people, happened because a known vulnerability was left unpatched. This oversight resulted in a massive financial and reputational fallout for the company.
How we manage security like professionals
To safeguard our projects, our approach is to apply a shift-left security strategy in our software development lifecycle. What this means is that we apply security practices to identify and remedy potential issues early and continuously in our development process to stop potential security vulnerabilities before they move forward to production.
The benefit of having shift-left security strategy enables us to do the following:
Automation:
Implementing automated processes leads to reduced human errors and fewer production issues. With the ability to conduct multiple tests simultaneously, test coverage is increased, allowing testers to focus on other tasks.
Fast delivery:
Shift Left security streamlines the release process by enabling DevOps and security teams to work in parallel. This results in improved software quality as issues can be identified and resolved earlier in the development cycle.
Our strategy includes using tools such as Platform.sh Observability Suite and Aikido security platform, and also using methods such as threat modeling.
Platform.sh Observability Suite:
The Platform.sh Observability Suite is crucial for our security efforts. It provides real-time monitoring and alerts, helping us manage our systems proactively. This suite lets us track performance metrics, detect anomalies, and quickly respond to potential threats before they escalate.
Aikido Security Platform:
Aikido is another cornerstone of our security strategy. This all-in-one application security platform offers a comprehensive set of tools for advanced code and cloud vulnerability assessment and scanning.
Threat modeling:
Threat modeling is a systematic approach used to identify, analyze, and address potential security threats to a system or application. This goes hand-in-hand with our shift-left security strategy. It involves understanding the assets to be protected, identifying possible attackers and their motivations, and determining the attack vectors they might exploit. By creating a model that represents these elements, we help organizations anticipate and mitigate risks early in the project’s development and before they manifest.
Here's just a few types of analysis and tests we use:
Static Code Analysis (SAST): Identifies vulnerabilities in our source code early in the development process.
Infrastructure Code Scanning (IAS): Ensures our deployment configurations are secure.
Open Source Dependency Scanning (SCA): Checks third-party libraries for known vulnerabilities.
Surface Monitoring (DAST): Scans for potential vulnerability on the production application.
Malware Detection: Keeps our systems clean from malwares in packages which are not known in any CVE database.
License and SBOM Compliance: Manages software licenses and ensures transparency in our software supply chain.
A continuous development workflow for serious security
In our agile continuous development workflow, security updates are seamlessly integrated. Here’s a snapshot of how we manage it:
- Identify: Continuous monitoring tools flag any vulnerabilities.
- Assess: Our security team evaluates the risks and prioritizes updates.
- Develop/mitigate: Developers create patches or updates in the next sprint cycle.
- Pentest: Updated code undergoes rigorous testing, including automated security tests.
- Deploy: Once tested, the update is deployed, often through automated pipelines.
- Monitor: Post-deployment, the system is closely monitored to ensure the update’s effectiveness and stability.
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This proactive approach ensures that security is always at the forefront, minimising risks and maintaining system integrity.
Keeping up with the game
Staying ahead of potential vulnerabilities through timely security updates and comprehensive security solutions is crucial. We continuously invest in advanced tools and practices to protect our projects and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. By doing so, we not only safeguard our clients' data but also fortify our reputation as a leader in secure application development and solutions management.