From July 2021 to June 2022, the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s Annual Cyber Threat Report highlighted a 25% rise in publicly reported software vulnerabilities. This significant increase underscores the pressing need for organisations to prioritise and increase their Application Security (AppSec) measures.
Effective AppSec isn’t just about tools. It requires people with the skills and knowledge to identify vulnerabilities and implement preventative measures at every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). As I’ve addressed previously, this kind of education is seldom available to developers during their formal education, and as such, it’s a topic often overlooked.
AppSec as a Service is one way to address these challenges, delivering the following six benefits to your organisation.
Get advice on your AppSec strategy
Getting access to advice from a team of AppSec experts supports your organisation in identifying, assessing and resolving vulnerabilities that arise during the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and in production environments.
AppSec can become a daunting discussion for the business leadership due to the amount of jargon present. Simplifying the information helps leadership make informed decisions, aligning everyone from developers to top management in their security goals.
An AppSec as a Service company will offer clear, actionable advice. Teams that present security insights in straightforward terms help organisations build a strong security foundation by ensuring that the leadership also understands the imperative for AppSec.
Strengthen API Security
APIs create the foundation of mobile and web applications. They are the foundation of many cloud-based platforms we use in our personal and professional lives today. As more of us leverage these platforms daily, we share more sensitive data through them, making API security even more crucial.
Web APIs, for example, transfer sensitive data between users. Any breach will compromise this data and lead to significant financial and reputational impacts. Your web APIs need protection from threats such as Denial of Service (DOS), Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS), broken access control attacks, and man-in-the-middle attacks.
Preventing these attacks includes implementing advanced authentication processes, deploying methods to counter DOS and DDOS attacks, and continually assessing for vulnerabilities to strengthen defences against emerging threats. An AppSec as a Service provider will take a proactive and comprehensive approach to API security to protect your sensitive data and maintain your applications’ integrity.
Continuous assurance and controls monitoring
Regular assessments give your organisation the insight to stay ahead of new threats and systematically identify application vulnerabilities. AppSec as a Service delivers continuous monitoring with actionable risk mitigation recommendations tailored to your application stack. Instead of generic solutions, your business receives specific strategies to counter identified vulnerabilities, ensuring a more effective and timely response.
Regular assessments also support your organisation in prioritising cyber security investments. With detailed insights into the threat landscape specific to your applications, your team can allocate resources and budget more efficiently, focusing on high-risk areas and maximising ROI.
AppSec training for developers
Many developers do not have the opportunity to study AppSec in their formal education. To incorporate AppSec into their professional practice, they must complete this education after starting their careers. The result is a gap in foundational training that leaves some very competent developers overlooking security vulnerabilities.
AppSec as a Service addresses this knowledge gap by providing targeted training to your development team. AppSec training equips teams with the competencies to integrate DevSecOps tools, establish secure coding patterns, and design resilient software architectures. With this training, developers can strengthen their applications and cultivate a proactive security mindset.
Vulnerability prioritisation
Vulnerability prioritisation gives businesses a clear perspective on which security risks demand immediate attention. By discerning high-risk vulnerabilities and less critical issues, leaders can make informed decisions on the AppSec strategy and address the most pressing threats and vulnerabilities first.
Prioritising vulnerabilities enables your business to take a more cost-effective approach to AppSec. You can solve immediate issues rather than focusing on all vulnerabilities at once and potentially wasting some of your budget.
Greater value than one in-house expert
Perhaps one of the key reasons for hiring an AppSec expert is that it is a more cost-effective solution than hiring one full-time expert to join your in-house team.
For example, an AppSec as a Service provider gives you access to a team of experts with combined knowledge across multiple domains. One in-house full-timer might only have deep expertise in one or two areas. Even if using AppSec as a Service costs the same as someone’s salary, you will get access to a service with more variety in knowledge and skills.
In addition, an AppSec as a Service provider would have collaborated and partnered with multiple organisations, bringing a wealth of best practices and lessons from these engagements. They can harness insights from peer programs and deliver solutions to your organisation. Additionally, as your needs grow, these providers can scale with you, meeting evolving AppSec demands without the challenges of scaling in-house teams.
Conclusion
Engaging an AppSec as a Service provider enables your business to take a proactive approach to secure applications by gaining advice on what needs to change, educating your team on best practices and consistently improving your security. An AppSec as a Service provider also becomes more cost-effective than hiring in-house talent because you gain access to a breadth of knowledge and experience rather than one person specialising in one or two domains.
Why choose AppSec as a Service from Galah Cyber?
Our AppSec as a Service offering ensures that your software applications and related infrastructure are secure, reliable and compliant. Our team of experts identify and assess security risks to deliver actionable insights and address potential application vulnerabilities at every stage – from the software development lifecycle to applications operating in live environments. Please visit our AppSec as a Service page for more information.
