Necessary Security Measures to Implement During Web App Development

While web application development continues to progress at a rapid pace in prominent tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Florida, the recent spate of malicious cyber-attacks has cast a shadow over the industry. No longer can tech companies postpone the implementation of security measures until the app goes live. Unless suitable precautions are taken during the developmental stages, not only does the program remain susceptible to outside threats but fixing any problems after deployment becomes extremely difficult. Some of the necessary security measures web developers need to adopt are discussed below:

Implement a Content Security Policy

Integrate an alert system into your application. Turning on alerts allows you to keep track of the possible security loopholes of your web application. When it comes to building an app retroactively into your website, you can proceed in two ways –  you either can build an expansive inventory, poring through every aspect of your application to ensure nothing’s missing, or add so many whitelists that it hampers the functionality.

Switch X-Frame-Options to Block Mode

Prevent framing attacks and clickjacking attacks by putting your X-Frame-Options HTTP response header into block mode. Complete this step during development. Otherwise, sites start framing your app over time and using it for launching clickjacking attacks (the malicious practice of hiding hyperlinks beneath the clickable content in your app, thereby inducing your users into performing some undesired actions).

Add Nonces to Your App

Your app should have anti-CSRF cryptographic nonces for all secure functions. What are nonces? Well, they are one-time tokens connected to user sessions. You need to place these nonces in every form and validate them to prevent your app from performing undesired actions. Retrofitting these tokens means touching a shared memory or database on each hit, aside from having to insert the code into every page with a form and subsequent function to validate the nonce.

Improve Security for Sensitive Information

The moment an app is compromised, all sensitive information – passwords, credentials, secret questions in the answers storage –  is up for grabs. So, unless you want hackers and other malicious parties to get their hands on these details, do away with plaintext and obsolete hashing algorithms like MD5. Introduce contingencies during the development stage so that even if the whole database gets copied, the attackers cannot access the info without cracking the codes in individual rows.

Modern web applications facilitate the growth and success of an organization and help achieve its objectives quickly. As a result, web application development has surged in popularity, in Florida and other emerging techhubs. These thriving IT destinations are home to numerous app development companies that employ highly skilled development professionals.  Their understanding of the local markets help them tailor the apps to the unique needs of their clients.