Application security requirements are costly to comply with, highly technical, and ever changing. However, ignoring them even partially is way more expensive than contracting a team of AppSec experts. 

DevSecOps emerged in response to the exponentially expanding cost of poor cyber security practices. Now, software development companies and inhouse engineering teams strive to bring in a security element as early in the SDLC as possible. Continuous testing is one of the pillars of DevSecOps, where every facet of the process is scrutinized for known vulnerabilities to ensure safe usage after release.

According to recent research by Synopsis, the US economy suffered a $2.41 trillion loss in 2022 due to poor software quality [cybercrime, technical debt and software supply chain issues were the main culprits].

In this piece, we are reviewing some of the major application security standards that will help you understand the key parameters to pay attention to when developing, testing, deploying, and updating a software solution.

SKF Security Knowledge Requirements Framework
Security Knowledge Framework: Collection of AppSec Tools and Requirements

What Is App Security?

App Security is a set of best practices, standards, activities, techniques, and tools, which need to be applied at all stages of the SDLC to build a secure software environment for both users and businesses.

AppSec is only one part of the overarching concept of cyber security, alongside end-user education, information security, network, operational, internet, IoT, and ICT securities.

Pillars of Application Security

These technical disciplines and levers shape the core methodologies behind a safe web and mobile app development:

  • Authentication

This set of technological tools allows for the software to authenticate a user with an SMS, password, telephone device, fingerprint, or facial recognition feature. 2FA, or two-factor-authentication, is common and will protect against major phishing attacks: using Google authenticator on your smartphone is one of the recommended ways.

  • Authorization

Authorization follows authentication and is designed to ensure that the right people get access to the assigned features and roles. For example, a regional manager will have more rights and access than a shift cashier.

  • Encryption

Data encryption protects information as it travels from the cloud to the users and back.

  • Logging

When logs are kept on major occurrences, like the entrance of a specific user to an app and their respective activities, time stamps, etc., breaches can be investigated and analyzed.

  • Application Security Testing

This set of testing protocols allows you to ensure that all of the above leverages have been applied and implemented to the best of the AppSec industry’s stage of development at any time.

2SV/2FA Types by Google scheme
Google: 2FA types 

Common App Vulnerabilities

OWASP project Top Ten surveys security engineers to understand common vulnerabilities in modern software. This is the latest 2021 OWASP Vulnerabilities chart.

  1. Broken Access Control 
  2. Cryptographic Failures 
  3. Injection [includes Cross-site Scripting]
  4. Insecure Design
  5. Security Misconfiguration [includes XML External Entities |XXE]
  6. Vulnerable and Outdated Components [prev. Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities]
  7. Identification and Authentication Failures [prev. Broken Authentication] 
  8. Software and Data Integrity Failures [includes Insecure Deserialization]
  9. Security Logging and Monitoring Failures [prev. Insufficient Logging & Monitoring]
  10. Server-Side Request Forgery 

The growing and mutating threats serve as fertile soil for the infrastructure evolution around AppSec. According to Gartner, App Sec spending will more than double in five years, reaching $13.6 billion in 2026 from $6 billion in 2021.

Evolving AppSec Infrastructure & Innovative Breakthroughs

To help counteract, minimize, or prevent the number of security incidents, new technologies, tools, and methods emerge all the time. Some prove to be indispensable for millions, and others never get to the mass adoption stage.

Gartner’s Hype Cycle for App security 2022 predicts that these trends / innovations will soon plateau, within the next 2–5 years [starting with the most mature]:

These innovations have survived the disillusionment phase and have entered either the enlightenment or productivity stage, to see their efficiency plateau in less than 2 years:

  • DevSecOps
  • Web Application Firewall Appliance
  • Software Composition Analysis
  • Full Life Cycle API Management
  • Enterprise App Stores
Gartner Hype Cycle for App Sec 2022
Gartner Hype Cycle for App Sec 2022, courtesy of Cequence Security

The growing security challenges gave rise to a plethora of AppSec tools and platforms.

Top Application Security Tools

According to the industry’s leading chart by Gartner, Synopsis tops the leaders magic quadrant among AppSec testing platforms, sharing this section with Checkmarx, Veracode, Micro Focus, and HCL Software. 

Snyk, Invicti, and GitLab are in the challengers’ corner. Rapid7, Data Theorem, and Contrast Security feature the prerequisites of what Gartner software experts rank as visionaries. While Onapsis, GitHub, and NTT Application Security are catering to niche users.

2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Security Testing
2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Security Testing

Top Application Security Requirements to Consider in ADLC

First things first: Many of these application security compliance rules and regulations are created as open-source projects or from governmental efforts.

Many industry leaders will support or sponsor such initiatives, as they bring along a framework for counteracting all sorts of malicious forces and hackers —for the entire industry.

This is to say that at first sight, web and mobile app security standards may seem restrictive and rather pricey to comply with. But the dangers are real and the civilized world works to create a safe, fair playing field, sharing their knowledge on upcoming known hacks and threats.

OWASP Application security Wayfinder 
OWASP Application security Wayfinder 

SKF [OWASP Security Knowledge Framework]

This leading AppSec open-source resource is a collection of best practices, checklists, security requirements, and labs that educate about the known vulnerabilities and ways to counteract them.

Check out more on OWASP and SKF official webpages or download from GitHub.

Application security requirements: SKF Features
SKF Features

Security RAT

Security RAT or Security Requirement Automation Tool is another OWASP resource that helps with automating your app security requirements. The platform does offer users a repository of fundamental requirements, but it is more geared towards the automation mission as part of secure SDLC.

Users are encouraged to modify the preset application security requirements for mobile and web in line with the specific needs of their industry, company, and security profile.

You can try a demo account by following this link: https://securityrat.org

Use these credentials to enter the demo version of Security RAT:

Username: demo

Pasword: SecurityRATdemo10!

OWASP Security RAT demo version Requirements Skeleton
OWASP Security RAT demo version Requirements Skeleton screen

Or download the software from GitHub

To give readers a better feel for this solution’s capabilities, this is a list of RAT requirement categories enlisted in the tool at the beginning of 2023:

  • Secret Management
  • Algorithms
  • SOAP Web Service Verification Requirements
  • Access Control Architectural Requirements
  • Communications Architectural Requirements
  • Deployed Application Integrity Controls
  • Unintended Security Disclosure Requirements
  • Look-up Secret Verifier Requirements
  • Secure Software Development Lifecycle Requirements
  • Data Classification
  • Build
  • File Upload Requirements
  • Server Communications Security Requirements
  • Configuration Architectural Requirements
  • Service Authentication Requirements
  • Log Processing Requirements
  • Authenticator Lifecycle Requirements
  • Malicious Code Search
  • Data Protection and Privacy Architectural Requirements
  • Sanitization and Sandboxing Requirements
  • Validate HTTP Request Header Requirements
  • Single or Multi Factor One Time Verifier Requirements
  • Fundamental Session Management Requirements
  • Code Integrity Controls
  • File Execution Requirements
  • RESTful Web Service Verification Requirements
  • Error Handling
  • Business Logic Architectural Requirements
  • Cryptographic Architectural Requirements
  • Output Encoding and Injection Prevention Requirements
  • Errors, Logging and Auditing Architectural Requirements
  • Input and Output Architectural Requirements
  • Defenses Against Session Management Exploits
  • General Access Control Design
  • Business Logic Security Requirements
  • Dependency
  • Session Binding Requirements
  • Memory, String, and Unmanaged Code Requirements
  • File Storage Requirements
  • File Integrity Requirements
  • Re-authentication from a Federation or Assertion
  • Other Access Control Considerations
  • Malicious Software Architectural Requirements
  • Session Logout and Timeout Requirements
  • Cookie-based Session Management
  • Credential Storage Requirements
  • Token-based Session Management
  • Client-side Data Protection
  • General Data Protection
  • Log Protection Requirements
  • File Download Requirements
  • GraphQL and other Web Service Data Layer Security Requirements
  • API Architectural Requirements
  • SSRF Protection Requirements
  • Session Management Architectural Requirements
  • Deserialization Prevention Requirements
  • Generic Web Service Security Verification Requirements
  • Log Content Requirements
  • Client Communications Security Requirements
  • Random Values
  • HTTP Security Headers Requirements
  • Password Security Requirements
  • Secure File Upload Architectural Requirements
  • Out of Band Verifier Requirements
  • General Authenticator Requirements
  • Operation Level Access Control
  • Cryptographic Software and Devices Verifier Requirements
  • Sensitive Private Data
  • Input Validation Requirements
  • Authentication Architectural Requirements
  • Credential Recovery Requirements

ASVS [OWASP Application Security Verification Standard]

Another of the OWASP’s libraries of best practices focuses on standardizing all processes related to web application security verification.

This set of best practices, checklists, and security requirements for web applications can serve as a metric, guidance for developers, and for contracting and auditing purposes.

It features 3 levels of security verification according to the extent of their respective complexity:

  • ASVS Level 1 – Basic
  • ASVS Level 2 – Standard
  • ASVS Level 3 – Advanced

These major app security requirements are covered in the document:

  • Architecture, Design and Threat Modeling Requirements
  • Authentication Verification Requirements
  • Session Management Verification Requirements
  • Access Control Verification Requirements
  • Validation, Sanitization and Encoding Verification Requirements
  • Stored Cryptography Verification Requirements
  • Error Handling and Logging Verification Requirements
  • Data Protection Verification Requirements
  • Communications Verification Requirements
  • Malicious Code Verification Requirements
  • Business Logic Verification Requirements
  • File and Resources Verification Requirements
  • API and Web Service Verification Requirements
  • Configuration Verification Requirements

Check out more details on the official OWASP ASVS Project page.

Download the latest March 2019 4.0 version here.

Visit the GitHub ASVS thread.

MASVS [OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard]

Mobile application development has another layer of complexity and security regulations and requirements due to the myriad devices and connectivity type to use the application.

This set of tools includes:

MASVS – Mobile Application Security Verification Standard [download here]

MASTG – Mobile Application Security Testing Guide [download here]

OWASP MAS Checklist [download here]

OWASP MASV’s three key assets: verification standards, testing guide, and the checklist
OWASP MASV’s three key assets: verification standards, testing guide, and the checklist.

Beyond OWASP: Other AppSec Regulations

Other notable security standards and regulations pertaining to AppSec include:

  • CERT Secure Coding
  • ISO/IEC 27034-1:2011 
  • ISO/IEC TR 24772:2013 
  • NIST Special Publication 800-53

As governments and businesses the world over strive to create a safe environment for application users, organizations like OWASP, NIST, and CERT will continue to provide more tools and guidance on how to streamline AppSec processes.

App Regulations and Mobile App Security Testing: Dev.Pro can Help

Dev.Pro has been developing web and mobile applications for over a decade. Our team of 900+ tech talent has helped create products for FinTech, HealthTech, EduTech, PropTech, and PayTech.

Being rooted in the development and as ardent believers in the DevSecOps mentality and culture, we also offer our clients an array of AppSec services, from threat modeling and risk assessment to security testing.

Looking to ensure your app is compliant with major regulations and security requirements? Let’s get you a consultation with our application security experts.