How to Boost Security for Enterprise Web Apps? (Victor Martin)

How to Boost Security for Enterprise Web Apps? (Victor Martin)

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Security concerns remain an integral part of the enterprise ecosystem in our digital age of exponentially growing web and mobile applications. Web apps playing a vital role in ensuring a seamless customer experience and improving business conversion remain central to a digital revolution. But with the rise of cybercrime, it has become crucial to provide security for web applications more than ever.

The so-called discussions on malware vs. virus threats have taken backstage now. We have to deal with more sophisticated cyber-attacks in the form of bots. This post will discuss some of the time-tested best practices to boost security for enterprise web apps.

Use Robust Front-End Technologies for Interactive Apps

Those fluffy, less reliable, and inconsistent APIs and tools like Flush are no longer used for incorporating interactive elements in web apps. Instead, using more powerful front-end technologies such as Three.js is widely recommended. Apart from the ability to create rich graphics and animations, Three.js is also known to boost the security of web apps. Three.js is a popular JavaScript library for creating 3D graphics, animations, and interactive elements in web apps.

But it is not immediately apparent how the framework can improve security. Well, here below, we mention the security benefits of the framework.

  • Indirectly Making Users Less Prone to Phishing: This can sound a little awkward, but Three.js offering a more immersive and thoroughly engaging user experience, can prevent them from falling prey to phishing scams. While phishing scams are common to steal login credentials of users or most sensitive data, a seamless user experience can make them impact-less.
  • Dynamic and Multilayered Authentication: Three.js can have a direct impact on the security of web apps. Three.js can enhance security by offering users a more sophisticated and dynamic authentication experience. For instance, by using interactive 3D models, the framework can make it mandatory for users to interact with them for authentication. Ask about this in the interview when you hire Three.js developers.
  • Creating Complex Security Data Visualizations: Three.js thanks to its graphic capabilities, Three.js can be used to put security data into complex and insight-rich data visualizations. Thanks to this, security experts can detect potential security threats faster and more effectively. Seeing data through interactive dashboards and visuals makes it easier for security teams to detect vulnerabilities and threats.

Update the Web App Frequently

One of the easiest and must-do ways to improve the security of enterprise web apps is to release frequent updates. Regular app updates need security patches addressing emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and other potential issues.

For the web admins and stakeholders, monitoring the web app versions and bringing updates regularly should be a priority. Even templating engines like Google sites template release updates for their customers frequently. Rolling out updates or keeping silent on them can only increase security risks for web apps.

Prioritize Authentication and Access Controls

The security of any web app starts with strong authentication and access controls. These two areas taken care of seriously can make a significant impact in boosting security. As for primary authentication measures, always force users to use strong passwords. Secondly, make sure there is multi-factor authentication (MFA) for verifying credentials.

On top of all these, there should be a meticulous access control policy to ensure that authorized users can only access certain content and features. In the case of enterprise web apps, Role-based Access Control (RBAC) is a full-proof method for this purpose.

Use Data Encryption

Encryption has become a powerful tool to protect data from vulnerabilities during transit. You should use data encryption to protect sensitive business data, whether in transit or at rest. With sensitive data encrypted, it becomes unreadable and needs to be decrypted with a key.

Thanks to encryption, whenever app data is intercepted at any point by a cyber attacker, it will not reveal anything. Encryption should not only be used to safeguard sensitive data like login credentials, user data, financial details, business data, etc. but also to protect user interaction data and session data from commercial manipulators. Without exception, data encryption should be used throughout the data flow to strengthen security.

Carry Out Regular Threat Exposure and Penetration Tests

For detecting and addressing crucial security threats and vulnerabilities in enterprise web apps, carrying out threat exposure and penetration tests is equally important. Vulnerability or threat exposure tests need automated testing tools to scan the known threats and vulnerabilities common for web apps.

Penetration testing, conversely, needs to simulate a cyber-attack on the app to detect weaknesses or flaws in security. Through carrying out these tests and assessments, you can detect most of the security threats and vulnerabilities and know the app's security flaws that need to be fixed.  

Adhere to Security Protocols and Benchmarks

Enterprise web apps over the years have come across many well-established and time-tested security protocols and benchmarks. These protocols and standards start with Transport Layer Security (TLS) Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) to several others.

TLS is for secure communication over the web, and OWASP covers more significant security concerns of web applications. These standards and benchmarks help avoid common security threats and ensure stringent security.

Adhering to Security Best Practices within the Organization

Human errors often lead to devastating cyber-attacks that we come across much later. This is why training employees about following security best practices in their day-to-day interactions with the business app is important.

Train your employees on phishing attacks, multi-factor authentication, and strong passwords, and let them know why updating the software tools is essential. Most importantly, security awareness and practical training should be wider than IT staff and should be offered to any employee or stakeholder using the enterprise app.

Ending Notes

Enterprise web apps are more vulnerable to security threats than their open-market consumer counterparts. Hence, here security should be regarded as a rigorous and mission-critical activity instead of a statutory one. If you follow most of these principles and measures, you can put a better safeguard around your enterprise web app.

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