Web App Security Team: A Guide

TL;DR

This guide helps you build a web application security team. It covers roles, skills, tools, and how to integrate security into your development process.

1. Define Your Needs & Scope

1. What are you protecting? List all web applications (internal/external).
2. Risk Assessment: Identify potential threats (OWASP Top 10 is a good start).
3. Compliance Requirements: PCI DSS, GDPR, etc. influence team focus.
4. Budget & Resources: This impacts the size and skills you can hire for.

2. Core Team Roles

1. Security Engineer (Application Focus): The workhorse of web app security.
   • Performs code reviews, penetration testing, vulnerability assessments.
   • Automates security checks in the CI/CD pipeline.
   • Responds to incidents and provides remediation guidance.
2. Security Analyst: Focuses on monitoring, threat intelligence, and reporting.
   • Analyzes logs for suspicious activity.
   • Keeps up-to-date with latest vulnerabilities and attack vectors.
   • Creates security reports for management.
3. Security Architect: Designs secure systems from the ground up.
   • Defines security standards and best practices.
   • Reviews application architecture for potential weaknesses.
   • Works with development teams to ensure security is built-in.
4. (Optional) Security Champion: A developer embedded within a team who promotes security.
   • Acts as the first line of defense for basic security issues.
   • Helps with training and awareness.

3. Essential Skills

1. Coding: Understanding common web languages (JavaScript, Python, Java, etc.).
2. Web Application Architecture: How apps work – front-end, back-end, databases.
3. Security Testing Tools: See section 4.
4. Vulnerability Management: Identifying, prioritizing, and fixing weaknesses.
5. Cloud Security: AWS, Azure, GCP security best practices (if applicable).
6. DevSecOps Principles: Integrating security into the development lifecycle.

4. Key Tools

1. Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Analyzes code for vulnerabilities.
   • Examples: SonarQube, Veracode, Checkmarx.

   • # Example using a command-line SAST tool

2. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Tests running applications for vulnerabilities.
   • Examples: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite.
3. Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Identifies open-source components and their vulnerabilities.
   • Examples: Snyk, Black Duck.
4. Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects against common web attacks.
   • Examples: Cloudflare WAF, AWS WAF.
5. Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS): Monitors network traffic for malicious activity.
6. Vulnerability Scanners: Nessus, OpenVAS.

5. Integrate Security into the Development Lifecycle (DevSecOps)

1. Shift Left: Find and fix vulnerabilities early in development.
   • Automate SAST/SCA checks in your CI/CD pipeline.
   • Include security requirements in user stories.
2. Secure Coding Training: Educate developers on common web app vulnerabilities (e.g., XSS, SQL injection).
3. Regular Penetration Testing: Simulate real-world attacks to identify weaknesses.
   • Automated and manual testing are both valuable.
4. Incident Response Plan: Define how you’ll respond to security incidents.
   • Include clear roles, responsibilities, and communication procedures.

6. Continuous Improvement

1. Regularly update tools and skills: The threat landscape is constantly evolving.
2. Post-Incident Reviews: Learn from every incident to improve your security posture.
3. Threat Modeling: Proactively identify potential threats and design mitigations.
   • STRIDE methodology can be helpful.