Best Practices for Securing Web Applications

What is Web Application Security?

Web application security refers to the strategies, technologies, and tools used to protect applications accessed via a web browser against cyber threats. This approach focuses on securing web applications at every stage of their lifecycle through secure coding practices, authentication controls, and security tools like web application firewalls (WAFs) and vulnerability scanning.

Since web applications are accessible via the internet, they need to withstand multi-dimensional attacks targeting their infrastructure and application code. To mitigate and minimize threats before they escalate, organizations can identify potential vulnerabilities during the development and deployment process and reinforce key defenses.

Why is Web Application Security Important?

Today’s organizations rely on web applications for everything from e-commerce to remote work. While these applications are critical to business operations, they also increase the attack surface for cybercriminals. A single misconfiguration or exposed API can leave systems vulnerable to breaches and unauthorized access that could compromise sensitive data. 

Web application security threats generally fall into two categories:

• Internal threats: These threats stem from human error or insider actions. For example, a  developer may inadvertently store raw API keys in a public repository, potentially exposing them to unauthorized backend access. In addition, malicious insiders can use their position to exfiltrate sensitive data. Weak security practices, such as failing to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), can make it easier for individuals — whether negligent or acting with ill intent — to compromise critical systems.
• External threats: External threats come from cybercriminals exploiting weaknesses in a web application’s code and infrastructure. Brute-force attacks, SQL injections, and cross-site scripting (XSS) are common attack vectors hackers use to manipulate application functionality and access protected data. To mitigate these risks, organizations typically implement multi-layered security strategies, including API gateways, DDoS protection, and automated threat detection. These measures help identify suspicious activity and block attacks before they cause harm.

With web applications now central to business operations, a patchwork security approach no longer suffices. The average cost of a data breach is currently $4.88 million, and that doesn’t account for other long-term impacts like reputational damage and loss of customer trust. Rather than addressing security gaps after an incident, it’s essential to embed security best practices at every stage of the application lifecycle and establish resilient, end-to-end protection.

4 Best Practices for Securing Web Applications

Web applications are a valuable asset for your organization, but they can also introduce significant risk without proper security measures in place. These best practices will help you proactively address vulnerabilities to strengthen your application security for the long term.

1. Prioritize security throughout the application development lifecycle

A strong web application security defense starts in the development phase. To preemptively minimize vulnerabilities, many organizations follow a DevSecOps model to integrate security testing throughout the development lifecycle, from coding to deployment and beyond.

For instance, secure coding practices can help prevent common vulnerabilities like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). Regular security assessments and penetration testing are also essential steps for identifying new vulnerabilities or misconfigurations after applications go live.

Additionally, organizations should consult the OWASP Top Ten to implement safeguards like authentication, encryption, and access control that protect against the most common security threats.

2. Leverage behavior-based security

Web application threats like credential stuffing frequently originate from bot-driven attacks, which automate malicious activity at scale to bypass security controls and exploit vulnerabilities.

Compared to static security models, behavior-based security continuously monitors user and network activity to detect anomalies in real time. By establishing a baseline of normal application behavior, any deviation — such as an abnormal spike in login attempts or an unexpected surge in API requests from a single source — can be quickly flagged as a potential attack.

3. Establish network-level DDoS protection

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks flood web applications with excessive traffic to overwhelm system resources and disrupt operations. Since these attacks can target both the network and application layers, it’s important to deploy a proactive, multi-layered defense.

Network-level DDoS protection mitigates high-volume attacks early by using traffic analysis and rate limiting to reduce malicious traffic before it reaches the application. However, more advanced Layer 7 DDoS attacks specifically target the application layer by simulating legitimate user behavior to evade traditional security measures. These threats require behavior-based defenses that analyze request patterns and user interactions in real time to detect attacks before they cause downtime.

For ongoing protection, many organizations implement a managed web application firewall (WAF) that continuously monitors traffic and adapts security policies to prevent new threats.

4. Maintain full visibility over the application environment

Web applications rely on APIs and third-party integrations that can introduce vulnerabilities if left unmonitored. Without 360-degree visibility into this environment, it’s difficult to detect and respond to threats before they escalate.

A real-time web WAF helps close security gaps by continuously monitoring web traffic and adapting security policies to block known and unknown threats. By employing a positive security model — which only allows predefined, legitimate traffic while blocking everything else by default — a WAF can defend against diverse attack vectors. Additionally, a managed firewall solution automates security optimizations, minimizing false positives to maintain strong application security while reducing the burden on your IT and security teams.

Strengthen your Web Application Security with Ensono’s Managed Services

Threat actors never rest, and neither should your web application security. As attack techniques grow more sophisticated, organizations need expert guidance to reinforce defenses and keep applications resilient.

Ensono delivers a proactive security approach, combining tailored security programs, real-time WAF protection, and behavior-based security to block threats before they cause harm. With network-level DDoS protection and continuous monitoring, we ensure your applications are safeguarded against known and emerging risks.

Connect with us to learn more about how Ensono can help secure your web applications.