Effective AppSec isn’t just about tools. It requires people with the skills and knowledge to identify vulnerabilities and implement preventative measures at every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). As I’ve addressed previously, this kind of education is seldom available to developers during their formal education, and as such, it’s a topic often overlooked.
AppSec as a Service is one way to address these challenges, delivering the following eleven benefits to your organisation.
1. Increased cyber threat landscape
In FY 2023, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) reported a 23% increase in cybercrime from the previous FY, with nearly 94,000 incidents recorded. In the same report, the number of publicly reported common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) increased by 20%. These significant increases underscore the pressing need for organisations to prioritise and increase Application Security (AppSec) measures.
Key cybercrime statistics from FY 2023
Source: ASD.
2. Get advice on your AppSec strategy
Getting advice from a team of AppSec experts supports your organisation in identifying, assessing and resolving vulnerabilities that arise during the SDLC and in production environments. AppSec can become a daunting discussion for the business leadership due to the amount of jargon present. An AppSec as a Service company will offer clear, actionable advice. Simplifying the information helps leadership make informed decisions, aligning everyone from developers to top management.
3. Cost-effectiveness over in-house experts
Working with an AppSec as a Service team is a more cost-effective solution than hiring one full-time expert to join your in-house team. An AppSec as a Service provider gives you access to a team of experts with combined knowledge across multiple domains.
One in-house full-timer might only have deep expertise in one or two areas. Even if using AppSec as a Service costs the same as someone’s salary, you get access to a service with more variety in knowledge and skills. The provider also would have collaborated and partnered with multiple organisations, bringing a wealth of best practices and lessons from these engagements.
4. Continuous assurance and control monitoring
Regular assessments give your organisation the insight to stay ahead of new threats and identify application vulnerabilities. AppSec as a Service delivers continuous monitoring with actionable risk mitigation recommendations tailored to your application stack. Instead of generic solutions, your business receives specific strategies to counter vulnerabilities. With detailed insights specific to your applications, your team can allocate resources and budget more efficiently, focusing on high-risk areas and maximising ROI.
5. Vulnerability prioritisation
Vulnerability prioritisation gives your business a clear perspective on which security risks demand immediate attention. By discerning high-risk vulnerabilities and less critical issues, leaders can make informed decisions on the AppSec strategy and address the most pressing threats and vulnerabilities first. Prioritising vulnerabilities enables your business to take a more cost-effective approach to AppSec. You can solve immediate issues rather than focus on all vulnerabilities at once, potentially wasting some of your budget.
6. Strengthen API security
Your web APIs need protection from threats such as Denial of Service (DOS), Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS), broken access control attacks, API abuse and content injection. Strengthening API security requires advanced authentication processes, deploying methods to counter DOS and DDOS attacks, and continually assessing for vulnerabilities to strengthen defences against emerging threats. An AppSec as a Service provider takes a proactive and comprehensive approach to API security to protect sensitive data and maintain application integrity.
7. Scalability and flexibility
As your needs grow, AppSec as a Service providers scale with you, meeting evolving AppSec demands without the challenges of scaling in-house teams. The provider will offer scalable and flexible security measures that align with your company’s needs and evolving security demands. By leveraging AppSec as a Service, your business can maintain security without the complexity and disruption typically associated with scaling internally.
8. Adherence to regulatory compliance and standards
AppSec as a Service helps your organisation improve compliance across multiple jurisdictions. It also ensures your security measures remain updated to align with regulatory changes within Australia or across multiple countries. AppSec as a Service reduces your risk of non-compliance and the associated legal or financial repercussions.
9. AppSec training for developers
Many developers do not have the opportunity to study AppSec in their formal education. To incorporate AppSec into their professional practice, they must complete this education after starting their careers. The result is a gap in foundational training that leaves some very competent developers overlooking security vulnerabilities.
AppSec as a Service addresses this knowledge gap by providing targeted training to your development team. AppSec training equips teams with the competencies to integrate DevSecOps tools, establish secure coding patterns, and design resilient software architectures.
10. Proactive approach to security
AppSec as a Service takes a proactive stance on security by identifying and resolving vulnerabilities before they worsen or lead to a breach. Rather than wait for an incident to investigate an issue, the provider will monitor and analyse your code to find issues early in the development cycle. This approach prevents threat actors from exploiting vulnerabilities and protects organisational and customer information.
11. Integration with existing processes
AppSec as a Service integrates security measures into the DevOps process without overriding existing workflows. It complements current processes by creating a more holistic approach to securing the SDLC. By fitting seamlessly within the DevSecOps practice, AppSec as a Service maintains productivity and operational continuity while strengthening defences.
Conclusion
Engaging an AppSec as a Service provider enables your business to proactively secure applications by gaining advice on what needs to change, educating your team on best practices and consistently improving security. An AppSec as a Service provider also becomes more cost-effective than hiring in-house talent because you gain access to more knowledge and experience than one person specialising in one or two domains.
Why choose AppSec as a Service from Galah Cyber?
Our AppSec as a Service offering ensures that your software applications and related infrastructure are secure, reliable, and compliant. Our team of experts identifies and assesses security risks to deliver actionable insights and address potential application vulnerabilities at every stage — from the SDLC to applications operating in live environments. Please visit our AppSec as a Service page for more information.
