Modern software development involves multiple distributed teams with remote developers in different networks. This makes remote networks vulnerable to cyberattacks. A software security checklist is crucial to secure remote developers from potential cyber risks.

But why invest in a software security checklist?

Software cybersecurity is not just about installing an antivirus on a developer’s system anymore. The advent of generative AI for code generation has opened a new potential threat. AI-driven software development can expose sensitive information, and Samsung’s ban on ChatGPT is one example.

Besides AI-driven software development, ensuring robust code is also crucial for developers. One vulnerability can impact your operations. As stated by Deloitte, 48.8% of C-suite executives anticipate higher cybersecurity attacks on their systems. Increased software security threats require an extensive strategy. This article provides a definite software security checklist for your projects.

Why Do You Need a Software Security Checklist?

A software security checklist is like a guideline that ensures you check all the right boxes for better website protection against cybersecurity. A security checklist offers a structured approach to mitigating risks and ensuring cost-effective data protection.

It helps identify vulnerabilities in your website, acts as a roadmap for risk mitigation, ensures compliance with global data protection standards, and prevents cyber-attacks. By following a checklist, you can develop a more secure website while maintaining data protection standards and guidelines.

A Security Checklist for Web Developers:

A software security checklist lists the necessary steps and measures to protect websites from cyber threats.

1. Choose a Secure Web Host

Web developers must opt for secure hosting services to ensure data protection and compliance with essential security guidelines. A hosting service allows you to store website files and resources. There are many different types of hosting services, but choosing the right one can make or break a website’s security. Some types of hosting you can choose from are: 

●  Shared hosting: This is a type of hosting where many websites share the same server for hosting resources. Shared hosting is not an ideal choice if you want to secure a website because the vulnerability of any site sharing your resources can affect security.

●   Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is one of the most secure options for any web developer because of the dedicated server. VPS hosting offers a setup where each instance is independent and does not have the impact of any other website.

●    Cloud hosting: Cloud hosting distributes resources and data of your website across multiple virtual servers, ensuring there is no disruption in case of a cyberattack. It offers a failsafe option among all the other hosting options.

You need to choose the type of hosting suitable to your software security goals as a web developer.

2. Secure Web Apps & Software Applications With Digital Certificates

Digital certificates are your guardians against attacks like a man in the middle (MITM), where attackers target data transitioning between server and browser. SSL/TLS  certificates help you secure a website through cryptographic encryption, where the data between the browser and server is scrambled. Such data is unreadable for hackers, making it secure.

This is a crucial aspect of your software security checklist because it allows you to secure multiple domains and apps. For example, you can choose a wildcard SSL certificate to secure various subdomains with a single certificate. Similarly, multi-domain certificates help secure several websites at the same time. 

While choosing a digital certificate for your website, ensure it has a SHA256-like robust encryption algorithm. Also, check if the certificate authority is trustworthy with a proven track record.

You can purchase an SSL certificate from CA by submitting a certificate signing request (CSR) containing critical details regarding your organization. CA will verify it and issue a certificate you can install to secure a website.

3. Securing Software Applications

Web developers must consider different attack strategies that hackers can use while designing their applications. Considering backdoors and vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit, developers can create codes with better traceability.

If your application has third-party integrations or open-source services, scan for vulnerabilities. Because many open-source services have vulnerabilities that can expose your software applications.

4. Encrypt All Connections and Secure User Logins

Securing the connections to your website requires strong encryption. Use SSL/TLS certification to secure all the connections for your website. To secure user logins, you can use authentication policies that mandate verification of users beyond passwords.

For example, Google uses two-factor authentication for users to access their apps like Gmail, and YouTube. Similarly, you can design your login page to include such an approach to secure user logins.

5. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF).

Web application firewalls filter malicious traffic to your website. WAF allows your website to secure sensitive data from malicious traffic. At the same time, it helps your website comply with search engine ranking guidelines.

For example, Google penalizes websites with spammy traffic and content. So, as a web developer, you must ensure malicious traffic from unknown sources does not impact your website’s search engine rankings.

6. Keep Your Database Secure

Ensuring higher database security is indeed a fundamental approach to securing websites. Regular system vulnerability scans and penetration tests for databases can help mitigate the risks of data leakages.

Having a data recovery plan with automatic backups can significantly reduce the time to recovery in case of any mishap.

7. Try to Hack Yourself

Securing your websites and software applications and developing a thorough security incident response plan are important. Conduct security assessments by attempting to hack into your own websites. Target the websites in controlled environments with specific malware attacks to evaluate how resilient your system is against attacks and identify vulnerabilities.

Key takeaways

Securing your websites and software applications requires a planned effort. A software security checklist ensures you have every security measure organized in a step-by-step process to ensure enhanced security.

It allows you to assess systems, monitor errors, and identify vulnerabilities. Based on the identified issues, you can design security measures and secure websites. You can use the above-given checklist to secure sites and improve the user experience. However, what to include and omit from the checklist depends on your software security needs.