Mitigating Risks: Protecting Your Organization’s Exposed Applications

Overview

As an organization undertakes digital transformation, it includes integrating digital technologies across all areas of the organization, fundamentally altering its operations and delivering value to customers. This transformation often entails the exposure of specific applications to the Internet for various strategic purposes, such as

• Streamline Business Operations and Accessibility: Enable customer access to e-commerce, banking, and support services from anywhere. Support remote work by providing access to internal resources through VPNs. Facilitate partner integration for seamless data exchange and collaboration.
• E-commerce and Digital Services: E-commerce websites that enable customers to browse products, place orders, and make payments online. Online banking platforms allow users to manage accounts, transfer funds, and pay bills electronically.

“Is your organization ready to expose critical applications over the internet?”

Given their exposure to the Internet, applications face an increased number of attack vectors. These critical applications, now globally accessible, are frequently the primary target for cyber attackers, underscored by the paramount importance of their security.

In accordance with the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024

• 71% Year-over-year increase in cyberattacks that used stolen or compromised credentials.
• 32% of cyber incidents involved data theft and leaks, indicating that attackers prefer stealing and selling data instead of encrypting it for extortion.

Before making applications accessible via the Internet, it is crucial to conduct a thorough security assessment. This assessment helps in understanding and implementing security controls that ensure the application’s safety.

Three common mistakes or oversights faced by security defenders in similar scenarios include:

• Applications hosted in the cloud are already protected by default, as the cloud security provider will take care of them.
• The application is hosted behind the firewall, which is sufficient.
• Neglecting to train employees or customers on best security practices

Critical Security Controls: Ensuring Robust Protection

Secure Architecture and Design Principles

Network protection is essential for securing applications hosted on-premise or in the cloud, serving as the primary defense against unauthorized access and cyber threats. It begins with assessing and understanding the security requirements specific to the organisation’s network infrastructure.  Implementing robust security controls, such as

• Network Segmentation

This involves separating critical internet-facing systems, such as web servers and APIs, into a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) that is distinct from internal networks. This approach minimizes the attack surface by controlling traffic flow and applying strict access controls.

• Firewall protection

This will allow secure protocols like HTTPS while protecting against unauthorized access and threats. Firewalls act as a barrier between trusted internal networks and untrusted external networks, such as the Internet, by enforcing access controls based on predefined rules. When configured to permit HTTPS traffic, firewalls verify SSL/TLS certificates, inspect payloads for malicious content, and enforce policies to ensure secure data transmission. This ensures that organizations can safely facilitate encrypted communications while maintaining robust protection against cyber-attacks and unauthorized activities.

• Intrusion Protection System (IPS)

This device actively monitors and blocks malicious activities in real-time. While firewalls control traffic based on predefined rules, IPS detects and prevents advanced threats using methods like signature-based detection, anomaly detection, and heuristic analysis. Together, they form a layered defense strategy against various cyber threats.

It is recommended that the solution be positioned directly behind the firewall, specifically after the internet router. This system is designed to analyze all incoming traffic flows to the network and execute automated actions as needed. With this design, it can protect against DDoS attacks that could overwhelm internet firewalls and other critical internal systems.

• Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) is essential for protecting internet-exposed applications because it provides specialized protection against web-based threats such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and zero-day vulnerabilities. Leading firewall vendors like Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, AWS, F5, and Imperva offer comprehensive security solutions, but WAFs add an additional critical layer of defense. This layered defense strategy is necessary because it addresses specific vulnerabilities in web applications that traditional firewalls are not designed to handle, thereby significantly enhancing the overall security posture of internet-exposed applications.

For instance, Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Cloud includes a robust Web Application Firewall (WAF) that thoroughly inspects HTTP/HTTPS traffic at the application layer (Layer 7). This enables it to detect and mitigate malicious activities that might bypass traditional network firewalls. Similarly, Fortinet’s FortiWeb offers similar capabilities specifically designed to protect web applications from attacks that exploit application vulnerabilities. AWS provides AWS WAF, which is seamlessly integrated with AWS services, offering customisable rule sets to thwart malicious traffic and fortify applications hosted on AWS. F5’s Advanced WAF utilizes machine learning and behavioral analytics to identify and mitigate sophisticated threats proactively. Imperva’s WAF is recognized for its exceptional precision and advanced threat intelligence, providing comprehensive protection against a diverse array of web application attacks.

• Secure API Gateway

An API gateway is absolutely essential in modern application architectures. It provides centralized API management, enhanced security, and efficient traffic handling. For example, in organizations offering e-commerce or online banking platforms with various microservices, an API gateway serves as a single-entry point, enforcing authentication and authorization, evenly distributing traffic during high-demand periods, and translating communication protocols between clients and backend services. Additionally, it offers centralized logging and monitoring, crucial for issue diagnosis, access auditing, and usage pattern understanding. This ensures that the platform operates securely, efficiently, and resiliently, protecting backend services from direct exposure and potential attacks.

• Encryption

Encryption is indispensable in various areas such as e-commerce, online banking, emails, and other critical applications to ensure the protection of sensitive data. Implementing Transport Layer Security (TLS) like HTTPS secures transactions by encrypting data during transmission and shielding payment details and personal information from interception. End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) safeguards customer transactions in online banking, ensuring that sensitive financial data remains encrypted from the user’s device to the bank’s servers, preventing unauthorized access during transit. Data-at-Rest Encryption further fortifies security by encrypting stored customer information on servers and in the cloud, using advanced encryption standards such as AES-256 to mitigate risks from data breaches.

Embracing effective key management practices is crucial for securely handling encryption keys, which in turn safeguards the integrity and confidentiality of stored and transmitted data. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is instrumental in securely generating, distributing, and managing encryption keys to enable secure communication channels and authentication mechanisms. Compliance with regulatory standards such as PCI DSS for e-commerce and banking regulations ensures that encryption practices meet industry requirements, offering a robust defense against cyber threats and upholding trust in digital transactions.

Comprehensive Identity and Access Management

The establishment of robust access control mechanisms for both on-premises and cloud-based exposed applications is paramount in ensuring that restricted resources and sensitive data are only accessed by authorised individuals. Identity and access management (IAM) is a pivotal component in governing access to sensitive information and substantially mitigates the probability of unauthorised breaches and data disclosures that could compromise user confidentiality or unveil proprietary business data.

How do your employees access critical company applications such as emails, financial systems, and Human Resource management systems? How do you ensure that these applications are well protected from unauthorised breaches and data disclosures? Relying on a single password for authentication isn’t always sufficient.

Design principles in Identity and Access Management (IAM) for securing exposed critical applications involve:

• Employing Centralized Identity Management for consistent policy enforcement, such as Active Directory
• Implementing Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) for robust user verification,
• Using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to limit access based on defined roles,
• Continuous Monitoring for real-time threat detection,
• Conducting regular Audits and compliance checks,
• Educating users on security best practices

Tips to Remember

“Secure your business-critical applications and privileged administrative access with a robust defense. Only allow access to authenticated users through a remote VPN fortified with multi-factor authentication. This approach ensures unmatched security, protecting vital assets and shielding sensitive information from unauthorised breaches.”

The Role of Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing

Internet-exposed applications are critical assets that require rigorous protection against potential vulnerabilities. Implementing effective vulnerability management and penetration testing practices is paramount to ensuring their security. Regular vulnerability assessments using tools like Nessus or Qualys are crucial to identifying and prioritizing risks while maintaining up-to-date patch management processes that mitigate known vulnerabilities. Frequent penetration tests are important to replicate real-world attacks and uncover weaknesses before they can be exploited. Secure configurations such as disabling unnecessary services and enforcing least privilege access further enhance defenses.

Penetration testing and vulnerability management involve internal and external approaches. Internal testing benefits from deep familiarity with the organization’s systems, while external testing brings an outsider’s perspective critical for mimicking real-world threats. External testers offer impartial assessments, identifying blind spots that internal teams may miss due to organizational familiarity or assumptions about security posture. They evaluate vulnerabilities from an external standpoint, considering threats originating beyond the organization’s perimeter, such as internet-based attacks and social engineering tactics.

Additional Key Insights

• internal teams should simulate external attacks by testing from the internet, providing a comprehensive view of vulnerabilities accessible to potentially malicious actors.
• Acquire a bug bounty program to harness the expertise of global security researchers in identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited by malicious actors. This will bolster overall cybersecurity, safeguard sensitive data, and uphold trust with customers and stakeholders.

The Imperative of Persistent Security Monitoring

 Securing public-facing applications requires a robust approach that integrates persistent security monitoring with advanced technologies such as SIEM, SOAR, and Threat Intelligence. SIEM systems like Splunk or IBM QRadar play a critical role by aggregating and analysing logs from web servers in real-time. They enable the detection of suspicious activities and anomalies across the application infrastructure, facilitating rapid response to potential threats.

It is essential to gather logs from critical sources such as web servers, application servers, firewalls, IDS/IPS systems, database servers, load balancers, CDNs, authentication systems, operating systems, and API gateways. These logs offer insights into user requests, unauthorized access, application behaviour, errors, blocked attacks, suspicious traffic, SQL injection, unauthorized data access, traffic patterns, performance anomalies, unauthorized access attempts, and system-level event context. Centralizing these logs in a SIEM platform allows for comprehensive threat detection and response, ensuring robust security for internet-facing applications.

Complementing SIEM, SOAR platforms such as Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR automate incident response workflows, allowing security teams to orchestrate swift and efficient responses to detected threats. Additionally, leveraging Threat Intelligence feeds enriches monitoring capabilities by providing context on emerging threats and attacker tactics specific to public-facing applications. This holistic approach enhances threat detection and response and strengthens overall cybersecurity posture, ensuring continuous protection of sensitive data and maintaining user trust in the face of evolving cyber threats.

Engage our Experts

Don’t leave your organization vulnerable to attacks—invest in reliable solutions today. Contact us at info@infosecltd.com  to discuss the security needs of your internet-facing applications and work together to ensure the apps are well protected from unauthorized breaches and data disclosure