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Website Security Topics :: Jeremiah Grossman Blog

Quick Wins and Web Application Security

March 20, 2009

Lately I’ve been asking peers why they think comparably few dollars are spent addressing Web application security (by percentage to host/network), which every industry report states represents the largest information security risk. Is the reason that organizations don’t “get it”? Are available solutions ineffective? Do compliance failures need more teeth? Does the market need more time to mature? The answer is crucial, because without funds there is no way to secure the vast majority of insecure websites and we all suffer as a result. A combination of factors is probably a fair estimation, but the more I dig in the more I’m convinced something more powerful and yet mundane hides just beneath the surface. A recent conversation with Joseph Feiman (Gartner) revealed a profound insight. To paraphrase:

During an event a panel of Gartner Analysts asked the audience what the best way is for organization to invest $1 million dollars in effort to reduce risk. The choices were Network, Host, or Application security to which the Gartner analysts made their cases for these three disciplines. The catch was the budget could not be shared between them and must be prioritized into a single initiative. The audience selected Application security. However, the Gartner CSO (who took the role of CIO in the play) overruled the audiences' decision. They instead selected Network security, while at the same time curiously agreeing that Application security would have been the better path. His rational was that that it is easier for him to show results to his CEO if he invests in the Network.

Think about that!

Consider for a moment that Website Security equals Software Security, which it does plus much more. Then a maturing program will often require fundamental changes in business and code development processes. Policies need to be established, developers trained, staff hired, technology acquired, etc. An uphill battle requiring tremendous resources over the course of multiple years with scars and lessons earned along the way. As an example, the Building Security In Maturity Model (BSIMM), a real-world set of software security comparisons, observes 110 different potential activities! At the same time, measuring the value obtained from defect reduction in terms of website risk mitigation is extremely difficult. This is not to say the evolution should not begin, but it’s vital to understand the personal incentives that influence decision making.

A CIOs (and CSO) average tenure at a company is roughly 4 years, so they may view a multi-year website/software security program with immeasurable returns as a risky career move. And rightly so! If the effort takes too long and the business loses patience their credibility suffers. It is much safer to maintain the status quo spending on firewalls, A/V, network scans, and patch management where metrics are easier to quantify, report, and justify. Still, I believe CIOs want to do the right thing if enabled. So I asked my some 900+ Twitter followers (@jeremiahg) for ideas on how one might achieve “quick wins” in Web Application Security with measurable results that CIOs would appreciate. Several good ideas arose, mostly about reporting blocked attacks tied to defense measures, and interestingly not a single one mentioned the Software Development Life-cycle (SDL). I asked why, to which Chris Eng (@chriseng) of Veracode responded, “That's because SDL isn't quick.” It then becomes crystal clear why justifying a proactive budget is difficult to say the least. If we, the experts, don’t know, how can we expect CIOs to do any better?!

What happens when a website gets hacked you ask?

Simple. Risk transference and/or mitigation, but not necessarily reduction. Dollars free up shortly after an incident, but only enough to make the immediate problem go away, quickly, and usually only temporarily. Unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily translate to a lasting software security program. A CIO may first act by terminating the programmer or third-party development shop that authored the code. There is also the option of decommissioning the website entirely; replacing it with an outsourced Software-as-a-Service provider; or bring it in-house to manage internally. A Web Application Firewall could be deployed and a network scanning vendor commissioned to apply the rubber stamp assurance to show anyone asking. The point is, a CIO is compelled to demonstrate a level of success in short order and report why the same incident won’t happen again. They are caught in a position forcing them to react tactically rather than strategically.

Seriously, what other real choice does a CIO or IT Security have!? Getting hacked again and again while implementing an expensive mega software security program whose results lie years away is not particularly attractive or practical. Something needs to happen immediately. This is a big reason why accurate vulnerability assessment results piped into Web Application Firewalls (VA+WAF) has become such an attractive option. A solution capable of identifying vulnerabilities, virtually patching them, and demonstrating success to the business -- in terms of risk reduction. Quick wins are possible in a matter of days or weeks, rather than years. A similar option is desperately needed from the software development side of Web application security field. A program that produces measurable results quickly that can be built upon even after the CIO leaves. A win-win for all involved. If such a model exists, it’s not well advertised.

The only other major budgetary lever is compliance where justification occurs without consideration of or a requirement for risk reduction, “We need money to do X because the standard says so.” For myself, and I think many others too, that is just not good enough. Lest we forget, compliance != security. So I’m asking again...How do you achieve quick wins in Web Application Security, rooted in software, with measurable results that CIOs would appreciate?