Whether you are going to build a custom CRM system, custom ERP tool, or any other bespoke solution, you need to ensure that this software is properly secured. Otherwise, it can be exposed to a wide range of cyber threats, which puts your corporate and customer data at risk. Even a single data breach could be devastating for a business, which is highlighted by examples of NVIDIA, CNA Financial, and hundreds other companies.
As a software development firm with 25+ years of experience, we use a mix of practices to prevent vulnerabilities in the solutions we implement and ensure maximum data protection for our clients. In this article, we share some of the most useful techniques to help you build a more secure bespoke solution.
1. Establish a secure software development policy
Before starting the development process, your company should establish a secure software development policy. Generally speaking, this document includes rules a company and its developer teams should adhere to reduce software development security risks. A practical and effective secure development policy should cover three key software development aspects:
•Security expertise
First of all, the policy should define a set of requirements for developers’ qualifications and experience in ensuring software security. By hiring specialists that meet these conditions, you can increase the chances of developing a secure solution.
•Processes
The policy should also describe key software development processes, including coding, testing, and deployment, and specify how developers should perform them to ensure the security of both the software and the development environment. For example, this can involve validating a new piece of source code against the company’s security standards before committing it into the code repository.
•Technology
Finally, the policy should guide developers on tools and technologies to use during the software development lifecycle. For instance, it can prescribe developers to only use development frameworks and libraries that have been approved by a company’s security team.
You can develop such a policy from scratch, which can be challenging, especially if this is your first development project. To streamline the creation of such a policy, a company can purchase a pre-made policy template from one of the cybersecurity practitioners and develop their own on its basis.
2. Create a secure-by-design software architecture
To ensure maximum software security, you should build a custom solution secure by design, choosing the right software architecture. We recommend adhering to the following universal principles during the software design phase:
•Defense in depth
This principle prescribes software architects to implement multi-layered security controls to ensure comprehensive software defense.
•Economy of mechanism
This principle implies that software architects should avoid overcomplicating the solution’s design since the more complex the software is, the more difficult it becomes to test and secure.
•Weakest link
This principle emphasizes the need to pay attention to all parts of the solution, even those considered unimportant or less important, since any software system is only as secure as its weakest link.
3. Conduct threat modeling
Once you have created the optimal software architecture, we recommend you to thoroughly evaluate it from a security perspective before continuing with the development. To begin with, you can create a comprehensive data flow diagram (DFD) to highlight all user paths and data flows and have a full overview of the solution’s work.
Once you understand the solution’s architecture better, you should study the existing threat landscape to determine what risks exist in your industry and market niche. Then, you should conduct a threat analysis to understand whether the solution would be vulnerable to these risks, and if it is, consider refining the architecture.
4. Write secure code and review it regularly
When developers proceed to coding, it’s critical that they adhere to secure coding practices to help them prevent the creation of vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. For example, the official secure coding checklist from OWASP requires developers to ensure code integrity by using unique identifiers, such as hashes or checksums. It also prescribes developers to encrypt their code stored in code repositories by using secure cryptographic libraries.
In addition, developers should regularly review their code to identify potential security issues early on. To optimize this aspect of development (which can be especially relevant in large custom development projects), teams can use automated code review tools, such as PHP Coding Standards Fixer, Snyk Code, or Pylint.
5. Use a mix of security testing techniques
Regular testing is an important aspect of software security where developers identify and fix vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. Developer teams should conduct multiple types of tests to gain a more comprehensive view of the solution’s security state. These should include penetration testing (which involves simulating a hacker attack), API security testing (which helps identify common vulnerabilities in API code), software composition analysis (which involves analyzing third-party tools and libraries for vulnerabilities), and other types of tests.
Final thoughts
If you are planning to develop a custom solution, you should prioritize software security to minimize any potential risks of sensitive data exposure. The practices listed in this article can help you achieve the desired protection level of your solution. Regardless of your custom project’s specifics, scale, and complexity, it’s also recommended to involve third-party experts in the software development.
An experienced development company can provide you with a tailored secure software development policy, help design a fully-protected software architecture, and assist you with coding, testing, or any other development aspects to help you build a more robust bespoke solution.
