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As the threat landscape continues to expand, every business is vulnerable to potential attacks. For this reason, companies are investing heavily in security measures to combat attacks and breaches.
In this blog post, we will dive into the top 4 reasons your organization needs to focus on application security in 2024.
The increasing threat landscape in application security has led to a significant focus and spending on security. There are four main reasons that organizations need to pay more attention to application security in the next year:
- Increasing Threat Landscape
- Shift Left Movement
- Regulation and Compliance
- Cyber-Security Talent Shortage
Let’s dive in!
Increasing Threat Landscape
According to recent Ponemon research, over 50% of organizations have had a security incident due to an unpatched vulnerability in the last 12 months.
Experts warn that vulnerabilities and breaches are becoming more common, and recent events like the Equifax breach have demonstrated how indirect attacks make every organization a potential target, not just those traditionally considered at higher risk.
Read More: How To Use Threat Modeling to Minimize the Attack Surface of Your Application
As a result, organizations should be taking notice and bolstering their security measures to protect against these rising threats. Developers must prioritize secure coding practices, and security teams must integrate seamlessly into the development process.
Shift Left Movement
The AppSec Shift Left Movement is about moving security earlier in the SDLC rather than testing and fixing it after the code is published. This movement emphasizes safety earlier in development than the more traditional DevOps pipeline. By doing so, developers and security experts share the responsibility for writing secure code and should release fewer vulnerabilities into production.
Read More: How Secure Coding Training Fits Into The Shift Left Movement
However, many organizations are still in the early stages of their DevSecOps journey, and skills and training are critical barriers to success. Only 55% of organizations agreed that their development, security, and compliance teams were aligned on product security (Ponemon, 2023).
“Shift Left” may be a tech buzzword, but it can make your organization more efficient and secure in practice.
Regulation and Compliance
In 2024, securing and complying with application security regulations will be more crucial than ever. New regulations like PCI-DSS v4.0 and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) raise the bar for data protection and application security. These regulations mandate stricter controls, continuous monitoring, and robust breach notification procedures.
Read More: SEC Cybersecurity Risk Governance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Compliance
Many regulations require training for employees handling personally identifying information, but PCI regulations lead the charge in mandating secure code training. Experts have observed that the overall shift towards regulation and compliance requirements should increase the focus on security, at least equal in importance in time to market for new features.
While PCI DSS specifically mentions secure coding, other regulations stop short of ensuring that developers are knowledgeable. Regulations with vague language may be redefined to explicitly include more technical training requirements so that developers have the knowledge they need to build more secure software.
Cybersecurity Talent Shortage
One of the current trends in cybersecurity is happening amidst a persistent shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. Due to this shortage, companies are increasingly motivated to utilize their developer staff to integrate security practices into their work processes.
Estimates paint a grim picture: a global gap of over 3.4 million security professionals, a figure set to widen. This shortfall translates to overworked cyber teams, unfilled positions, and increased risk of breaches. Traditional education struggles to keep pace with the ever-evolving threat landscape, leaving graduates with skillsets ill-suited for real-world challenges.
Read More: Filling the Application Security Education Gap
Closing the cybersecurity talent gap demands a collective effort. From educators, businesses, and governments to individuals themselves, every player has a role, and investing in educating current employees to be more secure is a great place to start.
Start 2024 On the Right Foot
As we move into 2024, secure coding training will be critical to any organization's cybersecurity strategy. Organizations can mitigate the risk of breaches and protect their data and assets by addressing the four key reasons why application security is essential.
If you are looking for a guide going into 2024 to protect your applications and build a robust secure coding program. In that case, you can contact our team today or try our secure coding training right now.
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