Best Practices: Software and System Security
As technology continues to evolve and become ever-present in our everyday lives, "Software Security" has become critical for individuals and organizations to safeguard them from hackers or malicious intruders.
What is Software Security?
Software security is the process of protecting computers and networks from threats. It can be applied to any device or software with an internet connection. The best practices we’ll discuss below are meant to protect the hardware, software, and data of your system. The threats to your system may be external or internal. External threats come from people attempting to gain access to your system or from malware, and internal threats come from people who have been given access to your system acting maliciously.
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to software security, there are several best practices that can help strengthen the security and protect your system from attacks.
Create a Secure System Architecture
Start with a strong system architecture which should include a system that is segmented into different layers, which are the network, the system, and the application. Each layer should only have the necessary components for its function. This makes it harder for a hacker to penetrate your system and also prevents unauthorized users from accessing certain areas. The best practice is using Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) useful for separating users who need to interact with each other. Or Firewalls that are useful for blocking unauthorized users.
Using Strong Encryption
Encryption is a way to convert data into a form that is unreadable by anyone other than the intended recipient that is used to protect sensitive data and systems. Where possible, use strong encryption like Code Signing Certificate for digitally signing software, applications,.EXE files, etc. and or installing an SSL certificate on your website, which are useful system security tools. Strong encryption makes the data useless to unauthorized users like hackers, as well as enabling user authentication as a verified user to prevent potential security breaches.
Implement User Authentication
User authentication is an essential component of any secure system because it ensures that the user accessing the data is genuine and prevents unauthorized users from accessing the data stored on the system, software, or website. Make sure to implement proper authentication practices to prevent malicious user access, which can be done differently. Some of the popular ways include using a combination of strong passwords using alphanumeric combinations accessible only to the verified user by two-factor authentication mechanisms and changing the passwords within regular time intervals, reducing the probability of a password being stolen by any other user. Another popular method is installing an SSL certificate on your website, which encrypts the data by means of "HTTPS://" and displays your business name on the certificate.
For software publishing entities, digitally signing your software,.Exe files and applications using a Code Signing Certificate ensures that they are not maliciously altered or tampered with while also authenticating the publisher's identity by removing the "Unknown Publisher Warning" when users download them on their system, indicating a trusted source.
Keep Your System Updated
It’s important to make sure that your software is up to date. This includes both third-party applications and your company’s operating systems. Make sure you’re always running the latest versions of any software. This will help you protect your system from vulnerabilities that have been found in previous versions. You can also use software that helps you stay updated with the latest updates. These tools will notify you when a new version of an application is available or when there are system updates you need to install. You may also want to implement a system that checks for outdated software. This can be helpful if you need to update software but forget to do so. Make sure your system is up to date across all devices as well. This includes computers, servers, IoT devices, and any other devices that access your system.
Monitoring User Activity
Keep an eye on what your users are doing to ensure they aren’t engaging in suspicious activity. You can set up regular alerts or logs to monitor user activity. This will tell you who is logging in, what they are doing, and when they are doing it. Alerts are useful for suspicious logging activity. You can set up alerts for actions such as attempting to log in without correct login credentials, a failed login attempt after several correct attempts, or downloading large amounts of data. Alerts can also be helpful for logging successful logins. This can ensure that only authorized users are accessing your system. You can set up alerts for logging in from specific IP addresses or from other customizable factors.
Access Control Mechanism
Access control is another important part of securing your system. This includes managing and controlling user access to data and systems through authentication. Still, it also includes other precautions, such as data encryption, system lockdown, the use of firewalls, and setting up permissions for individual users. This will allow you to control what actions each person can take on your system, such as reading or editing certain data.
Implementing Security Policies
Finally, implement security policies that help you harden your system. These policies should be based on best practices and be as specific as possible. This includes policies for things such as what types of data you store and for how long, what type of authentication is required for specific systems, or how often users must change their passwords. A good rule of thumb is to have one policy for every function your system performs. This can be time-consuming, but it is an effective way to protect your system.
Conclusion
Software security is a growing concern in today’s tech-heavy world. To protect your systems, you must create a secure architecture, use strong encryption, implement user authentication, keep your system updated, monitor user activity, and use access control. These best practices will help protect your systems from internal and external threats.