How To Fix Veracode Flaws

All security flaws should be fixed, right? In an platonic world, aye, all security flaws should be fixed equally before long as they're discovered. Merely for most organizations, fixing all security flaws isn't feasible.

A practical step your arrangement tin can – and should – take is to prioritize which flaws should be fixed get-go. To figure out which flaws should take precedence on your remediation "to-do" listing, consider defect severity, the criticality of the awarding, and how easy it would exist to exploit the flaw. In other words, which flaws pose existent and immediate risk?

Once you've determined which flaws should be stock-still first – like OWASP Meridian 10 vulnerabilities – y'all can create an application security (AppSec) policy to break the build whenever a flaw falls into that category. For example, if an AppSec scan uncovers a SQL injection flaw, it will break the build so that a developer can fix the flaw prior to production.

At this time, developers take 3 options for fixing the flaw: remediation, mitigation, or credence. Remediation fixes a vulnerability using code or configuration changes or patches. Mitigation is used when the master control is non available or not viable to implement, so compensatory controls (such as virtual patches with a WAF) are put in identify to reduce or eliminate the exploitability of the vulnerability. And lastly, credence is used if the vulnerability is declared low-take chances and non worth remediating.

As your developers get used to the AppSec policy and are comfortable fixing OWASP Top 10 flaws, you lot can then add boosted policies. But it's important that you don't add together too many policies at in one case. (Unrealistically high expectations for flaw remediation tin can upshot in developers taking shortcuts to avoid the policies.)

Another way to "fix" flaws is to prevent them from existing in the commencement place. If you railroad train your developers to write secure code, yous can decrease the number of code errors that will demand to exist fixed later on in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Integrating automated security tools early into the SDLC and providing guidance for fixing security-related defects can also forbid late-stage fixes.

And, if your organization isn't doing so already, start scanning more than frequently. Scanning ofttimes not only ensures that y'all're introducing fewer flaws into your code, but also helps improve time to flaw remediation. In fact, according to our State of Software Security v11 study, scanning oftentimes can reduce the time it takes to remediate fifty percentage of security flaws past 22.5 days.

Lesser line: the best manner to fix flaws fast while creating fewer vulnerabilities is to prioritize which flaws to fix showtime, railroad train your developers to write secure lawmaking, integrate and automate security tools early on into the SDLC, and browse frequently.

To acquire more about AppSec best practices and practical first steps – similar which AppSec testing types to deploy first or how to shift left – or for additional information on fixing security flaws, check out our guide, Awarding Security All-time Practices vs. Practicalities: What to Strive for and Where to Get-go.