- Cyberattackers target applications because they are the path of least resistance to steal data. While companies have invested in network and hardware security, applications are still insufficiently secured.
- There are three stages of maturity for application security programs - ad-hoc, baseline, and advanced. The ad-hoc approach focuses only on customer-facing applications. The baseline approach assesses more applications but still relies on manual testing. The advanced approach integrates security into the entire software development lifecycle.
- Any organization can begin to reduce risk by starting with the ad-hoc or baseline approach and working towards a more advanced application security program over time.