What Is Application
Security?

Application security is a multidimensional and proactive approach to identifying, mitigating, and managing security risks throughout the entire lifecycle of software applications. The term encompasses a broad range of techniques — including threat identification, risk assessment, and security controls — aimed at safeguarding applications from unauthorized access, data breaches, injection attacks, and other malicious activities. Application security also extends beyond the development phase to include ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

Embedded systems software is often deployed in environments where security vulnerabilities can have severe consequences, including safety hazards, financial losses, and reputational damage. These systems’ unique challenges and risks include:

• Safety: Many embedded systems, such as medical devices, automotive control systems, and industrial automation equipment, control physical processes or interact with the environment. A security vulnerability could result in malfunction, physical harm, or even loss of life.
• Security: Embedded systems are increasingly interconnected and exposed to external networks, introducing new attack surfaces and vectors. Developers must mitigate the risks posed by remote exploitation, data breaches, and unauthorized access.
• Limited resources: Embedded software often operates in environments with limited processing power, memory, and bandwidth. Developers face the challenge of balancing these constraints with the need for robust security measures.

• Lifecycle requirements: Unlike desktop or mobile applications that can receive frequent updates and patches, embedded systems are often deployed in mission-critical environments where software updates are infrequent or impractical. Developers must adopt proactive security practices to counter risks that could arise over a long device lifecycle.

Implementing application security involves a comprehensive and systematic approach to identifying, mitigating, and managing security risks throughout the software development lifecycle.

Key steps and best practices include:

• Risk assessment and threat modeling: A thorough risk assessment of the application includes systematic analysis of the architecture, data flow, and potential attack vectors.
• Secure design: Security-by-design principles build security features directly into the application’s architecture and design. They include strong authentication mechanisms and least-privilege access controls to minimize the attack surface and limit the potential impact of security breaches.
• Secure coding practices: Defined coding standards and guidelines, including those provided by OWASP, ensure consistency and adherence to best practices across the development team.
• Security testing and code reviews: Regular code reviews identify insecure coding practices, logic flaws, and architectural vulnerabilities. Automated security testing methods uncover common vulnerabilities and security weaknesses.
• Secure configuration and hardening: Best practices include hardening servers, databases, and other components by disabling unnecessary services, applying security patches promptly, and configuring secure communication protocols. Security features in the underlying platforms and frameworks include firewalls and access control mechanisms.
• Secure third-party dependencies: Vet and monitor third-party dependencies, including libraries, frameworks, and components. Regularly update and patch third-party dependencies and consider using software composition analysis tools to automatically identify and track third-party dependencies.
• Secure deployment and configuration management: Use infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools to automate the provisioning and configuration of infrastructure components for consistency and repeatability across environments. Apply security configurations and hardening guidelines to servers, containers, and cloud services to reduce the attack surface.
• Continuous monitoring and incident response: Use security information and event management systems, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and log analysis tools to monitor for unauthorized access, data breaches, or other security incidents. Develop and regularly test an incident response plan.
• Security governance and risk management: Establish security training and a robust governance framework to define organization-wide security policies, procedures, and standards. Foster collaboration and communication across teams to align on security initiatives.
• Regulatory compliance and privacy: Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory requirements and privacy laws. Implement privacy-enhancing techniques such as data minimization, anonymization, and consent management to protect user privacy and minimize the risk of legal liabilities.
• Incident response and forensics: Define roles and responsibilities for incident response team members; establish communication channels; and establish procedures for containment, investigation, and recovery. Conduct post-incident reviews and forensics analysis to identify root causes, lessons learned, and areas for improvement.

Wind River Studio Linux Services

Wind River^® Studio Linux Services delivers embedded Linux platform solution design, implementation, security, and lifecycle management capabilities that help you reduce open source project risk while accelerating time-to-application-deployment, so you can lower your total cost of ownership and focus on innovation.

Key features include CVE and compliance scanning and our Technical Debt Calculator.

Wind River Studio Services: Security

Studio Security Services include:

• Security framework: We create a security framework for you based on the industry standard CIA triad of confidentiality, integrity, and availability to lower the risk of threat incidents and protect against cyberattacks.
• Security assessments: We provide a detailed, written assessment of how to secure your embedded system, covering every element from hardware selection through the operating systems and all components of your final application, including any software you purchase or build.
• Security Response Team: Our best-in-class incident response protects devices before and after deployment. Our team actively monitors the CVE database, proactively notifies you of potential vulnerabilities impacting Wind River products, and offers resolution measures before the community is aware of the vulnerability.
• FIPS 140-3 certification: Wind River will port the latest version of the OpenSSL FIPS Object Module to your platform and take your configuration through a Level 1 or Level 2 FIPS 140-3 certification, working closely with OpenSSL NVLAP to ensure success.
• Security training: Wind River security experts help your own team implement security policies and respond to threats. Our Embedded Security Essentials training course covers a wide range of software security topics and can be augmented with additional security mentoring as needed.

Wind River Secure Development Lifecycle

Wind River supports a secure software development lifecycle (SDL) across our products, enforced by policy and implemented with standards, processes, and procedures. The SDL is aligned directly with the NIST 800-218 Standard and its principles: Prepare the organization, protect the software, produce well-secured software, and respond to vulnerabilities.

Wind River offers Secure Software Development Conformance statements to customers, providing supply chain and component assurance that supports customers’ industry-specific integrations, compliances, and certifications across many SDL standards and industries, including:

• ISA/IEC 62443 (operational technology)
• ISO/SAE 21434 UNECE WP.29 R155 and ISO 24089 (vehicle cybersecurity)
• IEC 81001-5-1 (healthcare)
• PCI SSLC (payment card)
• O-RAN Security Requirements Specification (telecom)
• CIS Control 16 (aerospace and defense)
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) (general and government)
• ISO 20243 (trusted technology providers)
• OWASP SAMM, BSIMM (generic SDL maturity)