Chapter 1: Introduction to Application Security
* Defines application security and its importance.
* Discusses common threats and vulnerabilities faced by web applications.
* Example: Alice's website faces a SQL injection attack when users enter malicious SQL queries in the search field.
Chapter 2: Authentication and Authorization
* Explains authentication and authorization mechanisms.
* Covers techniques for secure password management and session management.
* Example: Bob's online banking application requires strong passwords and implements session timeouts to prevent unauthorized access.
Chapter 3: Input Validation
* Emphasizes the importance of validating user input.
* Discusses common types of input validation checks and techniques.
* Example: Alice's registration form validates email addresses by checking for a valid email format before saving them.
Chapter 4: Output Encoding
* Introduces output encoding and its role in preventing cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
* Explains different encoding techniques and their limitations.
* Example: Bob's website uses HTML encoding to prevent attackers from injecting malicious scripts into user comments.
Chapter 5: Security Headers
* Covers the role of security headers in protecting applications from attacks.
* Discusses common security headers and their configurations.
* Example: Alice sets a Content Security Policy (CSP) header to restrict which external resources can be loaded on her website.
Chapter 6: Secure Coding Practices
* Provides guidelines for secure coding practices in common programming languages.
* Discusses techniques for preventing buffer overflows, memory leaks, and other vulnerabilities.
* Example: Bob uses parameterized queries in his Java application to prevent SQL injection attacks.
Chapter 7: Vulnerability Management
* Explains the importance of vulnerability management.
* Covers tools and techniques for vulnerability scanning, patching, and remediation.
* Example: Alice uses a vulnerability scanner to regularly scan her website for known vulnerabilities and applies patches promptly.
Chapter 8: Penetration Testing
* Introduces penetration testing and its role in assessing application security.
* Discusses different types of penetration tests and their methodologies.
* Example: Bob hires an ethical hacker to perform a black-box penetration test on his website, revealing several vulnerabilities that were not detected by automated scanners.
Chapter 9: Social Engineering
* Discusses social engineering techniques and their impact on application security.
* Provides tips for preventing social engineering attacks.
* Example: Alice's employees fall for a phishing email, compromising their credentials and granting attackers access to the company's network.
Chapter 10: Secure Application Lifecycle
* Introduces the secure application lifecycle (SDLC) and its importance for ensuring application security throughout the development process.
* Discusses best practices for implementing security measures in each phase of the SDLC.
* Example: Bob's team integrates security practices into their agile development process, conducting security reviews at key milestones.
