Kiuwan 101: An Introduction to Application Security

Early introduction of code security in the product life cycle minimizes the risk of detrimental losses down the line and streamlines systems development. In turn, this lowers the likelihood of data breaches, incorporates robust technology in the development process, and boosts availability.

To ensure this happens, companies need to invest in DevSecOps, like the 70% of enterprises planning to incorporate automated configuration and security vulnerability scanning in their development systems by 2023. That’s where Kiuwan comes in.

Before jumping on the DevOps security solutions bandwagon, businesses need a Kiuwan 101 introduction to understand which challenges Kiuwan solves and how it makes application security testing a breeze. Keep reading to find out.

Who Are We?

Established in 2003, Kiuwan is a global organization empowering businesses with code security solutions. In essence, Kiuwan is an application security tool that is valuable at every step of the software development process and lifecycle.

Kiuwan helps identify vulnerabilities and shortcomings in application code security, allowing risk mitigation and optimum resource allocation. Since Kiuwan is a multi-technology platform for identifying code vulnerabilities, it ensures the deployment of every application with the highest level of security.

Kiuwan’s solutions are designed to help teams in vulnerability detection throughout the development process. Moreover, Kiuwan empowers developers with effective tools to keep their projects secure, reduce cyber risks, and monitor projects consistently throughout the development pipeline.

What Do We Do?

Kiuwan provides a full suite of comprehensive solutions pertaining to the DevOps process. Besides governance tools, Kiuwan also offers quality assurance, Software Composition Analysis (SCA), and Static Application Security Testing (SAST) solutions for an efficient and safe development process.

Kiuwan’s SAST solution is designed to be used as an early detection system in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and helps identify coding vulnerabilities in real time. Kiuwan’s SCA solution is used to track and correct coding issues and secure the underlying application architecture.

The governance tools offer a holistic solution to the software development process by providing an overview of the entire application, code quality, and security status. They also help keep track of development progress and manage changes in the codebase.

Why Use Kiuwan?

According to Edgescan’s Vulnerability Statistics Report 2021, half of the web application vulnerabilities are critical or high-risk. That raises an important question at this point. How important is DevSecOps in today’s world? It’s definitely quite important since the Edgescan report also noted that the mean time to remediation for an internet-facing vulnerability is 60 days.

Kiuwan helps identify code vulnerabilities early in the process so that the 60-day waste is avoided. In this way, Kiuwan increases the speed of delivery; there’s no need to wait for weeks after the completion of the dev cycle to launch security runs. Apart from that, there are other reasons to use Kiuwan:

• More Sales. With Kiuwan, an app will constantly undergo rigorous security testing during the development process. The result Is a secure, efficient, and profitable app that users are more likely to trust.

• Seamless Automation. It’s almost impossible to incorporate security automation solutions outside DevSecOps. Instead, top-notch security automation, such as SAST, must be part of the dev process from day one.

• Better Security. The  Check Point Cyber Security Report 2021 found that 75% of cyberattacks took advantage of vulnerabilities that were two or more years old. When an app isn’t developed with security constantly in mind, things like this are expected. With Kiuwan, security is no longer an afterthought. Rather, it becomes the foundation for an efficient dev process.

• Guaranteed Compliance. Ultimately, a DevSecOps approach enhances compliance with regulations and best practices. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requires the implementation of a security vulnerability management program and regular scanning for vulnerabilities. Kiuwan users can be sure that their apps will comply with all major compliance regulations.

• Cost Reduction. DevSecOps automation finds and enables remediation of vulnerabilities much faster than manual processes. Resources can therefore be allocated more efficiently, and the overall cost of development reduced accordingly. Apps can hit the market in a timely manner, outpacing their competitors while meeting dynamic user expectations.

Veracode’s State of Software Security Report 2020 found that 75% of all applications have at least one vulnerability. Unfortunately, 25% of these flaws are still there after 18 months.

On the whole, investing in DevSecOps has become a vital need for companies today due to the immense benefits of the approach. Some of the challenges Kiuwan solves include barriers in the dev process, lack of visibility, high resource allocation, increased costs, and poor integration with existing systems.

When To Invest in Kiuwan

When should a developer invest in application security solutions? Just about now.

Today’s business landscape requires businesses to be agile and responsive to constantly changing user demands. At the same time, companies need to ensure that apps are secure and compliant with industry regulations. Kiuwan’s integrated platform helps to achieve all of this without compromising on speed, cost, or efficiency.

Forbes has also shed light on some of the turning points that make it imperative for companies to invest in DevSecOps. Here are some of them:

• Security Breaches: According to Statista, there were 1001 data breaches in the U.S. in 2020. Unfortunately, office applications are the most commonly exploited global apps that lead to data breaches. Companies that have recently suffered a data breach or want to avoid this happening can depend on Kiuwan to identify code vulnerabilities before they become entryways for troublemakers in cyberspace.

• Open Source: Because it allows for faster development times and better collaboration, open source is becoming increasingly common. However, it also introduces a new set of security risks that need to be managed, mainly due to easier integrations and excessive information shares. Companies that use open source components need to be especially vigilant about integrating security solutions into the DevOps process.

• New Workforce: The newer generation of developers and security professionals is more security-minded. These talented newcomers approach security challenges with a code-first and cloud-first thought process. As companies recruit young professionals, it’s time to make the shift to DevSecOps.

Businesses that want to make better dev decisions should use Kiuwan’s module for action plan creation. In order to facilitate the establishment of a set of actions and goals for code improvement, Kiuwan offers clients a choice of development strategies to build that plan.

Where To Find Kiuwan?

Like almost everything else today, Kiuwan can be found online. Schedule a free demo today to learn how to:

• Initiate a scan

• Navigate Kiuwan’s user interface

• Create a remediation action plan

• Manage third-party and internal code risk

The demo will also show how to install Kiuwan directly into the existing CI/CD pipeline. It will highlight Kiuwan’s flexibility in that both local installation and cloud team management are supported. Becoming familiar with the comprehensive solutions Kiuwan provides is the first step to application security testing, cost reduction, and a more seamless development process.

Wrapping Up

All in all, Kiuwan is definitely worth the investment. The integrated platform facilitates the management of code risk across the entire SDLC and compliance with industry regulations. Plus, development time and costs can be reduced, all the while improving app security.

Kiuwan’s add-ons include Code Quality, Governance, and IDE plug-ins. Together, these comprehensive solutions allow secure app development while streamlining application security testing to detect code vulnerabilities early in the dev process. Check out Kiuwan’s products today to get started.