Web Application Security Checklist for 2024

Security isn't optional. Data breaches, compliance failures, and downtime cost more than prevention. This checklist covers the essentials — auth, encryption, OWASP Top 10, and compliance — for launching a secure web application.

Table of Contents

• Authentication & Authorization
• Encryption & Data Protection
• OWASP Top 10
• Infrastructure Security
• Compliance Considerations
• Frequently Asked Questions

Authentication & Authorization

• HTTPS everywhere — no exceptions. Enforce TLS 1.2+
• Strong password policy — or use passwordless (magic link, OAuth)
• Secure session management — HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite cookies; short expiry
• MFA/2FA for sensitive actions — especially admin and finance
• Role-based access control (RBAC) — principle of least privilege
• Rate limiting — prevent brute force and abuse

Encryption & Data Protection

• Encrypt sensitive data at rest — use DB encryption, key management
• Hash passwords — bcrypt, Argon2; never plain text
• Sanitize inputs — prevent XSS, injection
• Parameterized queries — prevent SQL injection
• Secrets in env vars or vault — never in code

OWASP Top 10

Address the OWASP Top 10: Broken Access Control, Cryptographic Failures, Injection, Insecure Design, Security Misconfiguration, Vulnerable Components, Auth Failures, Data Integrity Failures, Logging Failures, SSRF. Use dependency scanning (npm audit, Snyk) and keep libraries updated.

Infrastructure Security

• WAF (Web Application Firewall) — block common attacks
• DDoS protection — Cloudflare, AWS Shield
• Secure headers — CSP, X-Frame-Options, HSTS
• Regular backups — encrypted, tested restore

Compliance Considerations

GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 — each has requirements. See our Custom Software Security guide. Plan compliance from the start; retrofitting is expensive.

Frequently Asked Questions