I’ve been fortunate in my career to have the opportunity to experience multiple areas of cybersecurity, and I’ve found that I enjoy application security (AppSec) the most.
When I talk to people interested in cybersecurity, many of them are not aware of AppSec as a possible career path.
Here’s a brief description of what AppSec is:
AppSec is a subset of cybersecurity that focuses on identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities in software applications. AppSec engineers typically work to ensure that security is integrated into all aspects of the software development lifecycle.
Here are some of the things AppSec engineers do:
- 💥Perform penetration testing to identify weaknesses in software applications.
- 💥Conduct threat modeling to identify potential security threats and vulnerabilities in the design of a system or application, and then develop a plan to mitigate those risks.
- 💥Develop security policies and standards that govern the development, testing, and deployment of software applications.
- 💥Conduct code reviews to identify potential security flaws and provide guidance on how to fix them. They may also use static and dynamic analysis tools to identify security issues in code.
- 💥Provide security guidance and support to development teams to help them understand and implement security best practices. They may also conduct training sessions to educate developers on secure coding.
- 💥Stay up to date with the latest threats, vulnerabilities, defensive measures, and tools.
- 💥Assist with incidents and respond to bug bounty disclosures to determine root cause, identify antipatterns, develop remediation plans, educate developers, and establish secure patterns to ensure the vulnerability can be identified in the future.
Here’s why I think AppSec is a great career:
- One of the most exciting aspects of AppSec is the need to combine both offensive and defensive skills. AppSec engineers get to think like attackers while developing and implementing defensive measures, and this balance keeps the work exciting and challenging.
- AppSec is a field that requires continuous learning and development, as there are always new threats, vulnerabilities, defensive measures, and tools to learn about. The field is constantly changing, and keeping up with the latest developments is essential to staying effective. Also, there are usually opportunities to attend conferences, participate in training programs, and collaborate with colleagues to deepen your knowledge and improve your skills.
- Unlike some areas of cybersecurity that require being on call 24/7, AppSec typically offers a good work-life balance with predictable work hours and less stress from sudden emergencies.
AppSec is a fun and rewarding career that provides exciting and unique challenges, and if this sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to consider a career in this area of cybersecurity.
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