Application security starts with how the system handles identities, records and actions. A practical approach identifies the important assets, likely threats and required controls before the software grows. The same discipline applies to conventional applications and AI-enabled workflows.
Make authorisation a server responsibility
Check permissions on every sensitive request and every record. Roles, tenant boundaries and ownership need enforcement in APIs and services, regardless of which buttons the interface displays. Test attempts to access another user's data.
Protect secrets and inputs
Store credentials in the deployment environment or a suitable secret store. Validate incoming data, use parameterised database access and encode untrusted content. Treat uploaded files and third-party responses as untrusted input, with size limits and a clear processing boundary.
Review the delivery path
Restrict repository and environment access, review dependency changes and run checks appropriate to the application. Use separate production configuration and a controlled release process. Backups and restoration should be verified against the system's recovery needs.
Keep security visible after launch
Monitor failures and unusual activity without collecting more personal information than needed. Agree response ownership and maintenance responsibilities. Specialist penetration testing and formal certification need separately agreed scope and appropriately qualified practitioners.
Questions to take into discovery
- Which records and actions need the strongest protection?
- Where are access checks enforced?
- Who owns updates and incident response?
- What evidence shows the controls work?
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