Expert Strategies for Application Security Best Practices

Software rules the world whether it runs a datacenter, a cloud workload, on an IoT device in a factory, or an application running on a mobile device; software is inescapable. Traditionally, security approaches have “bolted-on” security in the final stages of development. But these last-minute techniques are no longer sufficient in providing security against sophisticated cyber threats. Each year cyberattacks become more prevalent and more dangerous, and organizations face unprecedented pressure to embed security into their development processes rather than treating it like an afterthought. This course empowers cybersecurity professionals, software developers, and DevSecOps teams to implement application security techniques that integrate into and throughout the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Master the Latest Security Frameworks

What if the security frameworks you learned last year are already out of date? In 2025, the application security landscape has fundamentally shifted. Over 100 major software manufacturers have joined CISA's Secure by Design pledge. federal agencies now require secure software development attestations with real deadlines already in effect, and recent analysis of cloud security breaches reveals that organizations are still falling victim to the same recurring failure patterns that could have been prevented with current best practices.

This course is built considering the most current guidance from indusry-leading organizations such as NIST, CISA, OWASP, and CSA to help learners receive relevant security knowledge and material used in modern secure development practices. You’ll work with NIST’s Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) including standards for secure software development practices used in the US federal government and beyond.

The course incorporates CISA’s Secure by Design principles that prioritize security as a core business requirement, with products being secure out-of-the-box as opposed to bolted on using features like MFA (multi-factor authentication), logging, and single sign-on. With many software development organizations joining the CISA’s Secure by Design pledge, this initiative shifts the organization’s mindset around how they approach application security.

Additionally, you’ll learn how OWASP frameworks and projects support defining security controls required when designing, developing, and testing modern web applications, and CSA’s Cloud Controls Matrix is used as the de-facto standard for cloud security assurance and compliance. These frameworks provide a comprehensive foundation for understanding and implementing world-class application security practices.

High-Impact Security Practices

The software security discipline is wide in its breadth of coverage. This course will focus on some of the more impactful practices that are used to protect software today. CISA’s Secure by Design goals through focused implementation of proven security practices can be achieved when organizations take this targeted approach.

Secure Development and Code Security: Master the foundational practices of building security directly into your code and development processes from the ground up. This module emphasizes implementing secure coding techniques including proper input validation, authentication mechanisms, and cryptographic implementation while learning to prevent the most critical vulnerabilities outlined in OWASP Top 10 and industry standards. You'll gain hands-on experience with static analysis tools, security-focused code reviews, and test-driven security development, ensuring you can systematically identify and eliminate vulnerabilities before they reach production. This section covers secure design principles, runtime protection mechanisms, and automated security testing integration that transforms security from an afterthought into a core development competency.

Incorporating Threat Modeling: Master the art and science of identifying security threats early in the design phase using structured methodologies that align with NIST SSDF practices. You’ll learn to create comprehensive threat models that anticipate attack vectors before they can be exploited using traditional and modern analysis techniques. This module covers STRIDE methodology, attack trees, and data flow diagrams, ensuring you can systematically identify and prioritize security risks across complex application architectures.

Supply Chain and Open-Source Software Security: Address one of the most critical security challenges facing modern organizations. We’ll emphasize monitoring leaked secrets and ensuring code integrity throughout the development lifecycle. You'll learn to evaluate and secure software supply chains, including open-source components and third-party dependencies, using Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), dependency scanning, and vendor risk assessment techniques. This section includes hands-on experience with tools for detecting vulnerable components and establishing secure software procurement processes.

Cloud and Container Security: Implement robust security controls for cloud-native applications and containerized environments using CSA best practices. Many cloud security breaches reveal recurring failure patterns that continue to be exploited by bad actors, making this knowledge essential for any organization operating in cloud environments. You'll explore container image scanning, runtime protection, secrets management, and cloud-specific security architectures that protect applications across hybrid and multi-cloud deployments.

Learn Through Comprehensive Fictional Case Study

Throughout the course, you'll learn these techniques as they apply to a fictional organization that mirrors the complexity and challenges faced by real enterprises. This immersive approach allows you to see how security principles translate into practical implementation across different business contexts, compliance requirements, and technological architectures. The approach to learning application security will encompass a multi-tier web application with cloud infrastructure, mobile components, third-party integrations, and regulatory compliance requirements, ensuring you experience the full spectrum of modern application security challenges.

The fictional organization scenarios are designed to reflect current industry realities, including budget constraints, technical debt, legacy system integration, and competing business priorities. This approach ensures you can immediately apply these concepts to your own organization's unique challenges while understanding the business context that drives security decisions.

What You Will Learn in This Course

• Practical Threat Modeling: Apply structured threat modeling techniques to realistic application scenarios, creating actionable security requirements

• Security Control Implementation: Understand and develop security controls for various environments and systems.

• Pipeline Security: Learn what makes a secure CI/CD pipelines with integrated security testing and automated compliance validation

• Comprehensive Assessment: Evaluations including scenario-based questions, and practical exercises

Learning Outcomes

By completing this course, you will demonstrate measurable competency in:

1. Strategic Threat Analysis: Implementing comprehensive threat models that identify critical security risks before they become vulnerabilities, using both manual analysis techniques and threat modeling tools

2. Supply Chain Risk Management: Securing complex software supply chains, including open-source components, third-party dependencies, and vendor relationships, with practical experience in SBOM creation and vulnerability tracking

3. Cloud-Native Security Architecture: Understanding security controls that protect applications in dynamic, scalable cloud environments, including container security, serverless protection.

4. Continuous Security Monitoring: Consider automated security monitoring systems that provide continuous visibility into application security posture, and response capabilities.

5. DevSecOps Integration: Integrating security throughout CI/CD pipelines without disrupting development velocity, including automated testing, compliance validation, and security gate implementation

Why This Course Matters Now More Than Ever

The world of cybersecurity evolves rapidly as new technologies and work practices emerge. Federal agencies now require software producers to submit attestations demonstrating compliance with NIST SSDF practices, with deadlines already in effect for critical software. This regulatory pressure extends beyond government contractors, as CISA's attestation requirements are driving industry-wide adoption of secure development practices.

CISA and international partners continue releasing joint guidance to assist software manufacturers with safe software deployment processes highlighting the need for reliable and secure software development lifecycle practices. Organizations that fail to adapt losing their competitive advantage, facing compliance penalties, and experiencing devastating security breaches that can harm customer trust and negatively impact the bottom line.

This course positions you at the forefront of application security, providing the knowledge and practical skills needed to build robust, secure applications that protect both your organization and your customers as security threats and attacker capabilities continue to grow. You'll leave with an understanding of the techniques, proven frameworks, and the confidence to lead security transformation initiatives in any organization.

Start your journey toward more secure software today!