What is ASPM and How Does it Work? Benefits, Tools and Best Practices

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, ensuring the security of applications throughout their development and deployment lifecycle is important. However, the high number of application security testing tools and siloed systems increases the risk of being exposed to vulnerabilities. But amidst all of this application security (AppSec) chaos, Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) has emerged as a crucial discipline to address this need. 

Let’s delve deeper into understanding the security approach, its key components, its benefits, and how it can help your organization achieve higher security and resilience.

What is ASPM?

The word ASPM was first used in Gartner’s Innovation Insights report as just a comprehensive oversight of an application’s security posture (any organization’s current status of readings in response to cyberattacks). 

However, going by the literal definition ASPM can be defined as a strategic approach to safeguarding applications that not only provides comprehensive visibility into an organization’s security posture. Rather it also involves continuously identifying, monitoring, correlating, and managing security risks throughout the application lifecycle (SDLC), i.e. from development to production. This approach helps organizations proactively identify and mitigate risks and ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Moving ahead, Let us now briefly discuss some components of ASPM. 

Key Components Of Application Security Posture Management 

Some prominent components of this principle lay a foundation for an AppSec posture are highlighted here;

1. Management Of Vulnerabilities And Risks:

Identifying potential vulnerabilities and assessing risks is crucial. This involves conducting detailed threat modeling, vulnerability assessments, and other relevant tests to evaluate the existing security posture of applications.

2. Application Security Standards:

To ensure all the application’s security policies adhere to the industry standards everything from codes, to cloud-native security practices and access controls are evaluated.

3. Compliance And Regulatory Mandates:

After the industry standards are met, the compliance and regulatory policies are considered.  As per industry and application type, all the mandatory ASPM regulations are met such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. This is a vital pillar that can help in maintaining a safe environment for the application operations.

4. Reporting And Responses:

The ultimate goal of having an ASPM is to be able to identify, report, and mitigate the risk. Thus, incorporating a well-structured reporting system such as dashboards and analytics along with a rapid response plan can be beneficial for handling and recovering from security incidents.

5. Monitoring And Beyond:

The last major component is real-time monitoring and surveillance of the application for potential security threats. This also involves activating alters and responding mechanisms for better incident reporting.

How Does ASPM Actually Work?

The Application Security Posture Management works on a structured framework based on the components discussed above. Here’s an explanation of how ASPM works.

1. Creating An Application Asset Inventory:

Firstly all the components of the application (such as libraries) are carefully classified. Post that an application inventory (asset database) is worked upon for all the applications and the information is gathered irrespective of their source of origin (in-house or outsourced). This is done so that the ASPM can provide a complete view of your Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).

2. Getting To Know About Vulnerabilities Through Tests:

For a priority-based vulnerability assessment, some tests are conducted such as the: 

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Analyze applications to identify vulnerabilities in the source code.
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Test running applications to identify vulnerabilities in the running application code.
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA):  The analysis is done to Identify any open-source and third-party component vulnerabilities.

3. Assessing The Risks Associated:

The ASPM suite uses a comprehensive risk score evaluation to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. This evaluation is based on multiple critical factors, including CVSS Scores. This score is calculated using a formula that considers vulnerability metrics, with scores ranging from 0 to 10.

4. The Doctrine Of Remediation: 

Based on the risk score, ASPM makes sure that any security issues are fixed, whether they involve patching software, changing configurations, or updating code. It also checks to ensure that all security policies meet government regulations.

5. Constant Surveillance:

Lastly,  the system continuously monitors the application for new vulnerabilities and changes. Plus, advanced dashboards and analytics provide feedback to development teams on security risks and vulnerabilities that help them to improve the application security.

Benefits Of Application Security Management

There are quite several advantages of having a robust application security management, some of which are highlighted below;

• Helpful In Mitigating Risks:

The security management system focuses on prioritizing risks based on factors such as severity, likelihood, and business impact. This enables organizations to focus on the most critical security issues and becomes helpful in mitigating risks.

• Enhanced Collaboration Among Teams:

A strong security management system ensures that the collaboration between development, security, and operations teams (DevSecOps) is heightened. As it  provides a shared understanding of application security risks and priorities

• Improves Efficiency:

Lastly. It improves the overall operational efficiency by automating vulnerability scanning and risk assessment. It further streamlines remediation efforts with supervised fixes.

Why Does ASPM Matter to Modern Businesses?  

Did you know that according to Veracode’s “State of Software Security” report, nearly 83% of applications exhibit at least one vulnerability during their initial assessment? This alarming statistic highlights the importance of prioritizing application security in today’s business landscape.

Let’s delve deeper into why Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) is crucial for modern businesses.

• ASPM provides a holistic approach to application security, offering a single source of truth to manage risk across custom-built applications. Plus, it also offers complete visibility of the application security at a glance for better security. 

 By implementing ASPM, businesses can solve various application security threats, including:

• Data Leakage And Breaches : The solution identifies sensitive data in an application. This sensitive information is then safeguarded and ensures that the designated teams can prioritize risks by assessing the potential impact.
• Drift: The system efficiently detects unauthorized or any anonymized changes in the application, whether it’s the code or configuration. Making sure that applications remain secure over a few years.
• Supply Chain Threats: The security management system also provides a good software bill of materials (SBOM) for compliance and identification of supply chain threats.
• Other Vulnerabilities: In addition to identifying other vulnerabilities, ASPM tools assess risks, prioritize mitigations, and enable organizations to safeguard sensitive data, prevent breaches, and ensure compliance with industry regulations.

Overall, ASPM is crucial for businesses developing proprietary applications. It helps identify and mitigate security risks, ensuring application integrity. As a strong application, security is not just about compliance; it’s a strategic investment in business continuity.

The Role of Automation in ASPM  

Automation is undoubtedly a vital ASPM. By automating tasks like vulnerability scanning, compliance checks, and configuration management, businesses can significantly accelerate the detection and remediation of security risks. 

This not only improves accuracy and reduces human error but also enhances efficiency and scalability. 

Automation allows organizations to keep pace with the growing complexity of modern applications and environments. Plus, leads to Application security orchestration and correlation (ASOC) that ensures that security measures remain robust and effective.

Things To Look Out For In Suitable ASPM?

Having discussed the need for any organization to opt for an ASPM, here are some points/characteristics to consider and look for in an ideal management plan.

1. Advanced And Relevant:

The first and foremost thing to look for is the relevancy of an ASPM system, whether or not the system can comprehend the required and is equipped with relevant information with the latest updates about upcoming security threats. This will maximize the chances of timely detection and resolution of threats.

2. Aware And Responsive:

The real test of the ability of an ASPM comes at the time of accessing and analyzing large chunks of data from multiple sources to be able to detect any unusual patterns that may lead to a security breach. Along with that constant surveillance and monitoring, it should be able to notice” prioritized risk” “drifting patterns” and “security gaps” in the application’s security posture.

3. Compliant:

To adhere to all the industry standards and specific compliance requirements the management system should readily be able to enforce regulatory requirements.

4. Less Complex:

The next thing to consider the is complexity of the use, deployment, and integration capabilities of the ASPM. The management system should be able to seamlessly integrate with existing security workflows and tools. Along with that to stay intact with the organization’s scaling needs the security system should also be able to keep up with increasing security demands. 

Now, let’s take a look at some of the top-class ASPM tools in the digital landscape today;

Top-Notch ASPM Tools  

As per a recent report by Gartner by 2026, 40% of security teams will utilize ASPM tools, which is why CIOs and CEOs must prioritize the use of ASPM to protect their digital assets and maintain customer trust. Here’s a list of some best-in-class security posture management tools for applications.

1. Armor Code Platform

The Armor Code Platform is a comprehensive ASPM solution that enables organizations to identify, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities in their applications. Its unique features include:

• Quick analysis and actionable insights.
• Seamless integration with existing workflows.

 2. CrowdStrike

CrowdStrike is a leading endpoint security solution that provides real-time threat detection, prevention, and response capabilities. Some of its notable features are:

• Supporting scalability.
• Real-time and AI-enabled threat detection.
• Single-agent architecture for robust protection.

3. Phoenix Security

Phoenix Security is an ASPM tool that focuses on identifying and remediating vulnerabilities in cloud-native applications. The tool has features such as:

• Provides visibility and control over cloud-native applications.

• Integration with other cloud service providers.

• Automated recommendations for remediation.

4. Faraday

Faraday is a renowned open-source ASPM platform that provides vulnerability management and other testing capabilities. The tool facilitates collaboration between security teams and developers to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

Best Practices ASPM to Consider:  

Incorporation of security practices early in the development process assists in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before deployment. Here are some other best practices to consider to optimize security.

• Start by clearly defining the objectives, and setting proper ownership and access so that no unauthorized personnel hinders the process.

• Utilize automated tools to continuously test applications for vulnerabilities throughout their lifecycle. This helps in identifying issues promptly and reducing the risk of security breaches.

• Integrate security measures into the CI/CD pipeline to ensure that security checks are part of the deployment process.

• Implement and enforce secure configuration practices for cloud environments, including managing access controls, encryption settings, and network configurations. Given the dynamic and scalable nature of what is cloud computing, a robust ASPM strategy is essential to ensure the security of applications deployed across various cloud environments.

• Conduct regular reviews of security policies, practices, and configurations to ensure that they remain effective and up-to-date with emerging threats. Plus, also educate the concerned parties about the architecture and management thoroughly. 
• Lastly, consider the laid out practices and guidelines of OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) for a more seamless experience.

Now let us learn more about the difference between ASPM and CSMP.

Learning The Difference: ASPM vs. CSPM

Going by the name itself Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) identifies,  assesses, and monitors the risks and vulnerabilities associated with the entire cloud infrastructure. If we have to draw a correlation between CSPM and ASPM,  we can broadly say that the latter is a part of the cloud security posture which majorly is concerned with the application and its associated security.

How Can Cyntexa Help? 

Selecting the optimal ASPM framework can be a daunting challenge for organizations. This is where experts like Cyntexa shine. Renowned for its commitment to delivering exceptional cloud security solutions, the company specializes in guiding businesses through the complexities of application security. Our team of experts conducts comprehensive assessments of a client’s security posture and existing application security measures based on OWASP guidelines ensuring no loopholes in security.

In A Nutshell

Businesses need to prioritize securing their applications. Implementing a strong framework like ASPM (Application Security Posture Management) is crucial. This not only allows them to protect their valuable assets but also improves operational efficiency. In the blog, we thoroughly discussed the framework key components, and vitality of a strategic investment like ASPM for your organization. So to know about cloud application development services and other services get in touch with experts like Cyntexa today.