Developer Identity Management: Why is it needed more than ever?

1. Developer Identity Management:  Why is it needed more than  ever?    Identity management for developers isn’t a tough nut to crack, especially if you  know how to play your cards right.   As a creator of front-end or back-end applications, you will eventually  experience the need to collect and store consumer information like their  identities and other profile details.  

2. At the same time, you would also need to build a new workflow for user  registration, facilitate omnichannel experience, customise authentication  mechanisms such as social login, customer provision or deprovision, collaborate  with a third-party program, or protect your web services' API.  Learning the basics of identity management for developers can place you in a  strong position to communicate what you need and why.  Current Security Challenges That Developers  Face  Risk-Based Security, a cyber threat intelligence company, stated in its report  that more than ​15.1 billion records were compromised​ in 2019—that sums up to  284% year-over-year growth!   Data security is the need of the hour. The developer’s responsibility is to build  security within applications right from the first stage of development.   It is a brilliant idea to collaborate with identity access management , particularly  CIAM, when developing customer-facing solutions. It mitigates multiple risks to  the application that might otherwise prove lethal to customers.  Some of the common ones include:      

3.   Brute force attack  Brute force is a popular password-guessing attack that web developers face.  Hackers use automated software to guess every possible combination of  letters, numbers, and symbols until they successfully crack the password. So, if  your application or website requires ​authentication​, there is a good chance you  may be a target for brute force attacks.   After a predefined number of unsuccessful login attempts, one of the most  obvious ways to block brute-force attacks is to automatically lock out accounts.  You may keep the accounts locked for a fixed time or until they are manually  unlocked by an administrator.  Injection attack  An attack by injection is a malicious code introduced into a network by the  attacker. The input is interpreted as part of a query or instruction. This, in turn,  modifies the programme's implementation. Injections are among the oldest  attacks in the book that threaten data manipulation, lack of data, denial of  service, and even total compromise of the system.  However, mitigating injection flaws isn’t very difficult. Developers should make it  a point to stop writing dynamic queries and also prevent user-supplied input  with malicious SQL from affecting the executed query. 

4.   Man-in-the-middle attack  A man-in-the-middle attack happens when the hacker intercepts a conversation  between a consumer and an application. The hacker may eavesdrop or  impersonate one of the parties and steal ​passwords​ or credit card information.   To mitigate such spoofing attacks, developers can utilize secure  communication protocols like TLS and HTTPS. They can also keep consumers  logged out of their applications when not in use. Encrypting and authenticating  transmitted data is another way to steer clear of man-in-the-middle attacks.   Social engineering attack  Social engineering attacks​ involve the hacker manipulating human emotions to  attack the victim. They utilize common phishing scams through email and text  message campaigns to impose urgency, curiosity, or fear in the victim, hoping  that the user will download malware or click unsolicited links that host the  malware.  A few ways to deter social engineering attacks are to backup files periodically,  keep applications updated, and often scan executable files before running them.  Security misconfiguration  

5. Security misconfiguration happens when the network administrator fails to  implement all security controls for a server or implement security controls, but  with errors. It could happen with legacy applications when they try to  communicate with applications that do not exist anymore. Hackers may  replicate these applications and try to establish connections.   One of the best ways to fight security misconfiguration is through increased  visibility. Make sure you have an accurate, real-time map of your entire  ecosystem, so you are always focused on your critical assets.   Developers are on the front foot    What can prevent someone from breaking into an application or online software  system and stealing information or ​accessing sensitive credentials​? Both the 

6. challenges and the solutions rely on software, and the situation is well known to  many developers. After all, they are the first line of defense.  Gathering and evaluating evidence is a critical step in ensuring that a safety-first  culture is being developed within the development team. They should conduct  proper assessment, identify the progress of the team in real-time, and  benchmark their strengths and weaknesses for continuous improvement. The  inclusion of identity management for developers can also help.   Application Security Regulations  According to Forrester’s study, ​42% of external attacks​ happen due to software  exploitation, and 35% is a result of web application vulnerability. As applications  become more complex, different laws have been enacted to ensure their  security.   To help developers prepare better, we come up with a list of the best application  security regulations that’s been mitigating the threat landscape to a large  extent.   ● Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP): ​It is a security project  that also lists the ten most critical web application security risks.  ● Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)​: It is an  information security framework for handling data security processes of  major credit cards.   ● Consortium for IT Software Quality (CISQ):​ It establishes international  guidelines for the automation of software size and structural quality  assessment from the source code 

7.   Integrating Security in DevOps    The business IT infrastructure of today is more varied, diverse, and complex  than ever before. Environments there were earlier confined to on-premises and  are not hosted on multiple clouds and IoT devices.   However, this modern open perimeter has been posing fundamental challenges  for cybersecurity. It requires a ​zero-trust environment​ to thrive in the  development and operations (DevOps) life cycle. It takes not only the right tools  and technology to bring this approach into effect, but a shift in philosophy  focused on the holistic integration of security within the DevOps lifecycle. 

8. The safety mechanisms embedded in DevOps offers the following benefits (but  not confined to):   ● Greater pace and agility for development and security teams.  ● The ability to adapt quickly to change.  ● Better cooperation and coordination between teams.   ● More options for automated construction and quality assurance  assessments.   ● Early vulnerability detection in code.  How LoginRadius Provides Ideal Identity  Management for Developers   

9. Identity is the cornerstone of the modern consumer experience. A good,  scalable ​CIAM solution​ allows you to manage consumer identity and access  securely.  LoginRadius’ admin-friendly UI seamlessly implements identity management  and balances the skills of your developers. Consequently, it will significantly  reduce the developer’s effort. For example, you can easily control who is allowed  to sign in to your site, how they can do it, and what they can access once they  have successfully signed in.   Here are the core capabilities of LoginRadius identity management for  developers.   ● Low-friction consumer registration​: LoginRadius offers flexible account  setup choices like standard login, social login, and self-serve registration  for hassle-free entry into your web properties.  ● Multi-factor authentication (MFA):​ LoginRadius offers identity  management for developers by making it easier to safeguard consumer  data with ​extra protection layers.​ The CIAM provider allows a plethora of  authentication methods including, phone calls, SMS/text messages, email  verification, time-based code, hardware token, security questions,  biometrics, Google Authenticator, etc. each time they want to access  their accounts.  ● Single Sign-On (SSO)​: SSO can provide easy access to multiple websites  or applications using a single set of credentials. LoginRadius offers  different ways to integrate via the web, mobile, and federated SSO.  Developers can create connections with external identity providers by  implementing OAuth 2.0, SAML, or OpenID Connect standards. 

10. ● Compliance management​: Developers can add authorization policies  through LoginRadius. The CIAM provider is well compliant with formal data  protection regulations across the globe, like the ​EU’s GDPR and  California’s CCPA​.  ● Data privacy and security​: LoginRadius follows safety protocols to  safeguard consumer data and avoid illicit intrusions. The identity provider  is compliant with regulatory bodies like AICPA SOC 2, ISAE 3000, Cloud  Security Alliance, Privacy Shield, and more.  Conclusion  Identity management for developers is required more than ever. It should be  seamless, simple, and secure. The development team is under extreme pressure  to build digital experiences that disrupt their industry or differentiate their  business.   No wonder meeting the demands of both businesses and consumers is an uphill  ride. The right CIAM solution comes with improved data security and identity  management features that meet the developers’ need for top-notch  experiences.