What security standards should be implemented in a simple web application

Question

I am creating a web application that basically reads/writes/updates information from and to a database on a server. I am knowledgeable in computer programming, but while seeking security standards, I can't find how to determine what standards to look into. What approach should I take in determining some basic security standards?

Answer 1

Depending on what data you are handling there might be different security minimums (encrypting data in the database). But I strongly advice you to start your search on the Open Webapplication Security Project (OWASP).

Answer 2

At a minimum:

1. User Authentication (un/pw + salts stored using strong encryption in the DB at a minimum).
2. SQL Injection protection.

As Graham pointed out, it does depend on the type of data you're handling and the threats to it.

Answer 3

if you take inputs from a user please validate that input and also ensure that the web sever run with least privilege and also check OWASP top 10 , also check out this links they will help you

writing secure web applications

Sans on Deploying web apps securely

Microsoft improve web application security