Lean and (Prepared for) Mean: Application Security Program Essentials

In times of economic hardship and shrinking budgets, security risks are unchanged. When we in state government have to be the most resourceful, the bad guys are no less active and determined. So, how do you stay secure in these lean times? What are the most important and effective security measures to take? In its mission to serve students and educators across the state, the Texas Education Agency has developed a program to manage risk in its web applications. In response to budget constraints, TEA shifted the focus of its application security program. We will present the process TEA took to assess the program, identify essential components, realign the development lifecycle, and build a roadmap to software assurance maturity.