Companies that develop software for internal use or for customers now face increased pressure to incorporate security into their software development life cycle (SDLC). To acquire that capability, many of them hire application security engineers. If you’re seeking a multifaceted role in cybersecurity, this is one that gives you the opportunity to work at the intersection of development and security, and hold a critical role in safeguarding applications against evolving threats.
Key roles and responsibilities
- Secure Code Reviews: Review software source code to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before deployment.
- Threat Modeling: Analyze application architectures and workflows to anticipate and mitigate potential security threats.
- Vulnerability Assessment: Perform regular scans and manual testing to identify, document, and prioritize vulnerabilities in applications.
- DevSecOps: Embed security practices into the software development lifecycle, leveraging tools like SAST, DAST, and CI/CD pipeline integrations.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure applications adhere to relevant security standards (e.g., OWASP Top 10, NIST, PCI-DSS).
- Security training: Educate developers about software vulnerabilities and train them on secure coding practices.
Career-boosting certifications
The following certifications improve your chances of landing an application security engineer job:
- Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP): Focuses on secure software development practices, including identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities throughout the SDLC.
- Certified Application Security Engineer (C|ASE): Designed to test the critical security skills and knowledge required in the SDLC. C|ASE is offered in two separate programs, one for Java and one for .NET.
- Web Application Hacking and Security (W|AHS): A specialization certification that focuses on secure web applications and relevant emerging security threats.
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH): Validates expertise in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and applications
- ComTIA Pentest+: Tests competency in conducting penetration tests against various attack surfaces, including cloud environments, web apps, APIs, and other systems