Secured.21: Threat trends and the future of application security

Application security technologies are not new. But as we collectively migrate to more cloud-integrated networks, grow more dependent on our apps, and deploy new kinds of API-based applications, attack surfaces are becoming more various and complex.

Add to this bad actors’ rapid development of advanced bots and other threat technologies, and the result is a serious upsurge of application-layer attacks — putting application security front and center in the minds of many IT pros today.

The opening session of the App and Cloud Security track at Barracuda’s Secured.21 virtual customer conference this past September was “The trends and future of application security,” presented by VP of App Security Product Management Nitzan Miron.

The evolution of application threats

Nitzan clearly explains the evolution of application threats and security strategies, both in the recent past and as projected in the next few years. He goes on to deliver a detailed discussion of the key trends driving the projected path of app threats and security:

• The promise and shortcomings of RASP development models


• The growth of bad bots


• The transition from appliance to SaaS security solutions


• Web application firewalls (WAF) going mainstream


• Increases in supply-chain attacks


• Increases in API attacks

Here’s a clip in which Nitzan uses a real-world example to unpack the details of how a supply-chain attack works:




To conclude his presentation, Nitzan lays out the driving principles behind Barracuda’s app security strategy and roadmap. He links specific threat trends — bad bots, supply-chain attacks, and API attacks — to the capabilities of Barracuda’s Cloud Application Protection platform, built around our WAF-as-a-Service.

If you’re among the growing number of IT decision-makers ready to implement application security built for today’s threat landscape, be sure to watch this session, along with the rest of the App and Cloud Security track from Secured.21.

Watch the full session now