Web Application Security Policy
Web Application Security Policy
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | POL-023 |
| Classification | Internal |
| Owner | CTO (interim CISO) |
| Effective Date | April 2026 |
| Review Cycle | Annual |
1. Overview
Web application vulnerabilities account for the largest portion of attack vectors outside of malware. It is crucial that any web application be assessed for vulnerabilities and any vulnerabilities be remediated prior to production deployment.
2. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define web application security assessments within Wealthy.
Web application assessments are performed to identify potential or realized weaknesses as a result of:
- Inadvertent mis-configuration
- Weak authentication
- Insufficient error handling
- Sensitive information leakage
- And other vulnerabilities
Discovery and subsequent mitigation of these issues will limit the attack surface of Wealthy services available both internally and externally as well as satisfy compliance with any relevant policies in place.
3. Scope
This policy covers all web application security assessments requested by any individual, group or department for the purposes of:
- Maintaining the security posture
- Compliance
- Risk management
- Change control of technologies in use at Wealthy
Assessment Personnel
All web application security assessments will be performed by delegated security personnel either employed or contracted by Wealthy.
Confidentiality
All findings are considered confidential and are to be distributed to persons on a “need to know” basis. Distribution of any findings outside of Wealthy is strictly prohibited unless approved by the Chief Information Officer.
Scope Inclusions
Any relationships within multi-tiered applications found during the scoping phase will be included in the assessment unless explicitly limited. Limitations and subsequent justification will be documented prior to the start of the assessment.
4. Policy
4.1 Assessment Criteria
Web applications are subject to security assessments based on the following criteria:
| Trigger | Assessment Type |
|---|---|
| New or Major Application Release | Full assessment prior to approval of change control documentation and/or release into the live environment |
| Third Party or Acquired Web Application | Full assessment after which it will be bound to policy requirements |
| Point Releases | Appropriate assessment level based on risk of changes in application functionality and/or architecture |
| Patch Releases | Appropriate assessment level based on risk of changes to application functionality and/or architecture |
| Emergency Releases | Allowed to forgo security assessments and carry assumed risk until proper assessment can be carried out. Must be designated by Chief Information Officer or delegated manager |
4.2 Risk Level Mitigation
All security issues discovered during assessments must be mitigated based upon the following risk levels.
The Risk Levels are based on the OWASP Risk Rating Methodology. Remediation validation testing will be required to validate fix and/or mitigation strategies for any discovered issues of Medium risk level or greater.
| Risk Level | Requirements |
|---|---|
| High | Any high risk issue must be fixed immediately or other mitigation strategies must be put in place to limit exposure before deployment. Applications with high risk issues are subject to being taken off-line or denied release into the live environment. |
| Medium | Medium risk issues should be reviewed to determine what is required to mitigate and scheduled accordingly. Applications with medium risk issues may be taken off-line or denied release based on the number of issues and if multiple issues increase the risk to an unacceptable level. Issues should be fixed in a patch/point release unless other mitigation strategies will limit exposure. |
| Low | Issue should be reviewed to determine what is required to correct the issue and scheduled accordingly. |
4.3 Assessment Levels
The following security assessment levels shall be established by the InfoSec or other designated team that will be performing the assessments:
| Assessment Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Full | A full assessment is comprised of tests for all known web application vulnerabilities using both automated and manual tools based on the OWASP Testing Guide. A full assessment will use manual penetration testing techniques to validate discovered vulnerabilities to determine the overall risk of any and all discovered. |
| Quick | A quick assessment will consist of a (typically) automated scan of an application for the OWASP Top Ten web application security risks at a minimum. |
| Targeted | A targeted assessment is performed to verify vulnerability remediation changes or new application functionality. |
5. Policy Compliance
5.1 Compliance Measurement
The Infosec team will verify compliance to this policy through various methods, including but not limited to, business tool reports, internal and external audits, and feedback to the policy owner.
5.2 Exceptions
Any exception to the policy must be approved by the Infosec team in advance.
5.3 Non-Compliance
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An employee found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
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A violation of this policy by a temporary worker, contractor or vendor may result in the termination of their contract or assignment with Wealthy.
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Any program code or application that is found to violate this policy must be remediated within a 90 day period.