As the business world has become reliant on applications for pretty much everything we do, cybercriminals have made it their mission to exploit their every possible weakness.

According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigation Report, applications are the main entry points for sophisticated, extortion-based attacks like ransomware. Since many of the vulnerabilities found in apps can be discovered and exploited by attackers without the victim noticing, traditional reactive defenses and periodic scans are no longer viable.

Scanning static source code for vulnerabilities isn’t enough, because apps behave differently when they’re actually in use. Businesses and app makers must switch to more proactive solutions that can identify and mitigate these threats in real-time. That’s where runtime protection comes into play.

Runtime protection, also referred to as Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP), is an innovative way of protecting applications by embedding security directly into the application, allowing it to detect and respond to threats from within. So instead of relying on external tools that have little context about the application’s internal processes and behavior, RASP offers a much more precise approach to detecting and preventing attacks.

Let’s explore the benefits of RASP in a bit more detail and see how they measure up against other popular app security solutions.

The Benefits of Runtime Protection for Application Security

The main benefit of runtime protection is its ability to detect issues in real time. RASP places security checks directly into the application’s code. This allows it to constantly assess how the application is executing by observing all interactions, data flows, and system calls.

If an attacker attempts to go against the norm, such as by injecting malicious code or triggering an unauthorized action, RASP will immediately recognize the abnormal behavior. 

What’s more, because RASP has direct control over the application’s execution, it can directly intervene against identified threats. Some actions that RASP may trigger in response to a threat include: 

• Blocking malicious inputs, such as SQL injection attempts, before they can affect the database
• Terminating unauthorized user sessions, preventing an attacker from escalating privileges or access sensitive data
• Thanks to modern, modular app design, RASP can isolate compromised areas of the application without affecting the rest of the system 

But perhaps the biggest benefit of RASP in today’s threat landscape is its ability to thwart zero-day attacks. Zero days happen when an attacker finds a vulnerability before the software vendor, or the security community is aware of it. This gives cybercriminals a huge advantage, as there is no existing patch or signature to defend against the exploit.

Thankfully, RASP doesn’t rely on known vulnerabilities or predefined signatures to detect and block attacks. Instead, it continuously monitors the application for any unusual or suspicious activity, making it a powerful solution for preventing zero-day attacks. 

Combining RASP With Other Application Security Technologies

While RASP has emerged as an essential next step in the fight against application-based attacks, other, more traditional security approaches are still viable today. Let’s see how RASP compares to some other popular and effective ways to secure applications, and how you could combine these approaches for ultimate protection.

Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) have been a staple for application security over the years. They operate at the network level, inspecting and filtering traffic based on predetermined rules before it reaches the application. WAFs are effective at blocking known exploit payloads and threats, as well as DDoS attacks. Their focus is more on the external side, which makes them a great complimentary defense layer when combined with RASP.

The WAF can act as the first line of defense by filtering out known threats and malicious traffic, while RASP excels at monitoring and protecting the application from within.

Another powerful combination you can use to enhance your application security is pairing RASP with regular vulnerability scanning. A vulnerability scan will tell you exactly where there are weaknesses in your application, which could be in the code itself, misconfigurations in the system, or outdated components that need to be patched.

Since vulnerability scans are done periodically, RASP can help fill in those gaps by continuously monitoring your application at runtime.

Implementing a Runtime Security Strategy

For organizations that have relied on traditional, reactive security for years, switching to a modern, proactive approach that emphasizes runtime security can be a significant change. RASP is a key element of this strategy, but a holistic approach also requires several additional components to ensure thorough protection across all stages of the application lifecycle.

Here are the key elements of implementing an effective runtime protection strategy for your applications:

• Deploy a dedicated runtime protection solution

RASP typically integrates with an application through middleware, or via agents and SDKs. It’s very important to configure RASP correctly, which involves deciding whether to deploy the solution across the entire application or only the most critical parts. Alerts and automated actions can also be customized according to the risk tolerance of your organization.

• Conduct regular security assessments

While RASP is great at identifying new threats, you also need a way to stay protected against known exploits. Conducting regular security assessments, including penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and security audits will provide a comprehensive view of your application’s security posture.

• Integrate security early in the development process

One of the most effective ways to improve your application’s security is to make it a priority early in the development process. Secure coding practices throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) are more effective than even the most advanced security solution out there. Applications built with strong security foundations simply have fewer issues to deal with in runtime, as attackers have less avenues to exploit.

• Foster a security-centric culture

The human factor, or the people internally interacting with the application during runtime, can also introduce vulnerabilities if security is not deeply ingrained in the company culture. A security-centric culture means ensuring that everyone, from developers to operations teams, understands their role in maintaining the application’s security. This can be achieved through regular awareness training and well-established security policies.

Conclusion

Modern cyber threats exploit application vulnerabilities in real-time, often bypassing legacy security measures. This requires a completely new approach to application security, prioritizing proactive identification of threats, rather than relying on known vulnerabilities or predefined signatures. 

Runtime protection solutions like RASP are revolutionizing how organizations can protect their applications by operating directly within the runtime environment, blocking the most sophisticated threats, including zero-day exploits. As such, RASP solutions are the present and future of application security.