1. Purpose
Establish requirements for securing [ORGANIZATION]'s web applications, APIs, and application infrastructure against application-layer attacks.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all web applications, APIs, mobile application backends, and application infrastructure operated by or on behalf of [ORGANIZATION].
3. Policy
3.1 Application Hardening
All web applications shall be deployed behind a Web Application Firewall (WAF) configured to detect and block common web attacks (OWASP Top 10).
Application servers shall be hardened according to vendor and industry-standard guidelines, with unnecessary features, sample content, and default configurations removed.
Error handling shall not expose internal system details, stack traces, or debugging information to end users.
HTTP security headers shall be implemented: Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, Strict-Transport-Security, Referrer-Policy, and Permissions-Policy.
3.2 Authentication and Session Management
Applications shall implement authentication mechanisms appropriate to the data sensitivity: standard data (username + password meeting complexity requirements), Confidential data (MFA required), and Restricted data (MFA with hardware token or FIDO2).
Session tokens shall be cryptographically random, transmitted only over encrypted connections, and invalidated upon logout.
Session timeouts shall be enforced: inactive sessions expire after [CUSTOMIZE: 15/30/60] minutes, absolute session timeout after [CUSTOMIZE: 8/12] hours.
Account lockout shall engage after [CUSTOMIZE: 5/10] failed authentication attempts within [CUSTOMIZE: 15/30] minutes.
3.3 API Security
All APIs shall require authentication and authorization for each request.
API rate limiting shall be implemented to prevent abuse, with limits defined based on expected usage patterns.
API input shall be validated, and output shall be encoded to prevent injection and data exposure.
API documentation shall not be publicly exposed for internal APIs.
4. Compliance
Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all personnel within its scope. Compliance will be monitored through periodic audits, automated controls, and management review.
Exceptions to this policy must be documented with a business justification, approved by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Security Team], and reviewed at least annually.
5. Enforcement
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or contract, and may result in civil or criminal penalties where applicable law has been violated.
[ORGANIZATION] reserves the right to audit compliance with this policy at any time, with or without notice.
6. Review and Revision
This policy shall be reviewed at least annually by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Policy Owner] and updated as necessary to reflect changes in the threat landscape, regulatory requirements, or organizational structure.
All revisions shall be documented with version number, date, author, and description of changes.
Policy Approval
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