What is a third-party application?
Third-party apps are software applications created by third-party developers, independent of the operating system or other major platform development company. These applications are usually designed to run on a specific platform and have specific functions or services, such as social media applications, games and productivity tools.
Simply understood, third-party applications are application software or services introduced and used by enterprises that are developed and maintained by external vendors. For example, different types of cloud platforms and application services such as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS; enterprise management software, office software, collaboration software, customer relationship management software, and so on.
Third-party applications are an indispensable part of the digital transformation process of enterprises, and the improvement of their security management level is also an important symbol of the maturity of the enterprise's overall cyberspace defense system. This requires the close cooperation between the security team and the business department to achieve systematic and effective management.
The status quo of enterprises' management and control of third-party applications
The status quo of enterprise security management for third-party applications varies with factors such as industry, scale, and security awareness. Some businesses have taken proactive steps to ensure employees are safe and secure when using third-party apps, such as reviewing and approving specific apps, restricting access to certain apps, educating employees on how to safely use third-party apps, and more.
But the truth is, there is still a large proportion of enterprises that may lack sufficient resources or knowledge to effectively manage the risk of third-party applications. At present, the security management of third-party applications in many enterprises is still relatively weak, mainly in the following aspects:
Inadequate security assessment. Before purchasing third-party applications, enterprises fail to fully assess their security design and vulnerabilities, and cannot accurately identify potential risks, which may introduce serious threats.
Authority management is lax. Third-party applications are given too many permissions, but it is difficult to recover them accurately, which can easily lead to problems such as permission abuse and data leakage.
Service monitoring is not in place. Enterprises cannot continuously monitor the running status and behavior of third-party applications. Once anomalies occur, it is difficult to find out, which prolongs the impact time of the problem.
Interface management is not standard. The interface docking test with third-party applications is insufficient, and interoperability problems emerge after launch, which affects business continuity.
Data protection responsibilities are unclear. There is discrimination between enterprises and third-party application vendors in the division of data protection responsibilities. Once a problem occurs, each will shirk responsibility and there is no effective response mechanism.
The emergency response was uncoordinated. The emergency response mechanisms of the two parties are not unified, and it is difficult to effectively coordinate when an incident occurs, which delays the speed of problem resolution and expands the scale of losses.
The management mechanism is not perfect. Many enterprises have not established standardized management policies and procedures for third-party applications, and there are "blank spots" in security management and control, making it difficult to achieve actual results.
In short, because the R&D and operation and maintenance of third-party application software are not under the direct control of the enterprise, once there are loopholes or security problems, it may become a springboard for attackers to penetrate the enterprise network, or directly endanger the security of enterprise data assets Tool of. However, the current level of enterprise security management for third-party applications is still relatively weak, which stems from insufficient awareness of security risks and imperfect management mechanism construction.
Why do we need to implement security management and control on third-party applications?
In addition, enterprises need to implement security management and control on third-party applications, mainly for the following reasons:
Prevent security risks. Third-party applications may have vulnerabilities or security issues, which may become a springboard for attackers to invade the enterprise network, or directly threaten enterprise data assets. Security management and control can identify these risks and take corresponding measures to prevent them.
Ensure business continuity. If a third-party application has a technical failure or a security incident, it may cause business interruption or abnormal service of the enterprise. Security controls can detect these issues and require third parties to take corrective action to reduce the impact on the business.
meet compliance requirements. All countries have high requirements for data security and privacy protection. If third-party applications cannot guarantee these security attributes, companies may violate regulations. Security control is an important means to ensure that third-party applications comply with relevant regulations and standards.
Avoid privilege abuse. If third-party applications have too many permissions but are difficult to withdraw, it will easily lead to abuse of permissions and leakage of sensitive data. Security management and control can finely control permissions to avoid such problems.
Improve management efficiency. Establishing a security management and control system for third-party applications can realize the unified management of its entire life cycle, simplify the management process, reduce management costs, and contribute to the optimal allocation of resources.
Enhance user trust. A comprehensive third-party application security control mechanism can effectively protect user data and privacy, which will become an important basis for customers to choose enterprise products or services, and help increase market share and competitive advantage.
Respond to emergencies. Through third-party application security management and control, an emergency response mechanism can be established with third-party application vendors. When a security incident occurs, effective coordination can be carried out to quickly eliminate threats, reduce losses, and avoid serious consequences.
In short, comprehensive security management and control of third-party applications is a necessary means to ensure that they run safely in the enterprise environment, serve enterprise business, and comply with various regulations and standards. This requires enterprises to have strong security management and control capabilities in order to truly exert its effect.