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UNDERSTANDING SECURITY'S NEW BLIND SPOT: SHADOW ENGINEERING

In the rush to digital transformation, many organizations are exposed to
security risks associated with citizen developer applications without even
knowing it.

Yair Finzi, Co-Founder & CEO, Nokod Security

June 6, 2024

4 Min Read
Source: blickwinkel via Alamy Stock Photo


COMMENTARY

"Out of sight, out of mind" is not a good way to approach cybersecurity or a
secure software development life cycle. But in the rush to digital
transformation, many organizations are unknowingly exposed to security risks
associated with citizen developer applications. 

Made possible by low-code/no-code (LCNC) technology that allows
individuals without formal coding or software development training to easily
build applications, these apps have spawned a new term known as "shadow
engineering." By providing intuitive, drag-and-drop, and generative AI (GenAI)
interfaces, LCNC platforms enable employees to independently create and deploy
apps outside the purview of the security team. 



Despite the associated risks, LCNC applications can play a significant role in
driving digital transformation. They offer the potential to generate substantial
cost savings and, more importantly, they may form the backbone of the majority
of applications used worldwide.

According to Gartner, almost two-thirds of chief information officers (CIOs) say
their organizations plan to deploy LCNC platforms in the next two years or
already have deployed them. In the report, CIOs cited excelling in customer or
citizen experience, improving operating margins, and generating revenue as the
most critical outcomes from digital technology investments.



LCNC and robotic process automation (RPA) have democratized application
development, putting it within reach of users without coding skills. However,
shadow engineering is also creating a security blind spot that is exposing
organizations to risks they can't anticipate. 



Using low-code/no-code application platforms (LCAP) — such as Microsoft Power
Apps and Power Automate, UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or ServiceNow — business
users are creating apps and automations that bypass the established software
development life cycle (SDLC) and its security assurance processes. 

Shadow engineering leaves security teams with little or no control over LCNC
apps that citizen developers can deploy. These apps also bypass the usual code
tests designed to flag software vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, which
could lead to a breach. This lack of visibility prevents organizations from
enforcing policies to keep them in compliance with corporate or industry
security standards. 

For example, a low-code automation created by the sales team to process credit
card payments could leak sensitive data and violate PCI DSS requirements while
being invisible to the security operations team. 




SHINING A LIGHT ON SHADOW ENGINEERING

Addressing the risks associated with shadow engineering requires applying
traditional application security principles to LCNC apps, which include the
following best practices:

 * Discover and track: Lack of visibility is the leading risk posed by shadow
   engineering, and a good place to start mitigating risks. Discover and
   inventory all LCNC applications and automations to identify and eliminate any
   redundant or outdated ones, and single out any live apps that should be under
   the company's policy control. 

 * Protect applications: LCNC apps have many of the same problems found in
   conventionally developed software, such as hard-coded or default passwords
   and leaky data. A simple application asking employees for their T-shirt size
   for a company event could give hackers access to their HR files and protected
   data. LCNC apps should routinely be evaluated for threats and
   vulnerabilities, so they can be detected and remediated. Meanwhile, runtime
   controls can be used to detect malicious behavior inside the apps and
   automations or by apps in the domain.

 * Enforce compliance: Citizen developers may not be aware of regulations such
   as GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc. Create and enforce LCNC security policies
   to detect and prevent violations.

 * Empower citizen developers: Give citizen developers guidance in easy-to
   understand terms to help them remediate risks themselves as quickly and
   easily as possible. Collaborate with business developers to ensure that
   security is integrated into the development process of LCNC applications
   going forward.

 * Monitor regularly: Security is never a one-and-done. Conduct regular
   monitoring of the application development process and carry out regular
   security assessments and audits of LCNC applications. Inspect applications
   and automations to identify security vulnerabilities, such as default
   passwords. Evaluate their third-party components to identify malicious code
   or vulnerabilities, and check their data usage to stop data leaks. Monitor
   developer activity, looking for modifications, especially after applications
   have been published. 



The democratization of software development made possible by LCNC and RPA can be
a positive development, as long as organizations maintain the visibility needed
to implement governance and security controls. But in most large organizations,
the risks associated with citizen developer apps are often undetected or
neglected, and they remain unmitigated.

The steps described above provide a strong foundation for securing LCNC
applications and RPA. To rein in security risks, begin with a structured process
for performing discovery, assessment, remediation, and governance of LCNC apps
and RPA tasks.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Yair Finzi

Co-Founder & CEO, Nokod Security

Yair Finzi is a technology entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in
cybersecurity. Prior to Nokod Security, he co-founded SecuredTouch and served as
its CEO until the company’s acquisition by Ping Identity. Later, Yair served as
a product leader at Meta, focusing on its global app for crowdsourcing. He
started his career in the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) elite cybersecurity unit
and eventually became a head of department at the Intelligence Corps. Yair holds
a B.Sc. in Electronics Engineering and an MBA with honors from Tel Aviv
University.

See more from Yair Finzi
Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities,
data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to
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