Compiled Application

What Is It?

A compiled application is a program that typically runs locally on the user’s system, in some cases it is run on a shared machine the user connects into or via a remote access solution such as a virtual desktop environment. As this program is run locally to the user, it needs to communicate to your organisations backend systems over the network for it to send and receive data to be worked on.

Why Assess It?

There are many reasons to conduct a compiled application security assessment, five of which are below.

Duty of Care

Compiled applications are installed onto users’ systems, therefore care needs to be taken to ensure that the application, or the way in which it is deployed, does not introduce a security vulnerability.

Protect Network Links

The data for the application to use needs to be retrieved from and sent back to your organisation, meaning there will be connectivity provided to the compiled application. It is vital to ensure that this connectivity cannot be abused to bypass protections inside the application or attack backend services that will affect your wider organisation.

Secure Organisational Data

Data will be handled within the compiled application and once it has left your organisations infrastructure it needs to be protected, when it is in transit, being worked on inside the application and at rest when the applications not in use. It is not just threat actors that need to be considered, as automated malware routinely scours compromised systems for sensitive information and mechanisms for onward connectivity. Additionally, it is not just the data itself but how metadata is handled, such as if logging has been implemented and validating logs are protected securely and only contain relevant content.

Protect Intellectual Property

Due to the compiled application running on a system local to the user, confidence needs to be sought that even with privileged access to the underlying system the applications code dissuades individuals from reverse engineering it and stealing all the work that your developers have put in.

Validate Architecture

Whilst the compiled application runs on the user’s system there are many more components inside your organisation to provide functionality. Through validating the way the supporting architecture has been designed, assurance can be given that should a breach of any point happen, the organisation can continue operations in a resilient fashion.

The Agility Cyber Approach

Like all our engagements, we want you to get the most out of your compiled application security assessment and we do this by:

Inspecting the Environment

We do not limit our assurance to the code the program is running, we look at the wider concerns such as how the program is installed, what its dependencies are and how it changed the system it is installed onto, giving you a better overall risk picture.

Local and Remote

Compiled applications work bidirectionally with your infrastructure, so we do too. We check how the application retrieves data but also the backend services it is interacting with.

Data Tracing

Your organisations data flows through the compiled application, both when a user enters it but also when it is passed between modules. We make sure we fully understand and follow the data, giving assurance over how its handled at every stage.

Protective Monitoring

Due to where the applications are deployed it is not always possible to rely on conventional monitoring systems for security events. We check to ensure that what is being logged locally does not give a threat actor an advantage and ensure your organisation has the right monitoring in the right place to be able to detect any malicious activity with enough information to take action.

Attack Every Input

We map out every possible input into the application, be it from a user, environment variable, referenced library, manifest or other deployment files, what is being returned from web services and so much more. We do this because it is what genuine threat actors do, they do not just focus on the user input.

Benefits of Partnering with Agility Cyber

Mutually Invested

Our experts work with you, not against you. There are no egotistical celebrations when a serious issue is discovered, just rapid full disclosure with pragmatic suggestions for effective remediation followed by ongoing support.

Clarity and Simplicity

We always provide clarity, believe in simplicity and value your time. An example is rather than waiting until the engagement starts, we will conduct open source intelligence gathering activities before the scoping meeting to help us understand your organisations position and risk posture thus enabling us to ask better questions, securing you higher value and saving you time.

Full Consultancy

Our team, based in the UK, is technically exceptional but we pair that with business sense to discover, triage and help you remediate the full range of security issues.

Impartiality

We are impartial, we do not sell you products or the latest buzzword laden trending solution.

Outstanding Service

We have an industry leading turnaround, agility is in our name after all. Proposals are shared with you within 24 hours of the scoping meeting. Accurate and complete daily debriefs are given during every engagement. The report is shared within 5 working days at the latest.

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