Security Best Practices for Modern Web Applications - Virex

Security isn’t optional. Every week brings news of another data breach, another compromised application. As developers, we have a responsibility to protect our users.

At Virex, security is foundational to everything we build. This guide shares the practices we follow and recommend to our customers.

Authentication Done Right

Authentication is often the weakest link. Here’s how to strengthen it:

Use Strong Password Policies

Minimum requirements should include:

• At least 12 characters
• No common passwords (check against breach databases)
• Rate limiting on login attempts

But don’t go overboard with complexity requirements—they often lead to weaker passwords written on sticky notes.

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA blocks 99.9% of automated attacks. Offer multiple options:

• Authenticator apps (preferred)
• SMS codes (better than nothing)
• Hardware keys (most secure)

At Virex, we require MFA for all team accounts and strongly encourage it for all users.

Secure Session Management

Sessions are a common attack vector:

• Use secure, HTTP-only cookies
• Implement session timeouts
• Invalidate sessions on password change
• Consider binding sessions to IP addresses for sensitive applications

Protecting Your Data

Encrypt Everything

Data should be encrypted:

• In transit: TLS 1.3 for all connections
• At rest: AES-256 for stored data
• In backups: Same encryption as production

Virex automatically provisions SSL certificates for all deployments—there’s no excuse for unencrypted traffic.

Minimize Data Collection

The best way to protect data is to not collect it:

• Only gather what you actually need
• Delete data when it’s no longer necessary
• Anonymize data used for analytics

Secure Your Secrets

Never commit secrets to version control. Instead:

• Use environment variables
• Implement a secrets manager
• Rotate credentials regularly

Virex’s environment variable system encrypts all secrets at rest and in transit.

Infrastructure Security

Keep Dependencies Updated

Outdated dependencies are a leading cause of breaches:

• Enable automated security updates
• Monitor for vulnerability disclosures
• Have a process for emergency patches

Implement Network Segmentation

Not everything needs to talk to everything:

• Isolate databases from public internet
• Use private networks for internal communication
• Implement strict firewall rules

Enable Logging and Monitoring

You can’t respond to attacks you don’t detect:

• Log all authentication events
• Monitor for unusual patterns
• Set up alerts for suspicious activity

Application Security

Validate All Input

Never trust user input:

• Sanitize data before processing
• Use parameterized queries (never string concatenation)
• Implement strict type checking

Protect Against Common Attacks

Ensure your application handles:

• SQL Injection: Use ORMs or parameterized queries
• XSS: Escape output, use Content Security Policy
• CSRF: Implement anti-CSRF tokens
• Clickjacking: Set X-Frame-Options header

Implement Rate Limiting

Protect against abuse:

• Limit API requests per user/IP
• Implement exponential backoff for failed attempts
• Use CAPTCHAs for sensitive operations

Security at Virex

We take security seriously:

• SOC 2 Type II certified
• Regular penetration testing
• Bug bounty program
• 24/7 security monitoring

Every deployment on Virex benefits from our security infrastructure automatically.

Getting Started

Security can feel overwhelming, but start somewhere:

1. Enable MFA on all accounts today
2. Audit your dependencies this week
3. Review your logging setup this month

Small improvements compound over time.

Questions about security? Our team is happy to help—reach out at [email protected].