policy Enterprise

Application Security Requirements Policy

Define robust application security requirements covering secure development, data protection, and compliance for all organizational applications.

Overview

This policy sets mandatory security requirements for all organizational applications, ensuring secure design, development, and operation in alignment with global standards.

Comprehensive Coverage

Applies to all in-house, third-party, and SaaS applications across all environments and teams.

Lifecycle Security Integration

Enforces controls, testing, and validation from planning to post-deployment to mitigate vulnerabilities.

Governance and Compliance

Aligns with global standards like ISO 27001, GDPR, NIS2, and DORA for assurance and audit readiness.

Clear Roles and Accountability

Defines security responsibilities for development, operations, product, and third-party stakeholders.

Read Full Overview
The Application Security Requirements Policy (P25) provides a comprehensive organizational mandate for embedding robust security controls into every stage of the application lifecycle. Its primary purpose is to enforce mandatory application-layer security requirements for all software developed, acquired, integrated, or deployed by the organization. The policy is applicable not only to internally developed solutions but also to SaaS, custom-built, and externally sourced tools. This broad applicability ensures that every technological asset supporting critical business operations, customer access, or regulated data processing is protected in accordance with secure development principles, legal requirements, and the organization's risk management posture. Scope-wise, the policy covers applications across all environments, including development, testing, staging, production, and disaster recovery, regardless of whether these are hosted on-premises, in private data centers, or in the cloud. The range of responsible parties is also comprehensive: from the CISO, who owns and aligns the policy with the organization's strategy, through Application Security Leads and DevSecOps Managers responsible for defining and validating security controls, to developers, engineers, product owners, operations teams, and third-party vendors or software suppliers. Every group must adhere to the requirements, ensuring a chain of accountability and compliance. Key objectives of the policy include defining baseline functional and non-functional security requirements; enforcing secure authentication, authorization, and access control mechanisms; integrating protections such as input validation, output encoding, and robust error and session management; and applying special scrutiny to API security, third-party components, and external integrations. Data protection is addressed through mandatory encryption, classification, and defined retention protocols, with a strict prohibition on unencrypted credentials or sensitive data. The policy also prescribes regular security testing, including static and dynamic analysis, code review, penetration testing, and continuous monitoring, to provide early detection and mitigation of vulnerabilities. A strong governance framework is specified, requiring documented security validation at the planning or procurement stage for all new applications, inclusion of requirements in contracts and SLAs, and structured risk-based exception handling. The use of secure technologies (including SAST, DAST, IAST, and SCA), annual pen testing for high-risk apps, and RASP or WAF as justified by risk, is mandated. Any exceptions must be formally requested with risk analysis, compensating controls, a remediation plan, and full documentation. Non-compliance or circumvention of controls can result in the removal of applications, suspension of access, or escalation to HR, Legal, or Supplier Risk Management. The policy is reviewed at least annually or in response to security incidents, regulatory changes, or major shifts in development practices, and all revisions are subject to version control and distribution to relevant teams. Finally, the document is carefully mapped to a suite of related policies, such as Information Security, Access Control, Change Management, Data Protection, Secure Development, and Incident Response, ensuring a layered and consistent approach to enterprise risk and compliance.

Policy Diagram

Diagram illustrating policy-driven application security processes from requirements definition, secure implementation, and testing, through exception handling, deployment validation, and ongoing compliance monitoring.

Click diagram to view full size

What's Inside

Scope and Rules of Engagement

Mandatory Security Functions and Controls

Secure API and Integration Requirements

Authentication and Access Control Alignment

Code Security Testing Methodology

Exception and Risk Treatment Process

Framework Compliance

🛡️ Supported Standards & Frameworks

This product is aligned with the following compliance frameworks, with detailed clause and control mappings.

Framework Covered Clauses / Controls
ISO/IEC 27001:2022
8.1
ISO/IEC 27002:2022
NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5
EU GDPR
2532
EU NIS2
EU DORA
911
COBIT 2019
ISO/IEC 27001:2022
8.1
ISO/IEC 27002:2022
NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5
EU GDPR
2532
EU NIS2
EU DORA
911
COBIT 2019

Related Policies

Information Security Policy

Establishes the foundation for protecting systems and data, under which application-level controls are required to prevent unauthorized access, data leakage, and exploitation.

Access Control Policy

Defines the identity and session management standards that must be enforced by all applications, including strong authentication, least privilege, and access review requirements.

Change Management Policy

Regulates the promotion of application code and configurations into production environments, ensuring that unauthorized or untested changes are blocked.

Data Protection And Privacy Policy

Requires applications to implement privacy-by-design and ensure lawful handling, encryption, and retention of personal and sensitive data across all environments.

Secure Development Policy

Provides the broader framework for embedding security into the SDLC, of which this policy defines the concrete requirements and technical controls to be implemented within the application layer.

Incident Response Policy

Mandates structured handling of application security incidents, including vulnerabilities identified post-deployment or during pen testing, and outlines escalation, containment, and recovery procedures.

About Clarysec Policies - Application Security Requirements Policy

Effective security governance requires more than just words; it demands clarity, accountability, and a structure that scales with your organization. Generic templates often fail, creating ambiguity with long paragraphs and undefined roles. This policy is engineered to be the operational backbone of your security program. We assign responsibilities to the specific roles found in a modern enterprise, including the CISO, IT Security, and relevant committees, ensuring clear accountability. Every requirement is a uniquely numbered clause (e.g., 5.1.1, 5.1.2). This atomic structure makes the policy easy to implement, audit against specific controls, and safely customize without affecting document integrity, transforming it from a static document into a dynamic, actionable framework.

Built-In Exception Management

Formal exception request workflows with compensating controls, risk analysis, and mandatory risk register tracking.

Technical Control Detail

Outlines precise requirements for authentication, input validation, logging, and encryption tailored to each application type.

Mandatory Code & Security Testing

Requires SAST, DAST, SCA, penetration tests, and audit trails for every critical or externally exposed application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Built for Leaders, By Leaders

This policy was authored by a security leader with 25+ years of experience deploying and auditing ISMS frameworks for global enterprises. It's designed not just to be a document, but a defensible framework that stands up to auditor scrutiny.

Authored by an expert holding:

MSc Cyber Security, Royal Holloway UoL CISM CISA ISO 27001:2022 Lead Auditor & Implementer CEH

Coverage & Topics

🏢 Target Departments

IT Security Compliance Development

🏷️ Topic Coverage

Secure Development Lifecycle Application Security Requirements Compliance Management Risk Management Security Testing Data Protection
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Application Security Requirements Policy

Product Details

Type: policy
Category: Enterprise
Standards: 14