Best practices to ensure secure Node.Js development services in the USA

One of the major concerns that businesses have today is faster demand. To mitigate this, most entrepreneurs across the globe prefer open-source technologies for their projects. For instance, full-stack techs like MEAN and MERN are in the limelight for speedy and cost-effective development. Also, these tech stacks rely on open-source technologies for development. It means creating an application will be inexpensive.

No wonder open-source technologies are a choice of over 76% of people in 2021. That said, there is primary challenge people have to face using these technologies. It is related to security. After all, the open-source nature gives access to everyone.

While we have numerous open-source technologies available in the market, we will focus on Node.Js. Over the past few years, the demand for Node.Js development services in the USA has been rising remarkably.

Designed to build secure applications, Node.Js also faces security issues. Why? When you hire a Node.Js development company in New Jersey, they will use different third-party packages via Node Package Manager (NPM). And according to Github, nearly 14% of the NPM ecosystem is susceptible to online threats. These security problems can show up in your Node.Js web application.

But do not worry. You can still build a highly-secure web application using Node.Js and other components of full-stack tech. Below, we have listed tips that can help you enhance the security of your application.

Best practices for Node.Js development company to ensure the security of your Node.Js application

Security vulnerabilities can happen at any time, regardless of the technology you have utilized. As a result, your web application might be compromised.

If you plan to use Node.Js for your software development, here are the security practices to keep in mind. Of course, a reliable Node.Js development company in New Jersey would know all the tactics. It is good to have an understanding of these.

1. Code injection attack

 Writing clean and secure code should be the top priority when developing a web application. But since Node.Js development utilizes open-source packages, codebase security is not guaranteed. It is because there is a risk of code injection attacks.

What is code injection? It is an attack by a hacker. In this, they insert a code into your system, which forces the application to execute it regularly. To access the application codebase, the attacker looks for untrusted and poorly managed data. You can protect your application from this security risk if your Node.Js development company in New Jersey ensures proper data validation.

The most common code injection attack is SQL injection. Here, the hacker injects the malicious SQL code and manipulates the back-end database. With this, they can access your confidential information and data.

2. Default cookie name

 Web applications or websites use cookies to identify particular users. How does this work? When a user interacts with your web application, each action gets stored in the form of a cookie. For instance, shopping carts on e-commerce sites serve as cookies. The best thing about using cookies in your web application is they will remember each action of your visitors and customers.

The problem arises when your Node.Js service provider in the USA uses default cookie names. It is advisable to choose customized cookie names that suit your needs. But what will happen if we use default names? Mostly, hackers are familiar with these names. Thus, they can use this information and gain insight into your user input. For this reason, using default cookies names is a big no-no.

3. Brute force attack

Another recurring security threat in the web application world is brute force attacks. It falls on the top of the Node.Js security checklist. What happens in this attack? Here, the hacker creates random passwords and uses them to access your web application.

In short, brute forcing refers to trying millions of password combinations until they find the correct match to breach critical information.

How can you protect your Node.Js web application from brute-force attacks? For this, you need to strengthen your application’s authentication mechanism. Also, avoid login into your web application using the same IP address. It may increase the risk of such attacks. Instead, you can use bcrypt.js to secure your stored passwords.

4. DDoS attacks

When talking about potential security risks for Node.Js, we cannot miss out on DDoS attacks – Distributed Denial of Service attacks. In this, the attacker tries to interrupt the traffic of your network, server, or application. They do this by loading a flood of online traffic into a production environment that contains malicious code.

 Node.Js development services in the USA started facing this attack after the release of Node.Js 4.0.0 and 4.1.1. These versions enable hackers to inject a bug into the HTTP handling. DDoS attacks are the primary culprit to the poor performance of Node.Js applications. After all, they affect your rich ecosystem, servers, services, and networks. However, mitigating these attacks is critical if you want to create a high-performing web app with Node.Js. The easiest way to do so is by reducing the number of requests.

5. XSS attacks

XSS attacks also known as cross-site scripting attacks are another common threat to Node.Js web applications. Attackers use cross-site scripting to insert client-side scripting into the application. The injected scripting has an altered JavaScript code.

Also, XSS enables hackers to send malicious code or scripts to the end users. Since their browsers cannot determine codebase trustworthiness, they execute it automatically. As a consequence, hackers can gain insight into session tokens, cookies, or confidential information.