The top software security standards for modern applications

Security standards aren’t the problem—how we apply them is.

Embedding these standards into the development lifecycle, complete with the right level of context and automation, accelerates progress.

It’s safe to say the real friction comes from fragmented tools, manual reviews, and unclear ownership. That’s what turns well-intentioned frameworks into slow, reactive processes.

Modern development demands security that moves at the pace of change. Whether you’re aligning with OWASP ASVS, NIST SSDF, ISO 27034, or PCI DSS, standards work best when they’re tailored to your architecture, connected to your workflows, and applied where they matter most.

The path to long-term success starts with operationalizing these security standards to fit your environment, layering in visibility, context, and a shift from static checklists to continuous, architecture-aware controls.

Key Takeaways

• Security standards should be seen as accelerators: When embedded into developer workflows, the right standards reduce rework, increase clarity, and help ship secure code faster.
• Not all standards are created equal: OWASP, NIST, ISO, PCI DSS, and others serve different purposes. The most effective security programs blend them based on risk, industry, and maturity.
• Success depends on more than policy: Implementation requires cultural buy-in, developer enablement, deep automation, and a clear view of your software architecture.

Why security standards matter in software development

Security standards provide more than compliance, they offer a framework for consistency, clarity, and scale. Without them, developers are left to define “secure” on their own. That kind of ambiguity creates gaps, delays, and security debt that compounds over time.

In 2025, the average cost of a data breach is now $4.4 million. Business disruption and long-term reputation damage made up the bulk of that total. In regulated industries, the risks extend further. For example, compliance failures with frameworks like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOC 2 can lead to steep fines and contractual fallout.

Standards give teams a shared definition of secure software. They create structure around what’s expected during design, development, and deployment. And when those standards are enforced through automation, they make it easier to move fast without cutting corners.

Key application and web security standards

Today’s security landscape is filled with frameworks and standards, each with its own purpose, scope, and strengths. 

Understanding what they cover is the first step to applying them in a way that strengthens your software security posture without slowing your team down.

Below is a breakdown of the most widely adopted standards, what they focus on, and where they fit into modern development environments.

OWASP Top 10

A globally recognized awareness document that highlights the most critical security risks to web applications. The OWASP Top 10 helps teams focus on what attackers target most, like broken access controls, injection flaws, cryptographic failures, and insecure design. It’s not a complete framework, but it provides a strong foundation for awareness and training.

Use it to:

• Identify high-risk patterns in web applications
• Guide secure coding practices across teams
• Map vulnerabilities to external compliance frameworks like PCI DSS and HIPAA

OWASP ASVS (Application Security Verification Standard)

While the OWASP Top 10 tells you what to secure, ASVS explains how to do it. ASVS provides a detailed, testable checklist of technical controls that organizations can apply across three levels of assurance, from basic web apps to highly sensitive systems. It’s often used by teams looking to formalize or audit their application security posture.

Use it to:

• Set clear, technical requirements for secure application design and development
• Define scope for penetration testing and internal reviews
• Establish baselines for different application types based on data sensitivity and risk

NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF)

Developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST SSDF outlines best practices for embedding security throughout the SDLC. It covers everything from secure planning and architecture to vulnerability response. Required for software vendors selling to U.S. federal agencies, it’s also a strong fit for organizations looking to scale secure-by-design development.

Use it to:

• Integrate security checks and policies across your CI/CD pipeline
• Guide secure planning, design, coding, testing, and patching
• Align with government procurement requirements and industry best practices
  

Related Content: 8 Key NIST Guidelines in New Federal Regulations to be Aware of

ISO/IEC 27034

Part of the broader ISO 27000 family, ISO/IEC 27034 focuses specifically on application security throughout the lifecycle. It introduces concepts like the Organization Normative Framework (ONF) and Application Security Controls (ASCs), which standardize how reusable, context-aware controls are selected and applied to software projects.

Use it to:

• Build a repeatable, standards-based AppSec process across teams
• Manage and apply a centralized library of security controls
• Show maturity and alignment with global security expectations

CIS Controls – Control 16: Application Software Security

The Center for Internet Security (CIS) provides a prioritized set of cybersecurity best practices. Control 16 focuses specifically on application software, emphasizing secure development, automated scanning, and secure coding practices throughout the lifecycle. It’s especially useful for small-to-midsize teams seeking to implement high-impact actions quickly.

Use it to:

• Implement essential, automation-friendly AppSec practices
• Prioritize based on real-world threats and attack data
• Build a defensible security baseline without heavy overhead

PCI DSS – Requirement 6

For organizations handling credit card data, PCI DSS is mandatory. Requirement 6 calls for secure system and software development practices, including secure coding guidelines, patching policies, and vulnerability management. It also mandates that teams address known vulnerabilities, especially those identified in the OWASP Top 10.

Use it to:

• Demonstrate compliance to payment processors and partners
• Enforce security requirements for in-house and third-party code
• Validate secure coding practices across development teams

SOC 2

While not a security framework per se, SOC 2 is a widely used audit report for SaaS and service providers. It evaluates your security controls against five Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Application security is assessed as part of your broader system posture.

Use it to:

• Provide assurance to enterprise customers and partners
• Demonstrate operational maturity and secure SDLC practices
• Guide internal processes toward audit readiness

HIPAA

For healthcare organizations and their vendors, HIPAA defines strict security standards around electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). For software, this translates into strong authentication, access control, encryption, audit logging, and secure development practices throughout the SDLC.

Use it to:

• Ensure patient data is handled in compliance with federal law
• Set technical and administrative controls for health-related software
• Build trust with covered entities and healthcare providers

How to choose the right security standards for your team

There’s no universal standard that fits every business. The right approach depends on what you build, who you serve, how mature your program is, and which risks carry the most weight for your organization. 

Choosing well means zooming out, then narrowing down. Here are the key factors to consider:

1. Industry and regulatory environment

Start with what’s non-negotiable. Most industries have baseline requirements that dictate which standards you must adopt:

• Healthcare: HIPAA compliance is mandatory. HITRUST CSF is often used to operationalize those requirements.
• Finance and e-commerce: PCI DSS applies to any entity handling cardholder data.
• Government contractors: Federal contracts typically require compliance to NIST SSDF or NIST 800-53.
• SaaS and cloud providers: Customers often expect SOC 2 reports and ISO 27001 certification as proof of security maturity.
  

This is your compliance “floor,” the minimum you need to operate legally or maintain business relationships.

2. Data sensitivity and application type

Not all applications carry equal risk. Choosing a standard starts with understanding what kinds of data and capabilities your software handles.

Start by answering:

• Does your app collect, process, or store PII, PHI, or payment information?
• Is it internet-facing? Is it integrated with third parties?
• Could a failure lead to financial loss, downtime, or regulatory exposure?
  

The more sensitive the data or critical the function, the more rigorous your controls should be. For example, OWASP ASVS Level 2 is a good baseline for applications handling PII, while Level 3 applies to high-risk systems like healthcare platforms or fintech apps.

3. Team size, maturity, and resources

Your security program should match your capacity to operate it. 

A small team just starting out may benefit from simpler frameworks with prioritized guidance, like the CIS Controls (Implementation Group 1) or OWASP Top 10. These help teams get meaningful wins quickly without overwhelming their workflow.

For mature organizations, a deeper framework like ISO/IEC 27001 or the NIST SSDF can support long-term risk management, audit readiness, and strategic oversight.

4. Development methodology and tooling

Security needs to fit into how your teams already build software. If you’re practicing Agile or DevOps, you’ll need standards that support automation and integration across your pipeline. For example:

• NIST SSDF is flexible and works well with CI/CD environments
• OWASP ASVS maps cleanly to pull request checks and test automation
• ISO/IEC 27034 supports reusable controls that align to feature-driven workflows
  

Look for frameworks that complement your velocity, not ones that add friction.

5. Contractual and customer-driven obligations

Even if regulations don’t apply directly, your customers or partners might require proof that you follow certain standards. 

Enterprise buyers often look for vendors that are ISO 27001 certified or can provide a SOC 2 Type II report. In some sectors, being able to demonstrate compliance with NIST or OWASP guidelines can tip the scales in your favor.

Understanding your customers’ risk tolerance and how they assess it can help you prioritize the right mix of standards.

Best practices for implementing software security standards

Choosing a framework sets the direction, but making it stick requires execution across people, processes, and pipelines. 

Implementation is where security standards move from policy to practice. That includes aligning tools, workflows, and team habits to support secure design and delivery from day one. 

These five best practices can help embed standards into your workflows and make secure development second nature.

Shift left without adding friction

Security needs to start early, at the design phase, not after code hits production. But shifting left doesn’t mean shifting the burden. 

Instead of asking developers to become security experts, provide them with actionable guardrails and context-aware feedback inside their existing tools.

Embedding security in pull requests, design reviews, and IDEs empowers developers to make good decisions without breaking flow. Solutions like Apiiro Develop are built to support this model by integrating risk insights into the tools developers already use.

Automate wherever possible

Manual reviews and static policies don’t scale. Standards become operational only when they’re automated, often triggered by changes in code, architecture, or deployment behavior. 

Security tools like SAST, DAST, SCA, and secret scanners should be integrated directly into your CI/CD pipeline, with policies codified and enforced consistently across teams.

Modern AppSec programs also use code-to-runtime signals to fine-tune what gets prioritized and what can be safely ignored. That context is essential for reducing alert fatigue and preventing overcorrection.

To see how these signals can drive smarter triage, check out Apiiro’s approach to code-to-runtime correlation.

Prioritize based on actual risk

Compliance frameworks tend to treat all vulnerabilities equally. Real-world attacks don’t. 

Effective implementation requires a risk-based approach, looking at whether vulnerable components are reachable, if they expose sensitive data, and whether any compensating controls exist.

Standards should inform what gets fixed. But architecture, runtime data, and business context should guide when and how you fix it.

Centralize governance with ASPM

As your security program grows, the number of tools, findings, and policies can quickly become unmanageable. Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) platforms help unify and orchestrate these efforts, bringing together scanner outputs, runtime alerts, developer data, and business context in one place.

For teams juggling compliance audits and cross-functional workflows, ASPM becomes the control plane. It streamlines remediation, automates reporting, and maintains continuous alignment with your chosen standards.

Related Content: Comparing ASPM vs. CSPM

Don’t overlook culture and training

Standards only work when the people implementing them believe in the why. Executive support, developer buy-in, and continuous security training are non-negotiable. Make secure development part of the team’s identity, not a checklist or blocker.

Workshops, context-aware training, and role-specific guidance are more effective than generic LMS modules. And when developers see security tied directly to their work, —not bolted on afterward, —it’s far easier to gain traction.

Make security standards scale with your software

Security standards work best when they’re actively embedded into how your teams design, build, and ship software. As your code and architecture evolve, your standards need to stay aligned, all supported by automation, visibility, and risk context.

And that starts with your software architecture.

Apiiro helps teams embed secure-by-design into every stage of development by automatically discovering and mapping your architecture, from code to runtime. With the right visibility, policy enforcement, and developer workflows in place, security standards become part of how you build software.

Ready to build secure software that scales? Book a demo to see how Apiiro can help you implement the right security standards, faster.

Frequently asked questions

What are software security standards?

They’re documented best practices and requirements that guide how software should be designed, built, and maintained securely. Standards help protect sensitive data, reduce risk, and ensure compliance across industries.

What are the most common software security standards?

OWASP Top 10, OWASP ASVS, NIST SSDF, ISO/IEC 27001 and 27034, PCI DSS, SOC 2, and HIPAA are among the most widely used, each serving different industries, risks, and compliance needs.

How can teams implement application security standards effectively?

Start by aligning standards to your risk and compliance profile. Then embed them into your workflows using automation, context-aware tooling, and visibility into software architecture and change.

What’s the difference between web security standards and application standards?

Web security standards focus on risks specific to internet-facing applications. Application security standards cover the entire SDLC and apply to all types of software, from APIs to backend systems.