Application security, or AppSec, is the discipline that ensures software is securely designed, developed, tested and maintained. The "shift left" principle is central: integrating security as early as possible in the development process, from threat modeling in the design phase to automated security testing in the CI/CD pipeline.
The OWASP Top 10 remains the standard reference for the most common application vulnerabilities: injection, broken authentication, sensitive data exposure and security misconfiguration. But modern AppSec goes beyond ticking off a checklist. It requires a cultural change where developers consider security as an integral part of their work and security tooling is seamlessly integrated into the development workflow.
The Dutch market has a growing demand for application security expertise. Organisations undergoing digital transformation develop increasingly more custom software and APIs, expanding the attack surface. NIS2 and sector-specific regulations require demonstrable secure development practices. At the same time, experienced AppSec professionals who master both development and security are scarce and highly sought after.
MVPeople Group has a network of application security professionals: from hands-on AppSec engineers who implement SAST/DAST tools and conduct code reviews to strategic application security architects who design secure development lifecycles and set up Security Champion programmes.