Blog Post

Legacy applications are a critical part of many businesses, providing essential functions and maintaining important data. However, these systems are often overlooked in terms of security, which can lead to significant risks for companies. In today’s digital landscape, securing your company’s legacy applications is crucial to protect sensitive data and prevent cyber-attacks.

When legacy applications run on outdated platforms, they’re running on platforms which no longer receive security patches. This means those applications are highly vulnerable to cyberattacks, which are proliferating in today’s technology landscape. Often, these systems do not comply with regulatory guidelines and security best-practices. Using unsecured legacy applications not only puts data at risk, but also risks unpleasant feedback on an audit from an insurance company or regulatory agency.

There’s good news for companies still using legacy applications—they CAN be secured as effectively as any other modern application. It’s useful to think of all of this in physical terms, so consider an old car in a garage. Imagine an extremely valuable, rare vintage car. You want to keep and drive the car because it’s still quite useful, you enjoy it, and it isn’t being produced any more. Perhaps you’re concerned about the safety of the old car compared to your new car with advanced security technology (think electronic passwords to unlock the car, intelligent alarms and alerting systems, tracking, etc). To keep the old car safe, you might like to put it in a garage. While you can’t necessarily make the car itself more secure (though there may be options available to you here as well depending on your resources), you can make the garage secure with advanced technology. The same goes for legacy applications—while you may not be able to directly secure an app, you can build walls around it that makes it just as secure as any other application.

Here are some tips on how to secure your company’s legacy applications:

1. 1. Conduct a security audit: The first step in securing your legacy applications is to understand the current security posture. A security audit can help you identify potential vulnerabilities and assess the risk level. This will give you a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of your systems, allowing you to focus your security efforts where they are needed most.

      
      
   2. Update software and operating systems: One of the biggest risks to legacy applications is outdated software and operating systems. Outdated software can contain known security vulnerabilities that have already been fixed in newer versions. Make sure that all software and operating systems are up to date, and consider virtualizing or modernizing the application if possible.
   
   

   3. Implement multi-factor authentication: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a highly effective way to secure your legacy applications. MFA requires users to provide two or more forms of identification to access an application, making it much more difficult for hackers to gain access. Consider implementing MFA for all legacy applications that contain sensitive data.

   
   

   4. Encrypt data in transit and at rest: Data encryption is a critical security measure to protect sensitive data. Encrypting data in transit ensures that data is protected as it moves from one system to another. Encrypting data at rest protects the data when it is stored on servers and other storage devices.

   
   

   5. Regularly backup data: Regular backups are essential to ensure that your company’s data can be recovered in the event of a cyber-attack or other disaster. Consider using an off-site backup solution to ensure that your data is protected even if the primary storage location is compromised.

   
   

   6. Train employees on security best practices: Employees play a critical role in maintaining the security of your company’s legacy applications. Make sure that all employees are trained on security best practices, such as using strong passwords, avoiding phishing scams, and being aware of social engineering tactics.

   
   

   In conclusion, securing your company’s legacy applications is an ongoing process that requires a combination of technical measures and employee awareness. By taking the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your company’s critical systems and sensitive data are protected from cyber threats.