What is Front-End Security?

Front-end security, also known as client-side security, refers to securing websites and web applications on the customers’ side of a digital transaction. Consumers today rely on digital devices to manage banking, healthcare, shopping, and communications. Customers expect to be able to do business safely and securely online, without their PII or payment information being stolen.

Why is front-end security important?

In cybersecurity, front-end security (client-side security), helps prevent and mitigate security incidents and breaches that occur on the front end of a system (rather than the back end or server side). To protect from attacks and data breaches, businesses must protect *both* the front end and back end of their digital operations. On the front end or “client-side,” this includes everything that the customer sees, such as images, content, and other UI features, along with anything the customer interacts with, such as chat bots that may appear in the user’s browser. It’s estimated that 98% of the U.S. Alexa 1000 websites do not have the proper protections that can repel a front-end or client-side attack.

Front-end vulnerabilities are increasingly common, primarily due to the rise in the number of businesses and end users that use web applications to share sensitive and personally identifiable information (PII). Because so many websites and web applications are written in JavaScript (~98% of all global websites), which also happens to be an inherently insecure programming language, threat actors are simply exploiting JavaScript, embedding malicious scripts into existing code. Front-end security issues also arise due to the abundance of third- and fourth-party scripts used to compile websites.

One of the most important actions ​​any business can take is protecting their customers from front-end security threats. Unfortunately, because of the sophisticated and subtle nature of these attacks, they can be hard to detect until it’s too late.​​

To ensure that businesses are offering a safe and secure digital experience, they must be diligent about securing their website or web application from dangerous front-end attacks.