Evaluating the impact of software security tactics: A design perspective

Abstract

Design architecture is the edifice that strengthens the functionalities as well as the security of web applications. In order to facilitate architectural security from the web application’s design phase itself, practitioners are now adopting the novel mechanism of security tactics. With the intent to conduct a research from the perspective of security tactics, the present study employs a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach named fuzzy analytic hierarchy process-technique for order preference by similarity ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method for selecting and assessing multi-criteria decisions. The adopted methodology is a blend of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS). To establish the efficacy of this methodology, the results are obtained after the evaluation have been tested on fifteen different web application projects (Online Quiz competition, Entrance Test, and others) of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India. The tabulated outcomes demonstrate that the methodology of the Multi-Level Fuzzy Hybrid system is highly effective in providing accurate estimation for strengthening the security of web applications. The proposed study will help experts and developers in developing and managing security from any web application design phase for better accuracy and higher security.