Multitier Diversification in Web-Based Software Applications

Web application development benefits massively from modular architectures and reuse. This excellent software engineering practice is also the source of a new form of monoculture in application-level code, which creates a potential risk for dependability. Researchers propose using software diversification in multiple components of Web applications to reconcile the tension between reuse and dependability. This article identifies key enablers for the effective diversification of software, especially at the application-code level. It's possible to combine different software diversification strategies, from deploying different vendor solutions to fine-grained code transformations, to provide different forms of protection.