Refactoring Web Applications Using Functional Programming Principles to Improve Security

Injection vulnerabilities are frequently exploited in web application security breaches due to weaknesses in coding. It is imperative for web application developers to have expertise in implementing functional programming principles, such as immutability, pure functions, and reducing side effects. Failure to do so can result in serious vulnerabilities in their code that can compromise the security of their application. This paper presents a methodology that web application developers can follow to implement functional programming principles to reduce injection vulnerabilities in web applications. The methodology outlined in this paper supports the emerging design theory that applying functional programming principles such as immutability, pure functions, and minimized side effects can reduce the occurrence of injection vulnerabilities in web applications. When implemented on an intentionally vulnerable web application, the methodology successfully mitigated injection vulnerabilities within the web application. This paper contributes to the field of software development by providing web application developers with a practical methodology to enhance the security of their web applications.