Effective Work Sample Exercises for Hiring an Application Security Manager

In today's digital landscape, application security has become a critical concern for organizations of all sizes. The Application Security Manager role is pivotal in safeguarding an organization's software applications from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. This position requires a unique blend of technical expertise, leadership skills, and the ability to communicate complex security concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in application security management. While resumes and certifications provide some insight, they don't demonstrate how candidates apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios. This is where carefully designed work samples become invaluable in the hiring process.

Effective work samples for an Application Security Manager should evaluate both technical proficiency and soft skills. The ideal candidate must not only identify vulnerabilities but also prioritize them based on business impact, communicate findings effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders, and develop strategic security programs that balance protection with business needs.

The following work sample exercises are designed to assess candidates' abilities across the full spectrum of application security management responsibilities. From vulnerability assessment to incident response, security education, and program development, these exercises will help you identify candidates who can truly elevate your organization's security posture.

Activity #1: Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation Planning

This exercise evaluates a candidate's technical ability to identify security vulnerabilities in applications and develop practical remediation strategies. It tests their knowledge of common vulnerabilities, security assessment methodologies, and their ability to prioritize issues based on risk.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a sample web application with intentionally embedded security vulnerabilities (at least 5-7 issues of varying severity, including some from the OWASP Top 10).
• This can be a simplified version of an actual company application with sensitive information removed, or a purpose-built test application.
• Provide the candidate with access to the application code, a running instance for testing, and basic documentation about the application's purpose and architecture.
• Allow candidates to use their preferred security testing tools.
• Allocate 90 minutes for the assessment and 30 minutes for preparing findings and recommendations.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided application and perform a security assessment to identify vulnerabilities.
• Document each vulnerability found, including:
• Description of the vulnerability
• Potential impact if exploited
• Risk level (Critical, High, Medium, Low)
• Evidence of the vulnerability (screenshots, code snippets, etc.)
• Develop a prioritized remediation plan that includes:
• Recommended fixes for each vulnerability
• Implementation complexity (Easy, Medium, Hard)
• Suggested timeline for remediation
• Prepare a brief executive summary explaining the overall security posture and top concerns.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the candidate presents their findings, provide feedback on their assessment methodology and the completeness of their vulnerability identification.
• Offer one specific suggestion for improvement, such as a missed vulnerability or an alternative remediation approach.
• Ask the candidate to revise their remediation plan based on this feedback, focusing on how they would adjust their priorities or recommendations.

Activity #2: Security Incident Response Simulation

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to respond effectively to a security incident, demonstrating their technical investigation skills, decision-making under pressure, and communication abilities with various stakeholders.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a realistic security incident scenario involving a potential data breach in one of your applications.
• Prepare a packet of information that includes:
• Initial alert/notification details
• System logs showing suspicious activity
• Application architecture diagrams
• Sample data that may have been compromised
• Organization chart showing key stakeholders
• Identify company representatives to play roles of key stakeholders (CTO, Legal, PR, etc.) during the simulation.
• Allow 45 minutes for investigation and 30 minutes for response planning and stakeholder communication.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the incident information provided and conduct an initial investigation to determine:
• What happened (type of breach/attack)
• How it happened (attack vector and vulnerabilities exploited)
• What systems and data were potentially affected
• Current status (ongoing or contained)
• Develop an incident response plan that includes:
• Immediate actions to contain the breach
• Investigation steps to fully understand the impact
• Remediation steps to fix vulnerabilities
• Communication strategy for different stakeholders
• Conduct a brief (10-minute) emergency meeting with key stakeholders to explain the situation and your recommended actions.
• Prepare a draft of external communication if required (e.g., customer notification).

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's technical investigation approach and the completeness of their response plan.
• Offer one specific suggestion for improvement in their stakeholder communication.
• Ask the candidate to revise their communication to a specific stakeholder (e.g., the executive team or affected customers) based on this feedback.

Activity #3: Security Training Development and Delivery

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to educate development teams on secure coding practices, demonstrating their knowledge of application security principles and their skill in communicating technical concepts effectively.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide information about a specific development team in your organization, including:
• Technology stack they use (languages, frameworks, etc.)
• Current security knowledge level (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
• Recent security issues they've encountered
• Time constraints (e.g., they can only dedicate 30 minutes per week to security training)
• Allocate 60 minutes for preparation and 20 minutes for presentation.
• Assemble a small group (2-3 people) to play the role of developers during the training presentation.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Develop a targeted security training module for the development team that addresses:
• One or two specific security vulnerabilities relevant to their technology stack
• Practical coding techniques to prevent these vulnerabilities
• Tools or processes that can help identify these issues early
• Create training materials that include:
• A brief slide deck (5-7 slides maximum)
• Code examples showing vulnerable code and secure alternatives
• A simple checklist developers can use during code reviews
• Deliver a 15-minute training session to the mock development team.
• Include a 5-minute Q&A session where you answer developers' questions.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the clarity and technical accuracy of the training content.
• Offer one specific suggestion for making the training more engaging or effective for developers.
• Ask the candidate to revise one portion of their training based on this feedback, such as simplifying a complex concept or adding a more relevant example.

Activity #4: Application Security Program Development

This exercise assesses a candidate's strategic thinking and ability to develop a comprehensive security program that aligns with business objectives, demonstrating their leadership and program management capabilities.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a case study of a fictional (or anonymized real) organization that includes:
• Company overview (size, industry, business model)
• Application portfolio (types of applications, technologies used)
• Current security maturity level (low, medium, high)
• Business constraints (budget, resources, timeline)
• Key business objectives and risk tolerance
• Provide any relevant security standards or compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, PCI DSS).
• Allow 2 hours for preparation (can be done as a take-home exercise) and 30 minutes for presentation.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Develop a 12-month application security program roadmap that includes:
• Assessment of current security posture and key gaps
• Program objectives and success metrics
• Key initiatives and projects with timelines
• Required resources (people, tools, budget)
• Implementation approach and prioritization strategy
• Create a governance model that outlines:
• Roles and responsibilities
• Security policies and standards
• Integration with the software development lifecycle
• Reporting and metrics for tracking progress
• Prepare a 20-minute presentation for executive stakeholders, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the comprehensiveness and practicality of the security program.
• Offer one specific suggestion for improvement, such as addressing a missed compliance requirement or adjusting the timeline for a key initiative.
• Ask the candidate to revise one aspect of their program based on this feedback, such as reprioritizing initiatives or adjusting resource allocation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much time should we allocate for these work sample exercises?

A: Plan for approximately 3-4 hours total across multiple interview stages. The vulnerability assessment and incident response exercises work well in a 2-hour onsite session. The security training and program development exercises can be split between a take-home component and an in-person presentation.

Q: Should we use our actual applications for the vulnerability assessment exercise?

A: It's best to use a simplified version with sensitive information removed or a purpose-built test application with realistic vulnerabilities. Using actual production applications may expose sensitive information unnecessarily and could create legal complications.

Q: What if we don't have technical staff who can evaluate the candidate's security findings?

A: Consider bringing in an external security consultant to help evaluate the technical aspects of the candidate's work. Alternatively, provide a solution guide to your interviewers with the expected findings so they can compare against the candidate's results.

Q: How do we ensure these exercises don't disadvantage candidates from diverse backgrounds?

A: Provide clear instructions and evaluation criteria upfront. Allow reasonable accommodations when requested. Focus evaluation on problem-solving approach and communication rather than specific tools or methodologies that might be familiar only to candidates from certain backgrounds.

Q: What if a candidate identifies security issues we weren't aware of during the vulnerability assessment?

A: This is actually a positive outcome! It demonstrates the candidate's expertise and provides value to your organization. Be sure to follow up on any legitimate findings after the interview process.

Q: How should we weigh technical skills versus leadership abilities in our evaluation?

A: The balance depends on your specific needs, but generally, an Application Security Manager needs both technical credibility and leadership skills. Use the vulnerability assessment and incident response exercises to evaluate technical abilities, and the training and program development exercises to assess leadership and communication skills.

In today's rapidly evolving threat landscape, finding the right Application Security Manager is crucial for protecting your organization's digital assets and maintaining customer trust. By incorporating these practical work samples into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' capabilities than traditional interviews alone can provide.

Ready to elevate your hiring process beyond these work samples? Yardstick offers comprehensive tools to streamline your entire hiring workflow. Create customized job descriptions with our AI Job Description Generator, develop targeted interview questions with our AI Interview Question Generator, and design complete interview guides with our AI Interview Guide Generator. Check out our example job description for an Application Security Manager to get started.

Build a complete interview guide for this role by signing up for a free Yardstick account at https://yardstick.team/sign-up