What are the most innovative Cloud CI/CD security practices?

Almost every security vendor is now talking about shift left security - the developer centric security. There're lots of tools out there either open source or not. Try Google search Shift Left Security? See how many security vendors are highlighting shift left.

Some of the most innovative practices are: ? Implementing infrastructure as code (IaC) to define and manage the infrastructure and configuration of the CI/CD pipeline ? Applying secure coding practices, such as input validation, output encoding ? Vulnerability scanning and software composition analysis to detect and fix known vulnerabilities ? Automating security testing, such as static application security testing (SAST) ? Employing continuous monitoring and logging to track and audit the activities and performance ? Enforcing separation of duties and access controls to limit the privileges and permissions ? Regularly updating dependencies and patching security issues ? Conducting threat modeling and risk assessment

-Continuous Compliance and Policy Enforcement -Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) -Immutable Infrastructure and Container Security

'Shift left' to tackle the known issues during the development cycle to prevent runtime exploits. However, not all attack vectors are prevented by scanning codes and images. So also 'shield right' to protect your running services. For eg: In containerised environments, new vulnerabilities are discovered very frequently that can be exploited. So both approaches are needed to mitigate the risk.

"Shifting security left" in cloud CI/CD means embedding security early in the development cycle. This approach integrates security practices from the get-go, allowing developers to spot and fix security flaws as they code. It's about building security into the project's DNA, saving time and enhancing safety. Key strategies include automated security scans and code reviews, alongside educating developers on security. By making security a core part of development from the start, it proactively protects CI/CD pipelines against threats, streamlining the process and ensuring safer software outcomes. This proactive strategy is crucial for robust cloud-based CI/CD security.

One of the biggest challenges that companies face today is dealing with unknown security threats. Threat actors are building the next attack that nobody knows about! It is imperative that companies are prepared to mitigate/block unknown vulnerabilities in software or zero day software vulnerabilities. One way is to implement software protection while it is running by applying zero trust architecture to your production apps. We can explicitly define all the privileges assigned to cloud native apps in terms of access to files, processes and networks, i.e. creating a whitelist of what an app can do. In this way if a zero day attack tries to do anything out of the ordinary e.g. access confidential files, that call will be blocked automatically.

Zero trust architecture is a transformative approach to cloud security, especially for CI/CD pipelines, as it aligns with the dynamic nature of cloud environments. By enforcing strict access controls and continuous verification, zero trust minimizes the attack surface and reduces the risk of insider threats. It's crucial for organizations to understand that implementing zero trust requires a cultural shift and a comprehensive strategy that encompasses identity management, network segmentation, and automated policy enforcement.

Before configuring your CI/CD pipeline, prioritize security, testing, and time to release. This determines how you approach each step in your pipeline. For example, if security is a top priority, you can implement more controls on your code before it's deployed.

Implementing a zero trust architecture is a groundbreaking approach to cloud CI/CD security, ensuring robust protection against threats. Instead of trusting any element within the network, this strategy verifies every action, user, and device, enhancing security. Techniques like multi-factor authentication and encryption bolster defenses, preventing unauthorized access and data breaches. For instance, even if a user's credentials are compromised, additional authentication layers can thwart malicious attempts. By adopting a zero trust architecture, organizations fortify their cloud environments against evolving cyber threats, prioritizing security at every level.

Another innovative cloud CI/CD security practice is to adopt a zero trust architecture, which is based on the assumption that no network, device, or user is inherently trustworthy. Instead of relying on traditional perimeter-based security models, a zero trust architecture requires strict verification and validation of every request and transaction, using techniques such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, micro-segmentation, and policy enforcement. A zero trust architecture can help you prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and lateral movement of attackers within your cloud environment.

Educate all parties involved in creating secured applications on the broader goal, cultivate the mindset to break silos among the teams, invest in the right tools and technologies to propel DevSecOps culture, principles and processes, incentivize teams who step up and set an example for the other teams to follow.

Devsecops as a culture should be seeded in an organization with a mindset "everyone is responsible for security" by involving all the stakeholders. Few examples are, 1. Encouraging the use of code libraries hosted in secure environment, the use of private repositories which are periodically audited, downloading opensource libraries that have active community participation, etc. System packages or binaries downloaded should be checked for md5 or sha checksums provided at source. 2. Automated Security metrics should be generated for code with both sast and dast tools. 3. Zero-trust policy should be adopted without an afterthought with SIEM policies, metrics and alerting. 4. These metrics should be a part of every team's periodic assessment.

Devsecops, tightly binds with the zero trust policy, to guard the guardrails established. SRE, Devops, Devsecops are some of the frameworks which can be leveraged to drive efficiency, compliance and Observability.

Le DevSecOps est une approche qui insère la sécurité dans le DevOps, c'est-à-dire que la sécurité est insérée à chaque étape du processus de développement et d'intégration. Un processus DevSecOps peut par exemple lancer des vérifications de sécurité lors de chaque commit, avant même que le code ne soit poussé sur un dép?t, mais aussi lors des étapes de tests qualité une fois que le code est poussé, avec de l'analyse statique de code et des analyses de dépendance. Une fois le code déployé sur un environnement de test, il peut également faire l'objet de scans de vulnérabilités. A chaque échec de sécurité, le processus peut alors simplement générer des alertes, ou bloquer le processus pour demander une résolution immédiate.

In real-time environments, the adoption of DevSecOps principles encourages collaboration between development, operations, and security teams, enabling security to be treated as code and integrated throughout the entire software development lifecycle. Additionally, DevSecOps promotes the use of infrastructure as code (IaC) security scanning tools to identify and remediate misconfigurations before deployment, aligning with the principles of the development process. Overall, the integration of security practices within the DevSecOps culture fosters a proactive approach to security, emphasizing automation, collaboration, and continuous improvement to enhance the resilience and security posture of cloud-native applications and infrastructure.

In my experience many organizations fall short due to common problems related to missing patches, accounts compromises, public exposure of cloud storage, and accepting unauthorized traffic to Kubernetes pods from any incoming source. Gartner predicts that, through 2025 that most of cloud failures will be the customer’s fault.

Forget traditional strongholds. Cloud-native security provides a pre-built feast, allowing you to innovate while protecting your CI/CD castle. Embrace the advantages: Scalability: Your defenses will grow alongside your applications. Flexibility: Customise shields to meet unique requirements. Reliability: Cloud providers control vulnerabilities, while you run the kingdom. The Security Buffet: ID & Access: Have control over who enters your digital environment. Firewalls and networks: Protect the gates and filter threats. Encryption: Secure valuables with strong ciphers. Logging and auditing: Keep a close eye on activity. Benefits: Faster Releases: Focus on code rather than infrastructure.

Tenable Cloud Security can easily ramp up security across all your AWS, Azure and GCP environments. From full asset discovery and deep risk analysis to runtime threat detection and compliance, you can reduce complexity, minimize your cloud exposure and enforce least privilege at scale. Tenable's comprehensive approach accurately visualizes and prioritizes security gaps, and gives you the built-in expertise and tools you need to remediate risks that matter most.

Another CI/CD security practice is the integration of automated dependency scanning and vulnerability detection into the build process. This proactive approach identifies and mitigates any vulnerabilities within third-party libraries or dependencies, significantly improving security across the development lifecycle.

Leverage cloud's built-in security (IAM, encryption, logging, etc.) for extra protection specifically designed for cloud environments. This offers scalability, flexibility, and addresses unique cloud security challenges.

I am always pro serverless where possible as it decreases the mistakes you can make when securing your infrastructure. Running serverless architecture helps developers focus on the main purpose of the infrastructure. Leverage upgraded serverless architecture provided by different providers

As the cloud CI/CD landscape evolves, a cutting-edge security practice involves implementing serverless security—a set of best practices for securing applications and functions in the cloud. Serverless security optimizes by reducing the attack surface, complexity, and infrastructure overhead while enhancing application performance, availability, and scalability. Key practices include employing secure coding frameworks, restricting function permissions and resources, vigilant monitoring of function logs and metrics, and integrating third-party security tools. Adopting serverless security measures ensures a robust defense for cloud CI/CD, aligning with the dynamic demands of modern application development and deployment

Serverless security: For starters, cloud providers handle administration maintenance, and security, as well as hardware and software updates. AWS, Azure, and Google are HIPAA-compliant and ensure cloud security best practices to protect their services from cyberattacks or data leaks. With serverless applications, you have the opportunity to apply privileges to individual functions, and ensure such privileges are restricted to only the smallest scope necessary. This can enable you to significantly minimize your attack surface, as well as, mitigate the impact of any attack.

Reduced attack surface: Smaller functions mean less to exploit. Simplified security: No servers, less to manage and patch. Improved performance & scalability: Cloud provider handles infrastructure. Practices: Secure coding, tight permissions, function monitoring, security tools.

Ditch the castle and embrace serverless serenity. Serverless security reduces attack surfaces, allowing you to innovate while the cloud manages infrastructure and security. The Serverless Sanctuary: Smaller Footprint: Ephemeral functions mitigate vulnerabilities. Effortless Scaling: As the cloud scales, you can focus on success. Reduced complexity: No server management is?required; simply enjoy the flow. Secure your functions. Safe Code: Trusted frameworks reduce attack vectors. Limited privileges: Grant the fewest permissions possible, limiting potential damage. Monitor and Analyse: Track function behavior, spot problems, and respond to them. The Benefits: Faster Innovation: Concentrate on code, not infrastructure.

- Invest on CI/CD in the early stage of development so that engineers will be released from deployment burden. - Adopt key-less authentication for API, to make you application more secure and reduce key maintenance burden.

Validate configurations against security benchmarks like CIS for hardening. Continuously monitor environment for drift and misconfigurations. Perform scans, audits and penetration testing to validate security at every stage from development through production.

The most innovative CICD security practices are the ones that are frequently overlooked. Fully automated code coverage testing. A mature software development or DevOps CICD process includes: smoke tests, integration tests, regression tests, performance tests, security tests, and acceptance tests. When testing is combined with simple and intuitive dashboards that show detailed success and failure rates, product quality dramatically increases and product security is enhanced.

?? Additional Considerations - Automation and Integration: ?? Embed security tasks into CI/CD pipelines. ?? Reduce human error and accelerate vulnerability remediation. - Continuous Monitoring: ?? Real-time monitoring for security threats. ? Swift action to mitigate detected risks. - Education and Awareness: ?? Keep teams informed on the latest security threats and practices. ?? Encourage a security-minded culture within the organization.

Runtime Application Self-Protection(RASP):Putting security controls in place at runtime that are implemented directly within the application to identify and stop attacks. Real-time harmful activity blocking and application behaviour monitoring are made possible by tools such as AppGuard and SignalRASP. Beyond the limitations of conventional perimeter defences, this offers an extra degree of security.