How do you secure an agile and dynamic environment?

It is essential to inderstand that context is not static. It keeps changing. So you need to continuously reevaluate your context to ensure your security strategy is relevant and is addressing your organizational needs

In addition to the above it is important to understand the opportunities such as faster time to market and the adaptive nature of agile processes, this enables us to gain benefits and balance the threats, risks and vulnerabilities. The context also requires understanding the what ( assets), how (processes and value chains), who ( stakeholders and their risk appetite), where ( jurisdictions, locations) and when ( time dependencies)

The context must contain responses to these questions before finalizing 1. What is the information that is needed to execute operations? 2. Where and in what form are they stored? Are they data within applications or are they unstructured? Are they in digital document form or are they in audio, video, or paper? 3. How badly would the business function be affected if they are unavailable or altered or publicly disclosed or misused? 4. Are these information shared with people outside the organisation? If yes, are they registered suppliers or partners or they have non enterprise email addresses or are they uploaded on websites. Also, these things should be re-evaluated after every significant change or at least once every 6-12 months.

I would recommend the development of a Context Security Architecture from SABSA - this ensures the security architecture team has a full view of the contextual environment

Securing an agile and dynamic environment involves several key strategies. First, establish a robust risk management framework to identify, assess, and mitigate potential threats continuously. Implement strong access controls and authentication mechanisms to ensure only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data and systems. Employ encryption for data both in transit and at rest. Regularly update software and apply patches to address vulnerabilities. Conduct frequent security training for employees to promote awareness and adherence to security protocols. Employ automation for security monitoring and incident response to swiftly detect and address any anomalies or breaches.

In my experience, answering the three of the four threat modeling questions go a long way in identifying potential security threats. 1) What are we working on? 2) What can go wrong? 3) What are we going to do about it?

Yes modeling threats are important and so is the security view beginning from the center (crown jewels) going out. Mission critical Assurance must leverage Zero-trust Enforcement or MAZE... We must begin by securing the crown jewels within zones using micro-segments before establishing the conduits to access information. That is true defence in depth due to the various layers and obstacles.

The dynamic nature of agile environments often coincides with a changing threat landscape. Security by design should account for this dynamism. Solutions should not only meet current security demands but also be adaptable to future needs without requiring a complete overhaul. A flexible architecture can help organizations respond more swiftly to new types of threats as they emerge.

As an industry we need to move from the notion of best practices to practiced practices. It is not enough to list what good looks like if it is not practical or achievable. We need to focus more on the how. For example, everyone knows that having an asset inventory is crucial, but how you do it is usually a challenge for most organizations. Unless we answer the how we are just putting a goal post that is unreachable. Now regarding the mentioned frameworks, You also need to complement it by applying the principles of zero trust to your design.

Another thing to consider is the usage of security stage-gates at each critical juncture of the project. All changes should be reviewed and approved by having appropriate security stage-gates in place.

In rapid changing environments it's important to translate the risk mitigation controls into "security boundaries" for different use cases and create set of preconfigured policies, templates and playbooks to support it. This will ensure that different groups within the business can work without continuously being "stuck" on security approvals.

It is crucial that a risk driven approach is merely a tool to prioritize your controls and not to select a set of threats to deal with. You need to understand that risk deals with probability while the adversary deals with posibilities. If you follow a risk approach to ignore specific threats, you will eventually be a victim.

Prioritize risks using tools like risk matrices and implement controls such as encryption. A financial institution might use heat maps to visualize the risks of data breaches and decide to employ multi-factor authentication for customer transactions.

This is a valuable step. One of the greatest threats to our defense strategy is to work in silo, not to include our stakeholders. If you are building your security island then you are on the road to failure

Foster communication among stakeholders using agile methods. An example is a cybersecurity team using Scrum to quickly respond to and mitigate a security incident, involving both IT and business units for efficient resolution.

A critical point, but you need to be very mindful of being in an everlasting circle of hype following. Don't just jump into adopting the new and shiny. You need to think about this holistically. As mentioned testing and validating is a crucial step. Just because the industry says you need to go for a new shiny technology does not mean you need to follow. How did this work for you before?

Embracing change and innovation is crucial for staying ahead in the dynamic field of security architecture. It involves being open to new ideas, technologies, and methodologies that can enhance security measures. For example, adopting cloud-based security solutions can provide flexibility and scalability, allowing organizations to quickly adapt to changing threats.

It it is extremely important at this stage to have all the trade-off decisions (with all the rationale) well-documented. As it is really easy to select the option which seems right at a point in time which may not appear to be correct 6 months/1 year from now. Having the apt documentation in place sheds light on how the decision making process unfolded at the time when the decision was actually being made.

Balancing trade-offs is about finding the right equilibrium between security and other business objectives such as cost, performance, and user experience. For instance, implementing multi-factor authentication enhances security but may impact user convenience. It’s essential to assess the impact of security decisions on business operations and strive for solutions that optimize overall outcomes.

Celebrate the KISS principle (Keep It Short and Simple): A straightforward design is easier to maintain and safeguard. For instance, if a vulnerability is found, updating the design with the same simplicity in mind is key. Beware of quick fixes and patches, which can potentially disrupt the entire system. Therefore, whenever changes are required, opt for a concise and straightforward design.

When considering security architecture, it’s important to keep the KISS principle (Keep It Short and Simple) in mind. A straightforward and well-documented design facilitates easier maintenance and quicker updates in response to vulnerabilities. Moreover, a risk-based security program that focuses on continuous improvement and adapts to changes in business, technology, and threats is vital for maintaining a balance between protection and productivity.