Achieving Security-by-Design: IT Competence

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, creating a secure and resilient software product that can stand the test of time is no small feat. With security breaches and cyber threats constantly looming, organisations must focus on building robust software that is inherently secure by design from the very first line of code through to deployment and ongoing management.

This article offers a step-by-step framework that outlines the key principles required to achieve this ideal state of security and resilience. I cover secure coding, patch management, network security, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Domain Name System (DNS), and other critical fundamentals that help establish the long-term stability and resilience of any digital product.

The core message here is that technology security is not a separate function but an inherent aspect of IT competence, woven into every phase of software development and IT systems operations.

Secure Coding and Development Practices

From the moment coding begins, security should be at the forefront. A bug-free, well-documented codebase that follows best security practices prevents 98% of the vulnerabilities that hackers exploit.

Best Practice:

• Security by Design: Developers must adopt security-by-design principles where secure coding standards are integrated into every phase of development. Following the recommendations of Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) ensures protection against common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows.
• Peer Reviews and Static Analysis: Conduct code reviews and use Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools like SonarQube or Checkmarx to catch vulnerabilities early, before the code is deployed.
• Minimalist Code: By following a least functionality approach, where only essential features are developed, you minimise unnecessary code and reduce the risk of exploitable vulnerabilities.

Configuration Management and Secure Build Process

Once the code is written, securely managing its configuration and deployment is critical to maintaining a consistent security baseline.

Best Practice:

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Tools like Terraform or Ansible allow configurations to be managed as code, ensuring that environments are consistently deployed across different platforms (on-premises, cloud, or a hybrid of the two).
• Hardened Configurations: Adhere to Centre for Internet Security (CIS) benchmarks for operating systems, applications, and network configurations. These provide detailed security hardening guidelines.
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Pipelines: Automate security checks into your build process with tools like Jenkins or GitLab Continuous Integration to ensure code is rigorously tested for vulnerabilities before deployment.
• Code Signing: Implement digital signatures to verify the authenticity and integrity of the code. This prevents unauthorised tampering between development and deployment.

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Patch Management and Vulnerability Management

Ensure that the software, libraries, and infrastructure components remain up to date to address known vulnerabilities.

Best Practice:

• Automated Patch Deployment: Use patch management systems like Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM) or Qualys Patch Management to automate and regularly update systems, reducing the risk of exploitable vulnerabilities.
• Regular Vulnerability Scanning: Tools like Nessus or OpenVAS should be integrated into the development pipeline and scheduled regularly to scan for vulnerabilities across applications and infrastructure.

Third-Party Component Management: Track and manage third-party dependencies and libraries using tools like Snyk or Black Duck to ensure that no outdated or vulnerable components are part of the software build.

Security Policies and Rule Sets

Define and enforce security policies that govern access control, network behaviour, and the appropriate use of resources.

Best Practice:

• Network Segmentation and Least Privilege: Segment your networks and apply the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) to all access controls. This limits the potential damage of a breach by restricting user access based on roles and functions.
• Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): Deploy firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems to filter and block malicious traffic. Regularly update rule sets to reflect the latest threat landscape.
• Encryption Policies: Ensure all data in transit and at rest is encrypted using industry-standard protocols such as AES-256 and TLS 1.3.

Security Awareness Training: Regularly train employees on security best practices, phishing detection, insider threat, and incident reporting to reduce the risk of human error.

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Network Management and Continuous Monitoring

Maintain a secure, continuously monitored environment that can detect and respond to threats in real time.

Best Practice:

• Network Monitoring Tools: Use advanced tools like Splunk, Elastic Stack, or Graylog to monitor logs, detect threats, and analyse anomalies in real time.
• Network Access Control (NAC): Implement NAC solutions that ensure only trusted devices can connect to your network, reducing the risk of unauthorised access.
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and User and Entity Behaviour Analytics (UEBA): Leverage these advanced monitoring tools to detect suspicious behaviour and potential threats across your network.

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Incident Response and Continuous Improvement

Be prepared to respond quickly and effectively to security incidents, learning from each event to improve resilience.

Best Practice:

• Incident Response Plans (IRP): Develop and regularly test an IRP that covers detection, containment, eradication, and recovery from security incidents. Conduct tabletop exercises and red team assessments to evaluate preparedness.
• Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR): Use SOAR platforms like Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR or Splunk Phantom to automate workflows and reduce response time in the event of an incident.
• Post-Incident Analysis: After each security event, conduct a post-mortem to assess the root cause and impact. This will allow you to refine security policies and close any gaps.

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Lifecycle and Legacy System Management

Ensure that all IT systems remain secure from initial deployment through to end-of-life.

Best Practice:

• Lifecycle Management: Maintain a comprehensive asset inventory and track the lifecycle of each system, ensuring that legacy systems are securely decommissioned or isolated.
• Virtual Patching: If a system cannot be updated or replaced, use virtual patching techniques to provide protection while mitigating risk.
• Data Sanitisation: Securely erase data from retired systems following guidelines such as NIST SP 800-88 to prevent data leakage.

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Application to IT Infrastructure: On-premises, Cloud, and Hybrid Environments

These principles of secure software development and operational management must be applied across all environments—whether on-premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid mix.

1. Secure DNS: Ensure the implementation of DNSSEC to authenticate DNS responses, preventing DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks.
2. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI): Leverage cloud-native certificate management tools like AWS Certificate Manager or Azure Key Vault to automate and secure the lifecycle of digital certificates.
3. Consistent Patching: Use cloud-native patching tools like AWS Systems Manager or Azure Update Management to automate updates across your entire environment, ensuring that no vulnerabilities are left unpatched.

Conclusion

By consistently applying IT fundamentals such as secure coding, well-defined configurations, automated patching, and robust incident response, organisations can achieve a secure and resilient IT environment.

The journey to an IT competence utopia is a continuous process, requiring ongoing vigilance, improvements, and alignment with the evolving threat landscape.

This approach ensures that security becomes an inherent quality of IT operations, protecting digital assets, maintaining compliance, enabling organisations to focus on innovation with confidence.