The Value of “Security” in DevSecOps
Dr. Allen Harper
Cyber Mentor and Executive Advisor || 35+ years experience || Lead author of Gray Hat Hacking books || EVP Cybersecurity at T-Rex || Mentoring thousands into cyber and Entrepreneurs starting businesses
Baking security into?software
I am going to discuss the DevSecOps process and pay particular attention to the cybersecurity aspects.
This matters because it has been proven to be 15 times cheaper to “bake” security into products, than to “bolt” it on later [1].
It is 15 times cheaper to bake security in
-Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
Many people still fail at this, as they try to bolt security on after the fact, that is a recipe to disaster.
Here is what you will get out of this article:
Introduction
Imagine you’re building a house. Traditional development is like constructing the house, then hiring a security company to install alarms and locks at the end.
DevSecOps, on the other hand, is like having the security expert work alongside the architects, builders, and interior designers from day one. You’re not just adding security features?—?you’re building the entire house with security in mind.
Let’s break it down:
What is DevSecOps?
It’s an approach that integrates security practices within the DevOps process. Think of it as having a security expert at every stage of your house-building project, from blueprint to move-in day.
Key Principles
Benefits
DevSecOps integrates cybersecurity practices into the software development lifecycle, providing significant value to organizations. Here are the key benefits of incorporating cybersecurity in DevSecOps:
Enhanced Security?Posture
DevSecOps embeds security from the beginning of the development process, leading to more secure software products[2]. By integrating security practices throughout the development lifecycle, vulnerabilities are identified and addressed early, reducing the risk of security breaches and minimizing the attack surface[3].
Cost and Time Efficiency
Detecting and fixing security issues early in the development process is significantly more cost-effective than addressing them later[1, 4]. DevSecOps practices reduce the need for time-consuming and expensive security retrofits, leading to faster and cheaper delivery of secure code[2].
Improved Collaboration and Shared Responsibility
DevSecOps fosters a culture of shared responsibility for security across development, operations, and security teams[2]. This collaborative approach breaks down silos, improves communication, and ensures that security is considered at every stage of the development process[4].
Faster Incident?Response
By integrating security into the development pipeline, DevSecOps enables quicker identification and patching of vulnerabilities[2]. This rapid response capability minimizes the window of opportunity for potential attackers and enhances an organization’s overall security posture[3].
Compliance and Risk Management
DevSecOps practices help organizations meet regulatory requirements and manage security risks more effectively[4]. By automating security checks and integrating compliance measures into the development process, companies can ensure adherence to industry standards and regulations[5].
Continuous Security Improvement
The iterative nature of DevSecOps allows for ongoing security enhancements[3]. Teams can continuously analyze security incidents, gather feedback, and evolve their practices to stay ahead of emerging threats, fostering a culture of continuous security improvement[3].
Accelerated Innovation
By integrating security early in the development process, DevSecOps removes security as a potential bottleneck for innovation[5]. This approach allows organizations to maintain agility and speed in software development while ensuring robust security measures are in place[3].
Challenges
Security Touch?Points
DevSecOps integrates security practices throughout the software development lifecycle, incorporating security touch points at various stages. Here are the key security touch points in a DevSecOps pipeline:
Planning
Threat Modeling
Threat modeling is conducted early in the development process to identify potential security risks and design appropriate countermeasures[13]. This proactive approach helps teams understand and mitigate potential threats before they impact the system.
Security Requirements
Security requirements are defined and integrated into the project planning phase, ensuring that security considerations are addressed from the outset.
Code
Secure Coding Practices
Developers are trained in and apply secure coding techniques to reduce vulnerabilities in the source code[13]. This includes following established security guidelines and best practices.
Static Application Security Testing?(SAST)
SAST tools are integrated into the development environment to analyze source code for security issues early in the development process[13]. This allows developers to identify and address potential vulnerabilities before the code reaches production.
Software Composition Analysis?(SCA)
SCA tools assess the security of third-party components and libraries used within an application, identifying known vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance with security standards[13].
Build
Automated Security?Checks
Security checks are automated and integrated into the continuous integration pipeline. This includes scanning third-party libraries, dependencies, and performing unit testing[12].
Container Scanning
For containerized applications, container scanning tools are used to check container images for vulnerabilities by comparing them against public or proprietary vulnerability databases[12].
Test
Dynamic Application Security Testing?(DAST)
DAST tools evaluate the security of running applications by simulating real-world attacks, identifying vulnerabilities in the application’s runtime environment[13].
Penetration Testing
Application penetration testing is conducted to identify and address security weaknesses that may have been missed by automated tools.
Compliance Checks
Compliance checks are conducted to ensure alignment with internal and external security standards and regulations[10].
Release and Deployment
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?Security
Security configurations are applied consistently through IaC, ensuring that infrastructure is deployed securely and compliance policies are automated[10].
Cloud Configuration Validation
Security checks are performed to validate cloud configurations and ensure they adhere to best practices and compliance requirements[12].
Logging
Logging should be performed at the application and platform level. In particular, security relevant events and timestamps should be captured, that may allow for subsequent monitoring and incident response.
Operations and Monitoring
Threat Intelligence
It is important to monitor cyber threat intelligence feeds, for activity concerning your application or environment. For example, you may find out by monitoring these feeds, that a copy of your source code was posted on the dark web. Then, you can take action to respond in the appropriate manner, to protect yourself and your customers and users.
Continuous Monitoring
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems are implemented to monitor security events and incidents throughout the entire development and deployment process[13].
Real-time Security Monitoring
Applications and infrastructure are continuously monitored to detect and respond to security threats as they occur[10].
Incident Response
Clear incident response and recovery plans are established to guide teams in preparing for, managing, and recovering from security incidents[10].
Conclusion
By incorporating these security touch points throughout the DevSecOps pipeline, organizations can create a more secure, efficient, and resilient software development process that addresses security concerns at every stage of the lifecycle.
Remember, DevSecOps isn’t just about tools or processes?—?it’s a mindset. It’s about making everyone involved in building your “house” responsible for its security, from the foundation to the roof tiles.
In conclusion, the value of cybersecurity in DevSecOps lies in its ability to create a more secure, efficient, and resilient software development process. By making security an integral part of the development lifecycle, organizations can deliver high-quality, secure software products faster and more cost-effectively, while maintaining the agility needed to innovate in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
TL;DR
In this article, we have covered:
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Citations and more resources
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1 个月Allen takes a very systematic walk through a development process that should be part of every software product cycle. Whether security "critical" or not, the methodology results in just better products. Like the concept of Secure by Design and other attempts to bring needed focus to the overall area of Cybersecurity, it's the outcomes that are so important--products that enable an enterprise to be resilient and when necessary recover to a known state.