“DevSecOps” is a pattern of organizational behavior to integrate security from the beginning to the end of the software development life cycle (SDLC). Previously, extra layers of security were added to programs far later in their life cycles, after development was completed. Agile development practices have rendered this hard to apply due to advancements in cloud platforms, microservices, and containers. Security simply cannot keep up with the rapid introduction of new features.
DevSecOps solves this problem by integrating security with DevOps. After the system is integrated and automated as a fundamental component of the continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) pipelines, all teams will be accountable for its security.
We will go through the important factors that will guarantee the success of DevSecOps in your software development project.
Collaboration
One of the most important features of the DevSecOps approach is teamwork. Instead of outsourcing everything to a separate security team, DevSecOps distributes responsibility for safeguarding both the software and the underlying infrastructure among members of the development and operations teams.
It aims to identify and carry out the core procedures required to develop high-quality and secure software as soon as feasible while complying with all security requirements.
The security team begins the process of integrating security standards into development processes by first defining all phases of the application development life cycle and then adding security to each of those stages. Furthermore, developers must be familiar with security standards and technologies as well as be mindful of potential threats.
Automation
Automation is certainly one of the most essential components that influence the success of a DevSecOps strategy. It enables security measures to be included in the development process and prevents security from turning into a burden on development teams. Providing secure software may be performed by integrating automated security testing and analysis throughout the CI/CD pipelines in a way that does not limit innovation and software development processes.
Shift Left
“Shift left” is the driving philosophy of DevSecOps. It encourages software developers to relocate security from the right (end) of the DevOps (delivery) process to the left (start). The security approach is integrated into the development process from the start in a DevSecOps environment. When a corporation employs the DevSecOps approach, its cybersecurity architects and engineers become vital members of the development team. They are in charge of ensuring that all configuration elements and stack modules have been fixed, secured, and documented.
Threat Modelling
“Threat modeling” refers to the process of discovering and analyzing potential vulnerabilities in an application. Threat modeling enables developers to locate possible flaws and create apps with a “secure by design” mindset.
Take, for instance, the scenario in which a group of programmers is working on the development of a brand-new e-commerce website. This website will be responsible for handling sensitive user information, including credit card numbers, personal information, and transaction data. The process of modeling possible threats would entail investigating the many means by which a competitor may try to obtain access to this information as well as the potential consequences of such an attack if it were successful.
Training
Human error is one of the most important contributors to the incidence of coding errors. Furthermore, coding errors make up a significant fraction of the overall number of vulnerabilities discovered in code. As such, DevSecOps teams must prioritize training for developers on how to design secure code.
The majority of software developers are unaware of the most common software defects. The Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) list, as well as other lists of common vulnerabilities, are great places to start learning about security issues and how to fix them.
Coding standards may help in educating developers on the most efficient approaches for secure development. By comparing their code to a standard, they will learn how to avoid security issues in the first place.
Performance Evaluation
Measurement is a critical component of a successful DevSecOps implementation. Collecting data from your company on its performance in line with the new approach, painstakingly structuring the data, and developing pertinent indicators would result in the perfect scenario. Some of the data that will need to be acquired may be related to security testing and the results of those tests, as well as activities related to remediation and deployment. The use of metrics allows for the tracking of progress. It is quite useful to have a platform that filters out unneeded background noise while getting information from various sources.
Final Thoughts
Due to the ever-changing nature of the threats presented by cyberspace, organizations must maintain a high degree of security. DevSecOps is a software development approach that incorporates security practices into DevOps methods. Its main goal is to improve software quality. Teams may decrease the risk of data breaches and other security risks by including security controls, practices, and testing at different stages of the software development lifecycle. This may aid teams in detecting and fixing any security flaws at an early stage.
