Software development has undergone many improvements over the past decades. In traditional processes, the development and operations teams worked independently of each other. The developers would write and test the code, while the operations team would deploy and manage the systems. The fact that these two teams worked in silos led to several problems, including long development cycles, higher risks of errors, and a lack of agility. Let’s see how these issues are being resolved with new methods.
What’s the difference between DevOps and DevSecOps?
DevOps revolutionized the way developers build, deploy, and maintain software. On the other hand, DevSecOps is changing the way IT professionals secure software. The older system refers to a software development method that focuses on communication, collaboration, and integration between IT teams and programmers or coders. In other words, it isolated the development and operation teams. The main goal of this system was to reduce the time taken to get changes and updates into production. This would make the teams more agile as they could produce software products and services faster.
This system didn’t completely neglect cybersecurity. It actually treated this issue as an essential component of the entire development process. However, developers later realized that integrating safety features was harder in the fast-paced development cycle. This problem made it necessary to address vulnerabilities more explicitly.
DevSecOps was created to address cybersecurity. It stands for development, security, and operations. It is simply a variation of DevOps that places more emphasis on safety. It integrates safety features and practices in the development cycle from the beginning. This is different from the older system, which didn’t treat safety as a key priority. With the new system, safety is considered at every stage of the development process. Any vulnerabilities will be identified and addressed early in the development process.
Why is security important on DevOps?
Safety is essential in any software development environment. It is especially important in DevOps systems since these rely on automation and the use of various tools and processes. These can introduce new vulnerabilities, especially if the system is not well managed. In many development environments, cybersecurity is treated as an afterthought, meaning threats and vulnerabilities may not be identified early enough. Prioritizing network safety ensures that vulnerabilities are addressed quickly and that the organization’s assets are protected.
It is also worth noting that DevOps processes are fast-paced in nature. That means the systems are deployed and updated frequently. This can make it hard to manage and secure the systems. Developers will also find it difficult to respond to network safety threats in a timely manner.
Cybersecurity has been a major issue in the past few years. Software is used to store, process, and transmit sensitive data. If this data is accessed by unauthorized parties, an organization can end up with significant financial loss or damage to its reputation. Some essential information that can be stored in these systems includes personal data, financial data, and intellectual property.
Vulnerability in your systems can also lead to the disruption of service. Attackers can get access to your systems and install malware or interrupt the system in other ways. This will eventually compromise the integrity of the system and lead to a loss of productivity and revenue.
Another thing to note is that many industries are subject to laws and regulations that require companies to protect their software. If the systems are attacked, the organizations will have to pay fines and face legal action. It is also essential to note that data loss will often damage the reputation of a company. If users don’t trust a company to protect their data, they will be likely to avoid the organization entirely.
Benefits of DevSecOps
The main benefit of this method is that it helps deliver secure code faster and at a lower cost. These systems focus on safety, so you will vulnerabilities will be considered and addressed from the start of the development process. This means vulnerability testing is automated and occurs at every stage. This technology also integrates tools like static analysis scanners and penetration testing tools to automate the vulnerability testing processes. It also emphasizes the provision of resources and training for development teams. This means all team members will have the skills to address cyber threats.
This technology also offers the benefit of a repeatable and adaptive cybersecurity process. This is essential for modern organizations since they mature fast. With this technology, safety will be applied consistently, and it will be adapted as the organization matures and gets new requirements.
DevSecOps Tools and their uses
When implementing this technology, an organization has to consider a number of application security testing (AST) tools. These have to be integrated within different stages of the development process.
One of these tools is static application security testing (SAST). These tools scan the code to ensure that there are no coding errors or design flaws that can expose the organization to vulnerabilities. They can help you identify defects early in the development process, and you will also be able to comply with coding standards. A commonly used SAST tool is Coverity.
Organizations should also use software composition analysis (SCA) tools like Black Duck in the development process. This helps to scan the source code and binaries to determine whether there are any cyber threats in open-source or third-party components of the system. SCA tools also give you insight into license risks. By understanding these risks, organizations are better able to manage risks associated with those components.
Many companies are also required to comply with certain laws that govern the use of certain open-source systems. With SCA tools, you can always be certain that you are using the software in an acceptable manner. You can integrate SCA tools into the CI/CD process so that you continuously detect new vulnerabilities in the systems.
Another essential tool in the development process is the interactive application security testing (IAST) tool. These are used in manual or automated functional tests to evaluate the runtime behaviour of the web application. They typically work in the background. By inserting probes into the application’s runtime behaviour, these tools are able to identify vulnerabilities like SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows. You will also see the exact location of the vulnerabilities in the code of the web application.
The benefit of IAST tools is that they accurately identify vulnerabilities in real time. You will get updates on these issues as the application is being used. It is also unnecessary for the application to be taken offline since these tools can run tests at any time. This means there will be minimal disruption to the organization.
Organizations also have to use dynamic application security testing (DAST) tools during the development process. This is an automated opaque box testing tool that imitates the way a hacker would interact with a website or API. This tool also analyzes the software as it runs. It works by sending requests to the web app, after which it will analyze the response of the site. This way, it is able to identify vulnerabilities in the system. It can be used to find various vulnerabilities, including injection attacks and insecure communication. You should note that DAST tools don’t require access to the source code and don’t need to be customized. They also have a very low rate of false positives.
AST tools can be essential in identifying vulnerabilities and promoting the safety of a system. However, they can also make the system more complex. This can end up slowing down the software delivery cycles. Developers and members of the cybersecurity team may have to sort through a wide range of findings and may not know how to prioritize the reports.
For this reason, it can be necessary to integrate application security orchestration and correlation (ASOC) solutions. These solutions offer the benefits of both application security testing orchestration (ASTO) and application vulnerability correlation (AVC) systems and are able to provide a management framework for various tools and workflows. They also help with the prioritization of safety activities.
DevSecOps Best Practices and Culture
To implement this technology, an organization has to introduce vulnerability testing throughout the product development process to minimize the possibility that the code will have any vulnerabilities. This technology emphasizes the integration of safety tools, so they should be used in all stages of the development process.
The team should also share responsibility for ensuring that the system is secure. The development, safety, and operation teams should collaborate by sharing knowledge and expertise, and they must also incorporate feedback from other team members. Members of these teams will be able to identify and fix vulnerabilities effectively if they work together.
Another aspect of this culture is open and transparent communication between members of the teams. They also need to communicate effectively with stakeholders such as customers and users of the software.
This technology emphasizes continuous improvement, and members must focus on learning from their past mistakes. It also encourages the use of automation as this reduces the risk of making errors. Using automation also streamlines processes.
Conclusions
DevSecOps was created to prioritize cybersecurity in the software development process. It emphasizes the integration of cybersecurity systems at the start of the development lifecycle, meaning it will be easier to identify and address vulnerabilities in the software. This system also encourages collaboration between different teams in the development process. With proper collaboration, the members can better identify and address vulnerabilities. It also encourages members to continuously learn from their mistakes and improve the products.
