6 awesome DevSecOps practices in 2023

DevSecOps protects the integrity of systems while keeping your development and operations processes running smoothly. Plus your software releases become that much safer. 

Development + security + operations = Awesome

It’s not uncommon for businesses to still be using security measures that are reactive, siloed, and entirely too late in the delivery process. 

Today’s software delivery process can be increasingly complex. Often, DevOps and security teams find themselves needing a new level of integration.

DevSecOp practices bring together security, development, and operations to increase the speed of software delivery, without sacrificing system integrity.

Here’s a list of awesome DevSecOp practices that can help you achieve better integration, faster software delivery, and a higher level of security assurance. 

• Check your code dependencies
• Shift your security left
• Orchestrate with intelligence
• Befriend automation
• Remediate your pipeline
• Triage risks

1. Check your code dependencies

The DevSecOp practice of checking code dependencies is an important step in ensuring the success and security of any development project. 

Code dependencies are third-party software components that your code relies on to function properly. These dependencies can include libraries, frameworks, and other software components. Teams often use the components to improve functionality or support the development process.

It can be critical to understand what software components are being used throughout the development process and how they interact with one another. It’s a good idea to make sure these components are up-to-date, accurate, and secure. This can help keep potential security vulnerabilities to a minimum, as well as improve overall reliability. 

To check code dependencies, you can use automated tools such as dependency checkers, which scan the code and identify any known vulnerabilities in the dependencies. 

You can use the new information to assess the risk of using a particular dependency, and to determine whether any action needs to be taken to mitigate that risk.

By checking code dependencies, you can ensure that your code is built on a secure foundation, and address potential security vulnerabilities early in the development process. 

2. Shift your security left

Traditionally, testing code for security has been considered somewhat of an afterthought: The last phase before release. 

“Shifting security left” is a DevSecOps approach based on the concept that security should be a priority at every stage of the software development lifecycle. 

This means bringing in security from design and coding, all the way through deployment and maintenance. 

DevSecOps practices focus on integrating security into each step of software development by using automation tools like automated tests, static code analysis tools, containers, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD). 

By implementing these tools early in the process, you can ensure that any vulnerabilities are identified as quickly as possible so they can be addressed before any damage occurs. 

DevSecOps also uses methods such as secure coding practices and secure architecture designs to further protect applications from malicious attacks. 

3. Orchestrate with intelligence

Intelligent orchestration (IO) enables your security teams to easily implement security processes and policies for all applications across your organization. 

More specifically, IO in DevSecOps uses automation and machine learning to optimize and streamline the management of security and compliance task when software is developed or deployed. 

This can include things like automated security testing, dynamic security policy enforcement, and real-time monitoring of production systems for potential threats. 

One of the best things about Intelligent orchestration is its ability to give you only the feedback that you want. Rather than bombarding your developers with a ton of notifications about irrelevant issues, IO can be configured to let you know exactly what you want, and nothing else. 

The goal of intelligent orchestration is to improve the speed and efficiency of the development process while also ensuring that security and compliance requirements are met.

4. Befriend automation

Automated security tests are a best practice in DevSecOps. Basically, the tests use specialized software tools to automatically test and validate the security of an application. 

Through these tests, your team can better identify and evaluate potential vulnerabilities in the application’s code, configuration, and infrastructure.

There are several types of automated security tests, including:

• Vulnerability scanning. This type of test uses specialized software to scan the application’s code and infrastructure for known vulnerabilities. Often this includes scanning for known vulnerabilities in the application’s dependencies, as well as identifying any misconfigurations that could lead to a security incident.
• Penetration testing. This type of test simulates a real-world attack on the application to identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by an attacker. In practice, this can look like tests on the application’s network and web interfaces, plus attempts to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data.
• Runtime protection. This type of test monitors the application in real-time and provides proactive protection against potential vulnerabilities. The goal is to identify and block malicious activity.
• Fuzz testing. This type of test focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in an application by providing it with unexpected inputs.

Automated security tests are important in DevSecOps because they allow you to identify and evaluate potential vulnerabilities early in the development process. 

By automating security tests, you can also ensure that your code is secure and compliant with regulations. Automated security tests can be run as part of the continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline, making security testing an integral part of the development process. 

The idea is to catch and fix vulnerabilities as soon as they are introduced. As you probably know, this is much better than finding vulnerabilities later in the production environment, which can cost a ton of time and money.

 5. Remediate your pipeline

Remediation in the pipeline refers to the process of identifying and fixing security vulnerabilities in the application as early as possible in the software development lifecycle. 

This typically involves integrating security testing tools into the CI/CD pipeline, so that vulnerabilities are detected and addressed before the application is deployed to production.

There are several benefits to incorporating remediation into the pipeline:

• Early detection. Again, when you identify vulnerabilities early in the development process, it’s easier and less expensive to fix them. The benefit is that the code is still fresh in the minds of your developers. Plus, the application has not yet been deployed to production.
• Faster resolution. By incorporating remediation into the pipeline, you can address vulnerabilities faster and bring down the risk of a security incident.
• Increased efficiency. When you automate your security testing process, then integrate it into your pipeline, you can detect and fix vulnerabilities more quickly and efficiently. This is great for improving your application’s overall security posture.
• Compliance. Addressing vulnerabilities early in the development process helps make your application compliant with the industry standards, regulations, and best practices you care about.

Read more: How to implement an effective CI/CD pipeline

6. Triage risks 

Triage is the process of prioritizing risks in DevSecOps. This can be a good way to make sure your most critical issues are addressed first. Plus you’ll be able to use your resources effectively to make sure your data is protected, and that your organization is compliant with regulatory requirements.

In DevSecOps, risks can come from a variety of sources, such as vulnerabilities in the code, misconfigurations in production systems, and external threats such as cyber attacks. possible.

One way to triage risks is to use a risk management framework such as the CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) triad. This framework allows you to evaluate risks based on how they impact the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your systems, and prioritize them accordingly.

For example, a vulnerability that allows unauthorized access to sensitive data would be considered a higher priority than a vulnerability that only affects the availability of a non-critical system.

Another way to triage risks is to use a threat modeling framework. This involves identifying and evaluating potential threats, determining the likelihood of them occurring, and prioritizing them based on their likelihood and impact.

It is also important to have a process in place for identifying and reporting new risks, and for regularly reviewing and updating the risk management plan. This allows you to stay aware of new threats and vulnerabilities, and to adjust your risk management strategy as needed.

DevSecOps best practice – conclusion

There are some awesome DevSecOps options available when you’re looking to maintain a high level of security, while keeping your development and operations processes running smoothly. 

With proper implementation of these DevSecOps practices, you can keep up with the pace of today’s ever-evolving digital landscape while protecting the integrity of your most valuable assets.

 

Make the switch to frequent, safe releases. It’s easier than you think.

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