As you likely know by now, DevSecOps is a software development methodology that blends Development (Dev), Security (Sec) and Operations (Ops) at all phases of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It incorporates security checks into the development process and bridges gaps between development, security, and operations teams.
With DevSecOps practices, you can build a more secure environment, make continuous integration and delivery pipelines more secure, and produce high-quality software. By incorporating security early in the pipeline, organizations can achieve higher productivity. DevSecOps isn’t an option; given the cyberattack surge, it has become necessary.
What is Continuous Security Testing?
As the term suggests, continuous security testing ensures that security testing happens at each phase of the SDLC. Its purpose to protect applications from potential threats and vulnerabilities by discovering its risks, threats and security hazards before the software goes to production.
Traditional security testing checks whether an algorithm works correctly at a particular point in time. In contrast, continuous security testing detects and fixes security weaknesses and loopholes continuously throughout the application’s lifecycle.
Continuous security testing evaluates the infrastructure, applications and endpoints for possible flaws attackers can leverage. It is an extension of continuous testing, constantly inspecting code and third-party libraries against known or newly discovered security issues.
Tools can help personnel automate security checks in an application. Several options are available to serve different phases of the development, integration, and deployment processes.
Regularly running security tests ensures adherence to industry standards. More importantly, it compels developers to implement top-notch security safeguards in their code to thwart potential security threats in the long term.
Common Practices for Integrating Security Testing in DevSecOps
The SLDC has several phases, and it can take a while to weave together the traditional development methodology with newer processes. Anyone who wants to integrate security testing in DevSecOps should start with these practices.
Running Automated Security Checks
A key element in DevSecOps is automating security checks during the SDLC process. Doing so detects vulnerabilities at an early stage, when it’s easier, faster, and less frustrating to fix problems. Automated security checks work in the background, so developers can concentrate on the other elements of their applications. This is analogous to having an extra set of vigilant eyes that point out potential hazards.
Whichever software you choose, automated tools can scan code for real-time vulnerabilities during the build process or at other suitable points. The instant feedback allows teams to address issues much before they become major problems, thereby ensuring the security of the code base.
Integrating Code Review
Code review is a time-honored tradition among Agile development teams, for reasons that go far beyond security. It’s also a good way to inject continuous security testing in the SDLC process, in part because it’s already familiar to so many teams. Integrating code review with vulnerability scanning tools provides immediate feedback on the source code’s security weaknesses.
Improving Security Awareness
Ideally, your organization has already invested in training to help both end users and developers recognize the ways that applications and business practices can make them vulnerable. Regular training keeps developers updated about new threats and encourages information sharing between teams. The more they know, the better they can identify potential security threats and respond quickly and efficiently.
Continuous Monitoring
DevSecOps doesn’t stop when the software is launched. What happens once the application goes into production? Continuous monitoring involves monitoring an application against potential real-time security threats by paying attention to logs, events and network traffic. It helps organizations detect possible threats immediately, thus preventing – or at least responding quickly to – security breaches.
Threat Modeling
Sometimes you have to think about what could happen, ahead of time. Threat modeling is the practice of identifying potential security threats early – not just what is in the code, but what someone mght try to do to gain access or to take advantage of weaknesses. This is often accomplished by examining an application’s design and architecture to detect potential attack vectors – often with the help of sophisticated tools.
Don’t Hesitate: Deploy Continuous Security Testing Now
The success of DevSecOps—the integration of security into DevOps—requires a change in perspective, as well as new resources and methods. It would be wise to embrace DevOps’s collaborative and agile mindset make the development process smooth and transparent and ensuring that security is as smooth and unobtrusive as possible.
