DevSecOps—a combination of development, security and operations—is an integrated approach to software development that automates and integrates security at all stages, fostering collaboration among developers, security experts and operations teams for efficient and secure software.
Looking back on the past decade, there are few software development trends that have emerged that are more widely embraced than DevOps. By emphasising speed and agility over rigid sequential processes, this extremely flexible methodology makes possible shorter development times and more responsive lifecycles. However, it is crucial to recognise that while speed and adaptability are certainly worthy goals, they are not the sole considerations in modern software development. This is because even the most agile DevOps teams can face delays and setbacks if security is not adequately addressed early on.
Bringing together development, security and operations, DevSecOps ensures that security is more than an afterthought, establishing it as an integral part of every stage in development—from initial design to deployment and delivery. By fostering collaboration among developers, security specialists and operations teams, DevSecOps creates a rapid, iterative and automated software development life cycle that prioritises both efficiency and security.
In other words, where security used to be part of an isolated team with isolated processes, a DevSecOps cycle can integrate all of the aspects of rapid development.
As its name suggests, DevSecOps as a methodology grew out of DevOps. It was created to retain the obvious advantages of combining software development and operations, but to place a greater focus on integrated security at every stage.
As such, DevOps and DevSecOps are two closely related but distinct approaches to software development, each with its own unique focus and objectives. DevOps (short for development and operations) primarily aims to enhance collaboration and streamline processes between development and IT operations teams. It prioritises rapid deployment, automation and continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), emphasising speed, agility and efficiency in software development.
DevSecOps does the same thing, but it goes further. This approach extends the DevOps philosophy by incorporating security as a fundamental component throughout the entire software development life cycle. While both approaches emphasise collaboration and automation, DevSecOps places an additional emphasis on security considerations at every stage, from the initial design to deployment and beyond. This proactive integration of security measures exists to reduce vulnerabilities and risks, making it an essential response to the evolving threats of the cybersecurity landscape.
It is also worth recognising that DevSecOps (and DevOps) are distinct concepts from the Agile methodology. DevSecOps and Agile both aim to improve software development, but they have different scopes and areas of emphasis. Agile is a broader approach that encompasses various methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, focusing on iterative development, customer collaboration and responding to change quickly. This encourages adaptability and delivering minimum viable products (MVPs) through incremental changes, enhancing customer satisfaction.
While Agile promotes agility in development and project management, DevSecOps narrows its focus to ensure that security is an integral part of every stage of software development. While Agile can help deliver software faster, DevSecOps aims to deliver not only quickly but also securely, addressing security vulnerabilities proactively.
At its core, DevSecOps is driven by three key goals that collectively aim to create a more efficient, collaborative and (above all) secure software development process. These goals are essential for achieving a robust and responsive approach to software security:
One of the central tenets of DevSecOps is automation. By automating security practices—vulnerability scanning, code analysis and configuration management—organisations can ensure that security checks are consistent, repeatable and integrated seamlessly into the development pipeline. Automation not only accelerates the development process but also helps identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities early, reducing the risk of security breaches.
DevSecOps breaks down traditional organisational silos by fostering cross-functional collaboration and encouraging developers, security specialists and operations teams to work closely together. This collaborative approach ensures that security is not just the concern of one team but becomes a shared responsibility, allowing for a more holistic and proactive approach to identifying and addressing security issues. Cross-functional collaboration also promotes a better understanding of each team's role in the software development process, leading to improved communication and more effective security practices.
Finally, DevSecOps promotes the continuous monitoring of software systems and infrastructure. This means that security controls are not a one-time implementation but are constantly reassessed and adjusted as needed. Continuous monitoring helps organisations stay vigilant against evolving threats and vulnerabilities, enabling timely responses to security incidents and ensuring that software remains secure throughout its lifecycle.
DevSecOps is a multifaceted approach that incorporates various components, each of which plays a crucial role in achieving its goals of integrating security seamlessly into the software development process. Although this is not a fully exhaustive list, key components of DevSecOps include:
CI/CD pipelines automate the building, testing and deployment of software. They are essential in DevSecOps for ensuring that security checks, such as vulnerability scanning and code analysis, are applied consistently and continuously throughout the development lifecycle.
Infrastructure as code enables the automated provisioning and management of infrastructure elements. By treating infrastructure configurations as code, IaC allows for consistent and version-controlled security configurations, reducing the risk of misconfigurations and vulnerabilities while also conserving costs.
Real-time monitoring of applications and infrastructure makes the dream of early detection of security incidents and vulnerabilities a reality. Continuous monitoring provides insights into the runtime behaviour of software, helping teams respond swiftly to potential threats.
Effective logging and log analysis are central for troubleshooting issues and identifying security incidents as they occur. Properly configured, logging can provide crucial insights into the security posture of a system while improving incident response.
Containers and microservices architectures promote isolation and agility. Unfortunately, they can also introduce security challenges. DevSecOps ensures that security is integrated into containerisation and microservices strategies, including vulnerability scanning of container images.
Effective communication and collaboration among teams are fundamental to DevSecOps. It ensures that security considerations are shared, understood and acted upon throughout the development process, enhancing the overall security posture.
Automated code analysis tools review code for security vulnerabilities, coding errors and compliance with security standards. Integrating code analysis into the development pipeline helps DevSecOps teams catch potentially problematic issues before they can spiral out of control.
DevSecOps incorporates change management practices to assess and mitigate the security impact of changes to software and infrastructure configurations. Change management ensures that changes are made securely and with minimal disruption to processes or the user experience.
For organisations that want to avoid strict penalties and lasting reputational damage, compliance with industry regulations and internal security policies is critical.
DevSecOps includes processes and tools to track and enforce compliance requirements, reducing the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties.
Threat modelling assesses the potential security threats and vulnerabilities in an application or system, helping teams prioritise security efforts and design security controls effectively.
Security training and awareness programmes educate development, operations and security teams about best practices, emerging threats and security principles. Because well-informed teams are better equipped to implement security measures effectively, education is a fundamental part of DevSecOps.
DevSecOps relies on a suite of application security tools to automate and strengthen security practices throughout the software development lifecycle to discover vulnerabilities, assess code quality and ensure secure deployments. Here are four key types of application security tools used in DevSecOps:
SAST tools analyse the source code or compiled binaries of an application without executing it. They scan the codebase for potential vulnerabilities, coding errors and security issues. SAST tools are integrated into the development pipeline, allowing developers to identify and remediate issues early in the coding process (which is a central tenet of DevSecOps). This proactive approach ensures that security is considered from the outset and reduces the risk of vulnerabilities making their way into the final application.
SCA focuses on identifying and managing open-source components and third-party libraries used in an application. This category of tool checks for known vulnerabilities in these dependencies and provides insights into their licensing, ensuring compliance. SCA tools are crucial in DevSecOps to maintain a clear inventory of components, track vulnerabilities and apply timely updates to mitigate security risks associated with outdated or vulnerable libraries.
Lastly, DAST tools assess applications from the outside by simulating real-world attacks. These false threats interact with running applications, probing for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations and security weaknesses. DAST tools are particularly useful in DevSecOps for evaluating the security of deployed applications in the testing or production environment. They help identify issues that might not be apparent through static analysis alone and ensure that the application's security posture is assessed in a more realistic context.
IAST tools combine elements of both SAST and DAST. They assess running applications for vulnerabilities while also analysing the source code. IAST tools are valuable in DevSecOps because they provide real-time feedback during application runtime. This helps teams pinpoint and address security issues in a dynamic environment, aligning security with the continuous integration and delivery process.
IT is constantly evolving and so are the dangers that threaten it. An effective DevSecOps strategy can keep companies competitive and agile while staying in compliance and allowing them to constantly adapt to necessary changes.
More specifically, DevSecOps offers substantial advantages in various industries where software plays a pivotal role in operations, compliance and security. Key sectors benefiting from DevSecOps practices include:
Government agencies handle vast amounts of sensitive data and have a critical responsibility for cybersecurity and compliance. DevSecOps helps government organisations streamline their software development processes while ensuring that security and regulatory requirements are met. It allows for rapid updates and patches to address.
The financial sector faces constant threats from cybercriminals seeking to exploit vulnerabilities for financial gain. DevSecOps is particularly beneficial here, as it enables financial institutions to detect and mitigate security issues swiftly. Automation ensures that financial applications remain secure and compliant with stringent industry regulations while maintaining agility in delivering new services.
The healthcare industry must safeguard patient data and adhere to strict privacy regulations (such as HIPAA). DevSecOps helps healthcare organisations continuously monitor and improve the security of their systems and applications. This approach ensures that healthcare software is robust, secure and compliant with industry standards, reducing the risk of data breaches.
Software is integral to modern vehicle functionality and safety. DevSecOps enables automakers to identify and address security vulnerabilities in software components, reducing the risk of cyberattacks on vehicles. DevSecOps also facilitates timely updates to address safety concerns and improve vehicle performance.
IoT encompasses a vast array of interconnected devices, each with potential security vulnerabilities. DevSecOps ensures that IoT devices and their supporting software are built with security in mind. Continuous monitoring and automated security assessments help prevent unauthorised access and protect against IoT-related threats.
While DevSecOps offers numerous benefits, its adoption can present certain challenges for organisations. Two prominent challenges are:
Integrating various security tools into the DevSecOps pipeline can be complex and time consuming. Different tools may have compatibility issues, require custom scripts or create overlapping functionalities, making it challenging to achieve a seamless workflow.
Solution: To address this challenge, organisations can use DevSecOps platforms or toolchains that are purpose-built for streamlined integration. These platforms offer pre-configured toolsets and standardised workflows, reducing the complexity of integrating security tools. Additionally, adopting containerisation and orchestration technologies like Docker and Kubernetes can help simplify tool deployment and management.
DevSecOps not only introduces technical changes but also requires a major cultural shift in terms of development methodologies. Teams may resist changes to established workflows and processes, especially when it comes to security responsibilities shared among different departments.
Solution: Overcoming cultural resistance requires effective communication and education. Organisations should provide training and awareness programmes to help team members understand the benefits of DevSecOps and their role in it. Encouraging cross-functional collaboration and setting clear expectations for security responsibilities can also facilitate a smoother cultural transition. Moreover, leadership support and a gradual, phased approach to DevSecOps adoption can help ease resistance and build a culture that values security as a shared responsibility.
DevSecOps may include a few challenges that organisations will need to overcome. Still, these hurdles are less significant when compared to the potential benefits of a properly employed DevSecOps initiative. Among the most prominent advantages are the following:
In a DevSecOps environment, development teams can deliver better, more secure code at a significantly faster pace. This rapid and cost-effective approach to software delivery minimises the need for post-development security fixes, reducing both time delays and expenses. Integrated security practices result in more efficient processes, helping organisations conserve their valuable resources.
DevSecOps injects cybersecurity processes from the inception of the development cycle. Through continuous code review, auditing, scanning and security testing, security issues are identified and addressed promptly. Security problems are mitigated before additional dependencies are introduced, making it less expensive to fix vulnerabilities when protective measures are implemented early in the development process.
A truly noteworthy benefit of DevSecOps is its ability to manage newly identified security vulnerabilities swiftly. By integrating vulnerability scanning and patching into the release cycle, DevSecOps reduces the window of opportunity for threat actors to exploit vulnerabilities in public-facing production systems. This rapid response helps organisations stay ahead of potential security threats.
DevSecOps thrives on automation, allowing security checks to seamlessly integrate into automated testing suites. Whether an organisation employs a continuous integration/continuous delivery pipeline or adopts a modern development approach, automated testing ensures that software dependencies are maintained at the appropriate patch levels and that code undergoes thorough static and dynamic analysis before final deployment.
As organisations evolve, so do their security needs. DevSecOps lends itself to repeatable and adaptive processes, ensuring that security measures remain consistent across dynamic environments that adapt to new requirements. Mature DevSecOps implementations encompass a range of automation and management practices, including configuration management, orchestration, containers and serverless computing environments.
DevSecOps does not only respond to security vulnerabilities—it actively works to prevent them. By integrating security into every phase of the development life cycle, potential vulnerabilities are identified and addressed early, minimising the chances of security breaches and costly remediation efforts.
A fundamental principle of DevSecOps is also one of its greatest advantages—that everyone is responsible for security. This shared ownership encourages cross-team collaboration between developers, security specialists and operations teams, fostering a culture where security is not an afterthought but a collective responsibility. This approach enhances communication and ensures security is a priority throughout the software development journey.
Enjoying the benefits of DevSecOps demands some significant changes in terms of an organisation's culture and processes. Thankfully, DevSecOps adoption is not only difficult. When making the switch, consider these following steps:
- Planning
In the planning phase, teams collaborate, discuss and develop a security strategy. - Coding
Next, developers utilise DevSecOps technologies to produce secure code, including code reviews, static code analysis and pre-commit hooks. - Building
The build phase involves automated security analysis of the code, including static application software testing, unit testing and software component analysis. - Testing
In the testing phase, DAST tools detect application flows and vulnerabilities. - Releasing
The release stage focuses on reviewing environment configurations, access control and security settings. - Deploying
Deployment involves addressing security issues specific to the live production system, including configuration variations and certificate validation. - Operating
Operations personnel perform periodic maintenance and monitor for zero-day vulnerabilities. Infrastructure as code (IaC) tools can help protect the infrastructure effectively. - Monitoring
Continuous monitoring tools are essential for real-time system performance tracking and identifying security exploits.
It is crucial for developers to acquire the necessary skills to fix security issues without consulting outside security experts or vendors. There should be managerial buy-in at all levels to prevent any clashing or overlapping of responsibilities, which can create confusion and prevent a smooth team synergy.
It can be difficult for teams to bring together fragmented tools to meet security policies. Traditional security vendors have altered their products to appeal to DevSecOps needs, such as flexibility and ease of use needed by developers and analytics and reporting capabilities needed by CISOs and security teams.
Companies are increasingly implementing automated scans as an aspect of CI/CD pipelines. But, security debt, or the number of vulnerabilities that developers have not chosen to fix, may make results of CI/CD not as apparent. Implementing a change toward DevSecOps should exponentially decrease the vulnerability existing, especially with the combination of manual and automated testing of code.
Businesses will be capable of delivering better products with the implementation of Agile methodologies and DevSecOps. There should be management buy-in at all levels that help drive the engineering of development, security and operations without unnecessary silos. A business should take the time to build out workflows at a top level, then narrow them down to help form a better DevSecOps system that can be part of a larger organisational goal.
Team members should be engaged with DevSecOps from the very beginning through every phase of an effort. This strengthens the ability to limit work in progress, improve delivery and manage outages and work within compliance guidelines.
In addition to adhering to the phases prescribed above, successful DevSecOps implementation requires organisations to adopt a set of best practices that align with the principles of integrating security throughout the software development lifecycle. These practices help enhance security, collaboration and efficiency in DevSecOps processes:
The 'shift left' approach means moving security practices and considerations to the earliest stages of the software development lifecycle. It encourages developers to proactively address security concerns during code development rather than as a post-development task. By shifting security left, vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated as soon as possible, reducing the risk of security breaches and minimising the cost of remediation.
Security education and awareness are paramount in DevSecOps. Organisations should invest in security training and awareness programmes for all team members, including developers, operations and security specialists. This education ensures that everyone understands security best practices, emerging threats and compliance requirements. Well-informed teams are better equipped to implement security measures effectively, fostering a security-conscious culture.
Cultivating a DevSecOps culture is fundamental to successful implementation. This involves creating an environment where collaboration, communication and shared responsibility for security thrive. Teams should work cohesively, breaking down silos and promoting cross-functional collaboration between developers, security professionals and operations teams. Encouraging a culture where security is integrated into every aspect of the development process is essential for DevSecOps success.
Organisations must implement powerful tracking and reporting mechanisms to trace changes, monitor activities and maintain visibility into the DevSecOps pipeline. This ensures that security measures, compliance requirements and the progression of software development are well-documented and can be audited when necessary. Traceability, auditability and visibility are critical components of DevSecOps—these practices enhance accountability, transparency and the ability to address security issues effectively.
DevSecOps has revolutionised how organisations apply security principles at every stage of software development. That said, effective DevSecOps solutions are heavily dependent on having access to the right tools, technologies and resources. To ensure success in your DevSecOps initiatives, turn to ServiceNow Security Operations.
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