DevSecOps - How security comes into software development

Best practices for DevSecOps
Developer with headset

June 2023

DevSecOps - How security comes into software development

Posted at 21: 46h software delivery by

DevOps is a term used in the Software Development is widespread. But in the meantime, the increasingly important topic of security has been added to DevOps. In this article, we will take a closer look at what DevOps is, how Sec came about, and DevSecOps best practices.

What is DevOps?

DevOps is a culture shift aimed at improving collaboration between development and operations teams to accelerate and automate the delivery of software. DevOps relies on automating tasks and adopting continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) to deliver software faster and more efficiently.

DevOps assumes that better collaboration between teams leads to better results. Automating tasks reduces manual errors and frees teams to focus on more creative and valuable work. Adopting CI/CD enables teams to deliver software faster and get quicker feedback from users.

How did Sec get into DevOps?

The integration of security into the development process came later and led to the emergence of DevSecOps. In the early days of DevOps, security considerations were often neglected or considered secondary. Automating tasks and delivering software quickly were priorities. However, this created problems, as vulnerabilities were often discovered late in the development process and it was difficult to fix them quickly.

By integrating security into the development process from the beginning, security issues can now be identified and remedied early, resulting in higher software quality and reduced risk for users and the organization.

DevSecOps

Best practices for DevSecOps

  1. training and awareness-raising

    It is important to raise awareness of the importance of security in the development process and train employees to perform security reviews and identify security issues.

  2. Automation of security checks

    Automating security reviews is critical to ensure security issues are identified early and remediated quickly. Using tools like automated code scans, penetration tests, and vulnerability scans can help identify security issues quickly.

  3. Integration of security checks into the development process

    It's important that security checks are tightly integrated into the development process so that they are performed automatically and problems are caught early before the software goes into production.

  4. Using DevSecOps tools

    There are a number of tools specifically created to integrate security aspects into the development process. These tools can help identify and fix security issues early and improve the quality of the software. Some examples of DevSecOps tools are OWASP ZAP, Snyk and Aqua.

  5. Encourage collaboration between teams

    DevSecOps relies on collaboration between development, operations, and security teams. It is important that these teams work closely together and communicate openly and transparently.

  6. Continuous learning and improvement

    DevSecOps is an ever-evolving process that requires continuous learning and improvement. It's important for the team to stay up to date on new security threats and best practices, and ensure testing is up to date.

In addition to best practices, another important factor is compliance with safety standards and regulations. Businesses need to ensure their software meets the requirements of applicable laws and regulations to avoid legal issues.
In addition, when working with external service providers and partners, care must be taken to ensure that third-party software and cloud services also meet the requirements and that user data is protected.

And finally ...

DevSecOps is an important approach to build security into the development process. By integrating security checks from the start, security issues can be identified and remedied early, resulting in higher software quality and reduced risk for users and the company. DevSecOps integration requires a shift in the way organizations work and culture, but the benefits are worth it.

Can Arslan

Author 

Can Arslan
Senior Software Developer & Security Expert

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