In today’s vulnerable threat landscape, the software supply chain faces unprecedented challenges. The demand for rapid software delivery has often led to weakened security standards in the software supply chain (or software delivery pipeline).
This is why integrating DevSecOps best practices within the CI/CD pipeline has become critical, emphasizing the need to embed security at every stage of the development process. On that note, let’s get started. I’ll be covering the following topics:
The state of Software Supply Chain today
The state of the Software Supply Chain today is extremely fragile. The increasing reliance on open-source dependencies and third-party integrations has expanded the attack surface, making it easier for malicious actors to infiltrate the systems of even the most trusted vendors.
As organizations increasingly rely on software to drive business operations, the need to secure every link in the supply chain becomes paramount. High-profile breaches and cyberattacks on the supply chain in recent years highlight the critical need to address vulnerabilities and enforce security controls.
The SolarWinds Orion Attack (2020)
Easily one of the most devastating software supply chain attacks in history, attackers compromised the SolarWinds Orion software development environment by inserting malicious code into the Orion platform’s updates, which were distributed to approximately 18,000 customers.
This malicious code created a backdoor, allowing attackers to access the networks of thousands of SolarWinds customers, including several U.S. government agencies and private corporations, including various Fortune 500 companies. This breach went undetected for months until December 2020.
Impact:
- The breach remained undetected for months, leading to significant data theft and potential espionage.
- It highlighted how vulnerabilities can be exploited in a software supply chain via a single entry point, especially when trusted vendors are compromised.
The Kaseya VSA Ransomware Attack (2021)
Another significant example is the Kaseya attack, which occurred in July 2021. The ransomware group REvil exploited vulnerabilities in Kaseya’s Virtual System Administrator (VSA) software used by managed service providers (MSPs) to manage client networks. This malicious update deployed ransomware to customers of numerous MSPs, impacting around 1,500 businesses worldwide.
Impact:
- The attack affected thousands of endpoints, causing widespread disruption and financial loss, including the temporary closure of a Swedish supermarket chain due to inoperative payment systems.
- These incidents highlight the increasing sophistication of attacks on third-party software and the cascading effects on the supply chain.
Prioritizing CI/CD Pipeline Security
The attacks mentioned earlier highlight the critical need to secure the software supply chain, leading us to the question: Where and how do we enforce security controls? The answer lies in the CI/CD Pipeline.
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines are the backbone of modern day Agile and DevOps (incl. DevSecOps) processes. They enable rapid software delivery and frequent updates but also present numerous entry points for attacks and threats. The image below illustrates the various attack vectors exploited by threat actors.
Bad/ Vulnerable Code, Compromised Source Control, Vulnerable dependencies, Compromised Build System, Bad Artifacts, Compromised Package Manager, Insecure Privileges are examples of CI/CD weak spots that can be exploited by attackers, making it crucial to implement the right security measures.
To mitigate these risks, it is essential to address both:
- Application Security: Incorporating various application security testing strategies ensures a healthy application security posture
- Supply Chain Security: Implementing deployment security measures helps safeguard the software supply chain
By integrating these practices, teams can significantly enhance their security posture and protect against potential vulnerabilities. The below table categorizes the measures DevSecOps teams can take to ensure both Application security and Deployment security.
| Application Security Measures | Supply Chain Security Measures |
| Static Code Analysis | Image & Container Security |
| Dynamic Application Testing | IaC & Environment Security |
| Open Source & 3rd party package management | Secrets Management |
| Secrets Scanning | Cloud Security |
| Vulnerability Management | Network Security |
The Relationship: Importance of Securing a CI/CD Pipeline with DevSecOps
To address the issues mentioned above and proactively mitigate threats and downtime, securing CI/CD pipelines with DevSecOps processes and tools has become essential. By incorporating automated security checks and continuous monitoring, DevSecOps ensures that security is an integral part of the development process.
This approach not only improves security but also fosters better cohesion between Development, Operations, and Security teams, leading to more secure and resilient software.
Key components: What does a DevSecOps CI/CD pipeline look like?
The architecture of a DevSecOps CI/CD pipeline is fundamental to its effectiveness. The diagram below illustrates a typical DevSecOps architecture, with CI/CD being an essential aspect. An explanation follows the diagram.
As you can see, a DevSecOps CI/CD pipeline is very similar to a DevOps CI/CD pipeline, albeit with a few key additions. These additions include various security measures and strategies incorporated into the pipeline with the help of automated tools.
1. Secure Code Development
The Secure Code Development stage focuses on evaluating the security of the source code to ensure no vulnerable or faulty code is checked in by developers. This stage includes:
- SCA (Software Composition Analysis): Identifies vulnerabilities and license issues in open-source dependencies.
- SAST (Static Application Security Testing): Performs code analysis and automated scanning for early detection of vulnerabilities.
- Secrets Scanning & Management: Ensures that passwords, API keys, tokens, encryption keys, etc., are not committed to the codebase
2. Build Security
In the Build stage, binaries and compiled packages are scanned post-development. The source code, after commit, is compiled into executable artifacts, which are then stored in an artifact repository. It is recommended to continue automated scanning of binaries and packages before sending them to the testing stage, where the artifacts are scanned as a whole.
3. Automated Testing
During the Testing stage, the application is tested for security flaws in real time by simulating attacks such as PenTesting, SQL injections, and cross-site scripting. This stage also integrates artifact scanning and DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) into the CI/CD pipeline.
4. Deployment Security
The Deployment stage can be leveraged as a key control point to automate security checks and enforce application security measures. Key practices include:
- Policy checks
- Compliance verification
- Digital scanning
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security
- Cloud security
- These DevSecOps testing strategies ensure robust security at deployment.
Watch this video to see how the Deployment Firewall can be leveraged to enforce Application Security at the time of deployment.
5. Monitoring
The Monitoring stage is crucial to ensure continued operations. Besides automated monitoring tools that report on application performance, this stage can also be used to continuously monitor for CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) by automating scans and integrating with audit tools. These tools can display industry and organizational compliance during inspection periods.
What are the Best Practices for DevSecOps in CI/CD?
Implementing DevSecOps in CI/CD pipelines involves adhering to several best practices:
- Shift Left Security: Incorporate security checks early in the development process to identify and address vulnerabilities as soon as possible.
- Automate Security Testing: Use automated tools to conduct security tests and scans throughout the pipeline.
- Continuous Monitoring: Implement continuous monitoring to detect and respond to security incidents in real-time.
- Collaborate Across Teams: Foster a culture of collaboration between development, operations, and security teams.
- Regular Training and Awareness: Ensure that all team members are aware of security best practices and receive regular training.
Here’s a dedicated blog covering the “Top 10 DevSecOps Best Practices” that teams can implement now.
What are the key benefits of implementing DevSecOps in a CI/CD pipeline?
Implementing DevSecOps in a CI/CD pipeline offers several key benefits:
- Enhanced Security: By integrating security measures throughout the development lifecycle, organizations can identify and mitigate vulnerabilities early.
- Faster Time-to-Market: Automation and continuous monitoring streamline the development process, enabling faster delivery of secure software.
- Improved Collaboration: DevSecOps fosters a culture of collaboration between development, operations, and security teams.
- Reduced Risk: Proactive security measures reduce the risk of security breaches and compliance issues.
- Better Compliance: Continuous security checks ensure adherence to regulatory and organizational standards.
How OpsMx can help you implement Continuous Security?
OpsMx offers a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to help enterprises manage and secure their software delivery pipelines. Here’s how OpsMx can support your DevSecOps journey and ensure continuous security throughout the SDLC:
1. Deployment Firewall
OpsMx’s Deployment Firewall ensures that application security policies are enforced at the point of deployment. By adding a gating mechanism to your existing CI/CD tools, it guarantees compliance and prevents the release of deployments with known vulnerabilities or policy violations. This proactive measure helps maintain the integrity and security of your software at every deployment stage.
2. Delivery Bill of Materials (Delivery BOM)
The Delivery BOM provides a detailed record of every step in the software delivery and deployment process, including security checks, approvals, policy enforcement, and audits. This comprehensive documentation helps in:
- Source code security and vulnerability assessment.
- Artifact validation and build security verification.
- Maintaining an audit trail for compliance purposes.
3. Continuous Risk Assessment and Vulnerability Management
OpsMx’s Delivery Shield consolidates security results and alerts from various sources, providing a unified view of your security posture. This tool helps you proactively identify, assess, and mitigate security risks across your software supply chain. With a real-time DevSecOps dashboard, you can visualize security scores and threat severity levels, ensuring informed decision-making and prompt action.
4. Compliance Automation and Policy Enforcement
OpsMx automates policy enforcement and audit reporting to streamline compliance verification across the software delivery lifecycle. With built-in support for regulatory standards such as FedRamp, PCI, HIPAA, and frameworks like NIST 800-53 and OWASP Top 10, OpsMx ensures that your deployments adhere to industry regulations and organizational policies. This automation reduces the burden of manual compliance checks and helps maintain a secure and compliant software environment.
5. Operational Visibility with DevSecOps Control Plane
One of the biggest challenges in enterprise software delivery is maintaining visibility into the security posture of applications. OpsMx’s DevSecOps Control Plane addresses this challenge by:
- Automatically discovering and mapping the application delivery and deployment processes.
- Gathering, synthesizing, and correlating data from across all DevOps and security tools.
- Providing a unified view across teams, tools, and processes to support collaboration and transparency.
6. Continuous Monitoring and Automated Approvals
OpsMx integrates various AppSec tools to monitor for vulnerabilities continuously, both pre- and post-deployment. Automated approvals and release verifications ensure that only secure and compliant code progresses through the pipeline, maintaining high-velocity delivery without compromising security.
7. Audit and Compliance Reporting
OpsMx’s solutions generate detailed audit reports, providing evidence of compliance and security practices. This capability is crucial for meeting regulatory requirements and demonstrating to auditors that robust security measures are in place.
Conclusion
Incorporating DevSecOps into your CI/CD pipeline is essential for ensuring software supply chain security. OpsMx offers the tools and expertise needed to integrate security seamlessly into your development processes, ensuring continuous security from development through deployment. With OpsMx, you can enhance your application security posture, streamline compliance, and achieve high-velocity, secure software delivery.
For more information or to see these capabilities in action, talk to our AppSec experts for a demonstration on how OpsMx can support your DevSecOps initiatives.
About OpsMx
OpsMx is committed to helping enterprises globally with application security posture management, software supply chain security, and Intelligent, Secure Software Delivery. Our solutions provide comprehensive visibility, automation, and continuous monitoring, empowering organizations to build and maintain secure, resilient software systems.
OpsMx Secure CD is the industry’s first CI/CD solution designed for software supply chain security. With built-in compliance controls, automated security assessment, and policy enforcement, OpsMx Secure CD can help you deliver software quickly without sacrificing security.
OpsMx Delivery Shield adds DevSecOps to your existing CI/CD tools with application security orchestration, correlation, and posture management.
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