In tech, every new day brings forth news about an enterprises’ compromised system. And this not only causes a frenzy to beef up security within the company, but also a sort of panic among customers/clients that deeply care about their data that is compromised. Let alone the negative PR created as a result of the breach.
What most companies don’t understand is that such attacks can be easily avoided in the first place. These may be violent attacks, but they didn’t necessarily require a great deal of effort by the attacker/exploiter in the first place. They simply made use of small loopholes to cause major breaches. There are many examples of vulnerabilities in software delivery leading to severe consequences for companies.
One such example is that of retail giant, Target. In 2013, Target suffered a massive data breach that affected approximately 41 million customer payment card accounts. This breach occurred due to a malware that was introduced into Target’s point-of-sale systems during a software deployment to its network. Other companies that have suffered severe consequences because of vulnerabilities in software delivery are Equifax, Uber, Marriott International and British Airways.
Now that the need for securing your software supply chain has been established, I’ll use the rest of this blog to explain how DevSecOps/ Security teams within your company can leverage Compliance and Governance to secure themselves from breaches and eliminate vulnerabilities while embracing modern day ideologies/practices such as “Shift-Left Security”.
Since this blog is a lengthy read, you can refer to the below table of contents if you wish to jump straight to a particular topic.
- Introduction to Shift-Left, DevSecOps & Compliance
- Understanding the mentality behind ‘Shift-left Security’
- Security Compliance & the need for 100% Adherence
- How to Shift-Left Security for 100% Compliance?
- Integrate security into the development phase
- Integrate Security within existing tools & processes
- Implement a feedback loop for continuous improvement
- How can OpsMx help you improve your Security posture?
Understanding the mentality behind ‘Shift-left Security’
‘Shift-left’ in general refers to the practice of prioritizing something sooner in the said process. ‘Shift-Left Security’ in software development (or DevOps as it is more popularly practiced these days) refers to bringing up security considerations much sooner in the software development and release process.
By considering security best practices from the early stages of software development, developers are well aware of security expectations/ restrictions from the inception, rather than later in the process which can be costly and time-consuming to fix. This not only helps devs write secure software code, but it also improves the collaborations between developer teams and security teams.
While Security has generally been an afterthought, over the last few years, the sheer increase in the number of breaches and innovative attack vectors that destabilize entire systems has led to the need to prioritize security considerations. As the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) aptly put it:
“Security can be achieved only when it has been designed in. Applying security measures as an afterthought is a recipe for disaster”.
Thus, the act of bridging this gap between security and software development is what forms the foundation of DevSecOps. But ‘Shifting-Left Security’ also means that you need to provide developers with the tools to do their job securely without adding extra work. In other words, it means baking security best practices right into the developer’s toolchain.
Principles of Shift-Left Security
Now let’s understand some of the governing principles of this Shift-Left Security in more detail.
- Implementing various Security Practices: Shifting-left security involves incorporating security practices and controls into every stage of the development process. This includes activities such as threat modeling, risk assessments, secure coding practices, and security testing.
- Automation and Tooling: Automation plays a crucial role in shifting security to the left. By leveraging security testing tools and integrating them into the development pipeline, organizations can automate security checks, vulnerability scanning, and code analysis. This enables faster identification and resolution of security issues.
- Collaboration and Communication: Shifting security to the left encourages collaboration between security teams, development teams, and other stakeholders. Breaking down silos and enabling open communication channels allows for early identification and mitigation of security risks.
- Developer Education and Awareness: A core aspect of shifting security to the left, requires developers to build a solid understanding of security principles and best practices. Organizations should invest in developer training programs, workshops, and resources to raise awareness and promote secure coding practices. This will help them proactively address security concerns during development.
- Continuous Monitoring and Improvement: Shifting security to the left is not a one-time activity, rather an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring, security assessments, and regular audits help organizations identify and address emerging threats and vulnerabilities. By embracing a feedback loop for continuous improvement, organizations can iteratively enhance their security posture.
Benefits of Shift-Left approach
Shifting security to the left offers organizations numerous benefits. The most notable benefits are:
- Early Detection and Mitigation of Security Risks: By integrating security practices earlier in the development process, organizations can identify security vulnerabilities and risks at an early stage. This allows for prompt remediation before issues escalate and become more complex and costly to fix
- Cost and Time Savings: Identifying and resolving security issues during the development phase is generally less expensive and time-consuming compared to addressing them in later stages or after deployment. Besides, it also helps avoid potential security incidents, legal ramifications, and damage to the organization’s reputation
- Improved Software Quality: Shifting-left security ensures that security is considered as an essential aspect of software quality, alongside functionality and performance. This in turn helps deliver more robust and reliable software products
- Enhanced Compliance: Shift-left security enables a proactive approach to compliance, ensuring that security requirements are considered and implemented throughout the development process. By embedding compliance measures early on, organizations can reduce the risk of non-compliance issues and associated penalties or legal consequences.
- Increased Customer Trust: In an era where data breaches and cyberattacks are frequent, customers are increasingly concerned about the security of the products and services they use. Shifting security to the left demonstrates a commitment to security and a proactive approach to protecting customer data and privacy. By prioritizing security, organizations can enhance customer trust, loyalty, and satisfaction.
- Streamlined Development Process: Shifting security to the left encourages collaboration and communication between different teams involved in the software development process, such as developers, security professionals, and operations personnel. By breaking down silos and integrating security practices early on, organizations can streamline the development process and improve overall efficiency.
- DevSecOps Integration: Shifting-left security aligns well with the principles of DevSecOps, which emphasizes the collaboration and integration of security into the DevOps methodology. By incorporating security practices into DevOps workflows, organizations can foster a culture of shared responsibility and security awareness across teams, resulting in faster and more secure software delivery.
- Proactive Risk Management: Shifting-left security allows organizations to take a proactive approach to risk management. By identifying and addressing security risks early on, organizations can implement appropriate controls and measures to minimize potential vulnerabilities. This approach helps prevent security incidents and reduces the overall risk exposure of the organization.
In short, prioritizing the security posture from the beginning can help organizations build more secure, reliable, and compliant software systems.
Security Compliance & the need for 100% Adherence
Security Compliance refers to the process of constantly defining & re-defining policies and procedures based on predefined security protocols, and conducting regular audits to ensure that these security standards are being adhered to. It involves implementing security controls, practices, and measures to protect sensitive data, prevent unauthorized access, and mitigate security risks.
Need for Security Compliance
The security standards that need to be complied with, can either be organization-specific or industry-specific standards. Typically in highly regulated industries like Banking and Healthcare, there is a governing body which dictates the industry standard and all organizations are required to adhere to those regulated standards such as HIPAA and HITRUST. Even in not-so-highly regulated industries, there are various governing bodies that define a standardized approach that organizations can voluntarily comply with, in order to satisfy customer requirements, such as SOC, ISO/IEC 27001, and GDPR.
In the context of Software Delivery, security compliance specifically refers to meeting the security requirements and standards associated with software development, deployment, and operations. The inability to comply with the established security standards puts you and your customers at risk of breaches, attacks, and of course, at risk of fines from regulatory agencies. An example specific to the software industry is – FEDRamp for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) wishing to provide Cloud Service Offerings (CSOs) to the US government.
From a business growth perspective, compliance also carries significant importance. Not only are clients more likely to do business with organizations they trust, but upholding a solid security posture has become a prerequisite for modern-day business practices.
Challenges with Security Compliance in Software Delivery
First off, let’s agree that obtaining compliance is a hectic and tedious routine posing several challenges for organizations. Now let’s understand the challenges specific to Software Delivery.
- Complexity of Compliance Requirements: Complexity of requirements vary depending on the industry, geography, and specific regulations established by the governing body. Compliance standards may also undergo changes, requiring organizations to update their practices accordingly.
- Evolving Threat Landscape: The threat landscape is constantly evolving, with new security vulnerabilities, attack techniques, and malware emerging regularly. Keeping up with the latest threats and ensuring compliance with evolving security standards can be demanding.
- Lack of Security Expertise: Implementing effective security compliance measures requires specialized expertise. Since many organizations lack a dedicated security team, navigating complex compliance requirements and implementing appropriate security controls can become challenging.
- Balancing Security and Time-to-Market: Balancing security requirements with short sprint cycles impacts software delivery. Striking a balance between security and time-to-market pressures can be difficult. Rushed development cycles or prioritizing functionality over security can lead to compliance gaps and vulnerabilities.
- Integration of Security in Agile and DevOps Practices: Rapid development, frequent releases, CI and CD are key aspects of Agile and DevOps. The need to integrate security with DevOps/ Agile means incorporating security controls and testing into automated build and deployment pipelines which can get challenging.
- Lack of Collaboration and Communication: Effective collaboration between developers, security teams, operations teams, and compliance officers is key. Silos and poor communication can hinder effective implementation of security controls, thus increasing the risk of compliance gaps.
- Limited Resources and Budget Constraints: Implementing robust security controls and practices requires dedicated resources and investments. Lack of adequate resources, tools, and training can hinder the implementation of comprehensive security measures, making it more challenging to achieve and maintain compliance.
- Third-Party Dependencies: Software delivery often involves reliance on third-party components, libraries, or services. Ensuring security compliance requires assessing the security of these third-party dependencies and managing any associated risks. Organizations must conduct due diligence, monitor for vulnerabilities, and have strategies in place to respond to security incidents related to third-party components.
- Audits and Reporting: Compliance often involves audits and reporting to demonstrate adherence to security controls and regulations. Preparing for audits, gathering necessary documentation, and generating accurate reports can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Impact of security non-compliance on Software Delivery?
Not complying with security best practices for software delivery can have significant consequences for the organization. Here are some of the impacts of non-compliance on software delivery:
- Increased Vulnerability to Cyber Attacks
- Compromised Data Integrity and Confidentiality
- Regulatory Penalties and Legal Consequences
- Delays and Project Disruptions
- Increased Development and Maintenance Costs
- Loss of Customer Trust and Confidence
- Limited Market Opportunities
- Increased Support and Maintenance Burden
- Damage to Collaboration and Partnerships
In order to avoid the above mentioned issues and to ensure the integrity and security of the software, organizations must prioritize complying with security best practices during software delivery.
How to Shift-Left Security for 100% Compliance?
Shifting security to the left to achieve 100% compliance revolves around 3 main aspects in the grander scheme of software development. They are:
- Extensively educating developers and establishing policies and guidelines for them to follow
- Integrating best practices and considerations with existing tools and processes
- Feedback loop for continuous monitoring and improvement
Now, let me break this down further and explain it in detail.
1. Integrate security into the development phase
1. Start with a Comprehensive Security Policy
Develop a robust security policy that is in compliance with the organization’s (or industry’s) security objectives. This policy should serve as a guide for implementing security controls throughout the software development process.
2. Conduct Security Risk Assessments
Perform security risk assessments at the early stages of software development to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities. This includes analyzing the system architecture, data flows, and potential attack vectors. Use industry best practices and frameworks such as STRIDE (Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, Elevation of Privilege) or DREAD (Damage, Reproducibility, Exploitability, Affected Users, Discoverability) to assess risks.
3. Implement Secure Coding Practices
Enforce secure coding practices within the development team. Provide training and guidelines on secure coding techniques, such as input validation, output encoding, proper error handling, and secure authentication. Emphasize the use of secure coding frameworks and libraries to mitigate common vulnerabilities like injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF).
4. Provide Continuous Security Training
Offer regular security awareness and training programs to all members of the development team. This includes educating developers about common security threats, secure coding practices, and compliance requirements. Promote a culture of security awareness and accountability among developers, testers, and other stakeholders involved in the software delivery process.
2. Integrate Security within existing tools & processes
1. Integrate Security Testing:
Include security testing activities as part of the CI/CD pipeline. Conduct regular security scans, static code analysis, dynamic application security testing (DAST), and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Use automated tools and technologies to streamline the testing process and identify potential security issues early on.
2. Implement Secure Configuration Management:
Ensure secure configuration management practices are in place for software components, infrastructure, and environments. This includes hardening operating systems, databases, and web servers, using secure default configurations, and regularly patching and updating software components to address known vulnerabilities.
3. Establish Security Review Processes:
Implement security review processes for code changes, architecture designs, and system configurations. Require code reviews and security assessments to be performed before code is merged into the main branch. Conduct design reviews to identify potential security weaknesses and ensure compliance with security standards.
4. Foster Collaboration between Development and Security Teams:
Encourage collaboration and communication between development and security teams. Involve security experts early in the software development process to provide guidance, perform security reviews, and assist in vulnerability remediation. Establish channels for reporting and addressing security concerns or incidents promptly.
3. Implement a feedback loop for continuous improvement
1. Establish Security Metrics and Reporting:
Define security metrics to measure compliance and the effectiveness of security practices. Monitor and report on these metrics regularly to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Use automated reporting tools to generate compliance reports and share them with stakeholders, auditors, and regulatory bodies as required.
2. Regularly Audit and Assess Security Controls:
Conduct regular security audits and assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of security controls and ensure compliance with applicable regulations and standards. This includes internal assessments as well as external audits by independent security firms or regulatory bodies. Address any identified non-compliance issues promptly and implement corrective actions.
How can OpsMx help in Shifting-Left Security?
With OpsMx Secure Software Delivery, enterprises can prevent potential security issues, discover and resolve vulnerabilities in their environment, and demonstrate secure software delivery and deployment. It is designed for software supply chain security and DevOps security posture management.
OpsMx Secure Software Delivery comes packed with features to allow DevOps teams the tools to detect and prevent security vulnerabilities throughout software delivery besides offering complete traceability and audit reports:
- Proactive Security Controls
- Rapid Vulnerability Detection and Mitigation
- Continuous Automated Risk Assessment, Audits and Deployment Bill Of Materials (DBOM)
OpsMx Secure Software Delivery enables customers to:
- Reduce risk exposure
- Achieve greater visibility and control
- Remediate faster
- Seamlessly integrate security
- Scale Security and achieve 100% Compliance
- Enhance efficiency
Talk to our secure software delivery expert to know more.
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