With the increasing importance of cybersecurity, many businesses are shifting their DevOps team into DevSecOps. The change allows them to screen their software for security weak spots before they launch the application. Incorporating security into the development process helps ensure a better experience for users. If your company needs to expand its security measures on the front end of software development, DevSecOps can deliver increased protection.
Before we discuss how to successfully transition your company’s DevOps team into DevSecOps, we must understand the essentials of DevOps and what led to its creation.
DevOps, a combination of development and operations, attempts to unite the developers and operators of a product to create a better system and improve development efficiency. As opposed to a siloed system development, a DevOps system allows software development engineers to participate with IT professionals in the entire lifecycle of the product, beginning in design and continuing through system support and updates. This process helps create software, test and improve it, and get it into the market faster and better than it would have been otherwise.
Around 2007, IT communities saw issues arising from the standard software development model. Developers wrote software code in isolation from the operating teams and had separate leadership. The departments rarely communicated about their applications, and the lack of collaboration resulted in inefficient development processes and dissatisfied customers.
IT departments designed DevOps to create a streamlined process for the development and operations sides to communicate and improve their work. DevOps enables developers to solve problems through experimentation and optimized practices that bring customers value. At its core, DevOps focuses on building open communication between all parts of the IT team. It urges feedback throughout the entire development process so that deliverables are of higher quality.
While DevOps isn’t a strict set of tools or steps, three principles underpin the DevOps framework. Developers call these principles the Three Ways:
Many companies are now transitioning into DevSecOps. While DevSecOps is not part of DevOps, it grew out of the same mindset that brought about the DevOps philosophy of software design. The term DevSecOps combines development and operations with security. Security is a major part of DevSecOps processes because it involves integrating security protections into software development as a precautionary measure.
Comparing DevSecOps versus DevOps shows the two ideas are closely related. With increasing cybersecurity threats and breaches, DevSecOps was developed to bring the benefits of DevOps to a company’s security team. DevSecOps can also require a company to figure out how to incorporate security into DevOps processes.
DevSecOps involves building increased security into the foundations of a software system and increasing security measures to protect against cyberattacks. Developers integrate security features into their applications to make them more resistant to compromise, neutralizing dangerous security risks in the process.
A Joint Cybersecurity Advisory outlined some actions to help companies mitigate cybersecurity threats, including installing patches on software systems, strengthening credential requirements, and actively auditing applications for unusual activities. Security involves the use of software tools and security checks to closely monitor any changes to the system.
The DevSecOps framework pushes security issues to the developers’ attention early in the development cycle to catch and solve issues quickly. DevSecOps methodology is a responsibility for implementing precautionary steps, particularly shoring up software’s antivirus protection before releasing it to users.
Moving from DevOps to DevSecOps involves three main changes to DevOps practices. A DevSecOps approach:
An organized system must be in place to help security team members implement security protocols when transitioning from DevOps to DevSecOps. Equipping your team with the tools to create significant improvements involves developing a better understanding of potential threats and opening communication channels to help the development and operations departments uncover and mitigate security risks early in the development process.
Modern security threats have made cybersecurity more vital to a business’s operation than ever. According to the United States Justice Department, over 4,000 ransomware attacks have occurred every day since 2016. One prediction states that by 2025, annual global cybersecurity costs will reach $10.5 trillion. Companies ranging from hospitals to insurance brokers to government agencies rely on computers to store vulnerable data like proprietary information and citizens’ personal data.
For every endpoint and piece of information these organizations store, they leave themselves open to attack. DevSecOps is better than DevOps in its capacity for preventing these attacks. A cybersecurity breach can cause substantial financial losses because of ransom costs, legal fees, decreased productivity, IT services, network countermeasures, and the purchase of credit monitoring services to protect their business holdings. Companies should transition to DevSecOps to defend themselves against these consequences.
Several significant cybersecurity breaches in recent years have prompted a more vigorous attempt to defend data from hackers. Some of the most significant include:
In a cybersecurity awareness report, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) noted that while cybercriminals often manipulate individuals into divulging passwords and other data, they also use malware to exploit software vulnerabilities. A DevSecOps team can mitigate these threats by integrating antivirus software into applications. This software can automatically detect threats as they arise and hamper cybercriminals’ activities. Developers will need to keep antivirus protections consistently updated to stay ahead of evolving risks.
In light of attacks on its security, the U.S. government has launched several cybersecurity initiatives to safeguard its operations and promote cybersecurity awareness across the private sector:
If your company realizes the need for a more hands-on approach to your security systems, a transition from DevOps to DevSecOps can provide the framework necessary to increase protections and block security breaches. Here are several vital steps an IT department can take to make a successful and thorough switch to DevSecOps:
Even though DevSecOps is not the same as DevOps, the two methodologies share many founding principles like the importance of feedback and automation. Feedback is necessary for the DevSecOps team to eliminate security issues early on, so it’s essential to begin the transition with the expectation that team members will give feedback while dissecting the IT infrastructure. Every team member from the top down should start the practice of communicating about the process multiple times a day.
When transitioning to DevSecOps, it’s important to implement automated processes right. Basic automation processes like two-factor identification and malware scanning should be the foundation for more advanced solutions like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). DevSecOps also involves performing security audits on the application to test its potential weaknesses as it’s built.
The differences between DevOps and DevSecOps begin with what processes developers are responsible for. In today’s highly connected internet world, open-source tools and third-party partners can pose significant dangers to company security, and a DevSecOps team needs to monitor these integrations.
While open-source tools like firewalls and vulnerability scanners can be helpful and affordable security solutions, they can also leave companies dependent on software with severe flaws and vulnerabilities. Developing a method for strengthening potential weaknesses and understanding code dependency is vital for preventing breaches in the future.
Microsegmenting your IT department’s infrastructure is an involved process, yet it can give the DevSecOps team the power to compartmentalize their tasks and increase efficiency.
When you can divide your IT infrastructure into individual parts with specifically defined functions and hyper-specialized roles, it is much easier to monitor the software development process and understand where to make improvements. You can dissect your infrastructure on paper to determine where each part fits with another, then choose the most efficient ways to assign team functions.
The IT department and other management officials should consult security engineers early in developing a DevSecOps team and continue seeking expert input often throughout the transition. Experienced security analysts are more aware of the controls needed to strengthen the application. The ultimate goal is to create an automated system that will quickly verify security scans and cut down on consultations with security engineers.
Perhaps the most important difference between DevSecOps and DevOps is the implementation of routine security checks. The DevSecOps team will need to identify which parts of the development process warrant the most checks and assess how often to perform them.
Optimizing the use of security checks can make rooting out threats more efficient. It can be helpful to incorporate security checks one or two at a time so developers can adjust to additional procedures.
Many tools are available to help automate processes in development. When deciding which tools to implement in their DevSecOps operations, an IT team should consider their company’s unique needs and whether the features of specific tools can efficiently and accurately provide results.
Developers can increase their speed by looking for scanning tools to integrate into their pipeline to catch errors. They can also use tools with a broader reach that can detect vulnerabilities in open-source software, too.
A threat modeling exercise defines and assesses the susceptibilities of a company’s assets to understand their threats better. When the DevOps team can spot weaknesses in their system, they can analyze solutions and develop better controls to protect those assets. Threat modeling enables developers to become better acquainted with their applications by thinking like a hacker.
A company has to be fully committed to DevSecOps to make a smooth changeover from DevOps. Even the development and operations teams may oppose the transition if they are used to lower levels of cooperation and don’t see any issues with their coding. Most developers aren’t trained to view security as code, yet secure coding is essential for DevSecOps processes.
Retraining the team to code security into their applications effectively prevents unreliable coding that has to be reworked later. Although retraining is usually an extensive undertaking, it is an investment into the efficiency of the team.
Many industries are turning operations digital and using cloud-based systems, which are more vulnerable to cyberattacks. With increasingly more data stored on the internet, businesses from car manufacturers to airlines are experiencing heightened security risks. Below are some examples of industries that can benefit from a DevSecOps operation:
If your business is looking to develop a DevSecOps process, Business Transformation Institute, Inc. (BTI) is ready to help you transform your company. We offer a range of consulting, training, and certification services to help software engineers cultivate a DevSecOps program at their company. We work with clients through evaluation and data mining to improve process efficiency and give them a better return on investment. Contact us today to see how you can revolutionize your security operations.
