What is DevSecOps and How Does it Fit Into DevOps?

Security was previously an afterthought when it came to creating software. DevSecOps has emerged as a standard method for guaranteeing application security in the contemporary development ecosystem, even though more complex cybersecurity threats occur every day. DevSecOps can reduce risks and safeguard data by requiring development teams to produce apps in shorter, more frequent iterations.

Today’s software development teams must maintain their deliverables’ speed and consistency and ensure their products have the fewest possible vulnerabilities before handover. This is possible thanks to DevSecOps.

So, What is DevSecOps, and Why is it Important?

Development (Dev), Security (Sec), and Operations (Ops) work together as a superhero team to save the day in DevSecOps. Consider yourself living in a city where bad guys (cyber threats) are continuously assaulting and wreaking havoc. The Dev team has the ability to create incredible systems and applications, but occasionally they overlook security when doing so. The Sec team can protect these applications from dangers, but people frequently perceive them as the “fun police” who slow down operations. The Ops team also acts as the city’s first responders, resolving issues as they arise but occasionally lacking the resources to stop attacks before they start.

Now, bring in DevSecOps with all three teams put together! The three members of this team can create apps that are not only fantastic but also secure from the ground up. From conception to implementation, they collaborate to ensure that the app is secure from all online dangers. Security precautions no longer slow down both the development and deployment processes. With DevSecOps, you can benefit from quick, effective development and top-notch security.

By definition, DevSecOps is the practice of adding a security layer before starting the software development lifecycle. It can be diversified to development and operations for the security teams to be a part of the software lifecycle. 

DevSecOps Business Benefits

In principle, DevSecOps shares the DevOps ideal of multiple teams working together to improve team efficiency and achieve secure, continuous software delivery.

In addition to the security benefits DevSecOps provides, there are significant business advantages to be gained, including:

● Efficiency–Under the DevSecOps practice, security is integrated into all periods of development to help all teams be more agile in responding to security risks, eliminating the need for teams to spend a lot of time tweaking and fixing during the production cycle.

● Cost reduction–By discovering security vulnerabilities before they enter production, organizations and teams can significantly reduce the time and labor costs of fixing them.

● Ensure compliance–DevSecOps can ensure compliance with industry-standard regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). DevSecOps gives teams a holistic overview of these measures that makes compliance easier.

● Establishes collaborative culture–Integrating security practices into DevOps enhances the value of DevOps and improves the overall security posture as a culture of shared responsibility. When everyone is involved in the process, it increases their awareness of security fundamentals and best practices and provides a sense of ownership in the results.

Elements of DevSecOps

Essential elements of the DevSecOps or DevSecOps framework:

1. Security of Tools and Architecture

It’s imperative to have secure DevOps to produce secure software. This means that any DevOps system needs to protect its tools, access, and architecture. Before being approved for use, security teams should be in charge of selecting and testing the configurations of system security tools to ensure they are operating correctly.

It’s pertinent to treat access control and identification management seriously. Data access should be restricted by security teams, protecting authorized usage all the way through the development process. Access control strategies that work well include MFA, least-privileged access, and just-in-time temporary access to high-level privileges.

Additionally, CI/CD pipelines should be segregated to limit lateral movement, and all unnecessary accounts with access to DevOps tools should be eliminated. These measures will help keep your DevOps environment secure.

2. Teamwork and Collaboration

In this context, the phrase teamwork refers to the idea of sharing equal responsibility for security in the organization where you work and where you have the backing of upper management. It is based on the shared objective of developing and distributing the product rapidly while maintaining the highest level of quality and adhering to all security regulations.

Security teams contribute by becoming accustomed to the DevOps methods and incorporating the security component into them. The finest illustration of this would be applying DevSecOps automation principles consistently to supply security capabilities, which entails automating security-related tasks whenever possible.

When collaborating on a project, the security team and developers must be in sync. The security staff must outline the goal of taking control and the advantages of compliance. For instance, the security concerns, project delays, or the additional work required on the part of developers to set a realistic deadline.

Developers can work better as collaborators supporting a more safe and more compliant organization once they know their security obligations. These obligations include understanding the security threats and creating software with the best security standards in mind. As they evolve, they should also run vulnerability checks to find problems and fix them as they arise.

3. Automation 

One of the most crucial elements of properly managing DevSecOps is automation. It enables security protocols to be incorporated throughout development so that the development teams are not burdened. These security protocols can be incorporated into the CI/CD pipelines, delivering capable, secure, and safe software without impeding the process.

4. Shift-left Testing

Testing is the last step of the product release and should take place throughout the software development life cycle. Automated testing is the solution for keeping security updated with the development process. 

Most testing regimens include SAST and DAST, which find code flaws from a hacker’s perspective without jeopardizing the production environment. DevSecOps evaluates testing processes to determine whether they are efficient in lowering risk and enhancing security procedures. Various testing techniques are regularly used, including penetration testing, threat modeling, and static and dynamic application security testing.

Now that you know the DevSecOps framework’s guiding principles and its purpose, continue reading to learn about some of the most significant commonalities between DevSecOps and DevOps and what role DevSecOps plays in DevOps.

DevSecOps and DevOps

The following are some key similarities between DevSecOps and DevOps:

1. AI can be used to automate steps in both DevOps and DevSecOps application development. In DevOps, AI can be used for auto-completion of code and anomaly detection. For DevSecOps, automated security checks and anomaly recognition can help proactively identify vulnerabilities and security risks.
2. It’s essential to capture and monitor application data in DevOps continuously, and DevSecOps approaches to identify issues and drive improvements. Real-time data access is necessary for improving application performance, lowering the attack surface of the applications, and tightening the organization’s overall posture.
3. A culture of collaboration is vital to DevOps and DevSecOps’ success in meeting development goals, such as quick iteration and development that doesn’t risk the well-being and security of an application environment. Both of these strategies require a combination of multiple teams already siloed to expand visibility across the application’s lifecycle – from planning to execution monitoring. 

The goal of DevSecOps 

DevSecOps aims to incorporate security controls into all software development and production phases, adding an additional layer of defense against data breaches and cyberattacks. Although it frequently goes unnoticed during the software development process, application security plays a critical role.

Many businesses out there claim to be able to improve security automation, but only some follow through on their claims.

Thanks : Jasmeet Singh