Phases of Devsecops
What is DevSecOps
DevSecOps is a new approach to software development that combines security practices with agile methods. The goal is to ensure that developers build secure applications without having to compromise their speed and agility.
DevSecOps has become a buzzword over the last couple of years. Many companies are adopting it because they believe it helps them achieve better quality code faster. In addition, DevSecOps also allows teams to collaborate across multiple platforms and cloud environments.
The idea behind DevSecOps is to have an integrated process for security in development. This means that security should be considered during each phase of the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). It’s not just about adding protection at the end of the project; instead, it’s about embedding security into your processes throughout the entire lifecycle.
Azure DevOps | Waterfall Vs. Agile Vs. DevOps | Microservices Architecture | Dockerization
In this guide we will go through 5 phases of a successful DevSecOps process:
Phase 1 – Security Assessment
In this first phase, you need to assess what threats are currently affecting your organization. You can use tools like OWASP Top 10, NIST 800-53, or CIS Critical Controls to identify vulnerabilities.
Once you have identified all the threats, you then need to prioritize them based on how critical they are. For example, if your application is using SQL injection attacks, then you need to fix those before moving on to more complex issues.
Phase 2 – Secure Code Review
This step involves reviewing the source code of your application to make sure there are no known vulnerabilities. If any vulnerabilities were found, then you need to address them immediately.
You can either do this manually by reading through the source code line by line, or you can automate this process using static analysis tools.
You can also perform dynamic testing to check whether the application is vulnerable to certain types of attacks. These include fuzzing, web scanners, and automated penetration tests.
Managed Microsoft Azure | AWS Vs. Google Cloud Vs. Azure | Why Do IT Companies Are Adopting Container Technologies
Phase 3 – Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment
After completing the previous steps, you now need to integrate these changes into your continuous integration pipeline. This ensures that every time a developer checks out his code, he gets automatically tested against the latest version of the application.
If everything goes well, the next step would be deploying the application to production. However, if anything fails, then you need to roll back the deployment.
Phase 4 – Monitoring & Logging
After deploying the application to production, you need to monitor its performance. You can use tools such as New Relic, Splunk, or Datadog to collect data from different parts of the system.
These tools allow you to analyze the collected data and find potential problems. They can help you detect slow queries, memory leaks, and other anomalies.
Finally, you need to log all errors so that you can investigate them later. You can use tools including Sentry, Elasticsearch, and Graylog2 to capture logs and events.
Cloud Adoption | Managed Amazon Web Services | Cloud Migration Service
Phase 5 – Remediation
Finally, once you have fixed all the issues, you need to remediate them. This includes updating the database schema, fixing configuration files, and removing unused dependencies.
Remediating old vulnerabilities is especially important since many developers don’t update their applications after releasing new versions.
DevSecOps Best Practices
The goal of DevSecOps is to create a secure environment where developers work with minimal friction. To achieve this, you need to follow some best practices. Some of these best practices include:
1. Automate Everything
Automation is key when it comes to DevSecOps. By automating tasks, you can free up resources to focus on higher-value activities.
For example, you can write scripts to automate security scans, build releases, and deploy applications.
CI/CD, Agile, And DevOps | Best DevOps Strategy Implementing
2. Use Static Analysis Tools
Static analysis tools scan for common vulnerabilities in your code without having to run the application.
3. Build Security In From The Start
Security should always be built in from the start. Developers shouldn’t have to worry about security until they are done developing an application.
4. Test Your Application Before It Goes Live
Before going live, test your application to ensure that it doesn’t contain any vulnerabilities.
5. Monitor Performance
Monitoring your application’s performance allows you to identify any bottlenecks.
6. Document All Changes
Document all changes made to the application. This will help you keep track of what has been changed and why.
Implementing DevSecOps Challenges
However, implementing DevSecOps isn’t easy. There are several challenges associated with DevSecOps. These include:
1. Culture Change
Culture change is one of the biggest challenges faced by organizations adopting DevSecOps.
Many companies still view security as something that only needs to be implemented at the end of development.
This means that there is no culture shift required to implement DevSecOps.
2. Lack Of Skills
Most people who aren’t familiar with DevSecOps won’t know how to apply security principles during development.
This results in a lack of skills among developers.
3. Lack Of Time
Lack of time is another challenge that most companies face while implementing DevSecOps.
Since DevSecOps requires constant monitoring, it takes more time than traditional approaches.
4. Cost
Another challenge is cost. Many companies spend too much money on security audits.
Since DevSecOps focuses on continuous integration and deployment, it costs less than traditional methods.
DevSecOps is an Ideology, Not a Remedy
Improve DevSecOps with Cloudstorks
DevSecOps is an approach to security that focuses on improving the overall quality of software development. It helps organizations build better products while reducing the risk of introducing bugs in the first place.
In this guide, we’ve covered the five phases of a successful DevSecOps process. We’ve discussed each phase in detail!!
If you’re interested in learning more about DevSecOps, check out our DevSecOps course.
We hope you found this guide helpful!