Five ways to step up DevOps security

Securing DevOps

Balancing software innovation and security.

Today’s enterprises are accelerating the pace of software development for faster speed to market. They are deploying frequent software updates into the production environment to fuel continuous product innovation. While all this sounds good, balancing software innovation and security can become challenging. Especially when the software updates in a complex cloud-native architecture are too frequent. 

Chances of defects and vulnerabilities going undetected and entering the production environment shoot up. One big reason is that when deploying multiple pieces of code every day, application development teams don’t have the time to test their code as thoroughly they would for monthly or quarterly release cycles. This has led to a natural evolution to DevSecOps, where security controls are built into the DevOps pipeline.

Adopting DevSecOps 

Bring ideas to life securely with DevSecOps.

While choosing and integrating security controls into the DevOps process, enterprises should consider: 

1. Implementing dynamic assessment controls for applications and hosts

Automated triggering of dynamic assessment is simple to implement and much better than manual testing of projects at random intervals. Dynamic application security testing (DAST) and vulnerability assessment (VA) of hosts can identify low-hanging vulnerabilities, such as configuration and authentication issues before the application is released for production. 

Most vulnerabilities stem from security misconfiguration. Automating the security scanning process by integrating DAST and VA scanners reduces risk by identifying more vulnerabilities and ensuring prompt remediation. DAST and VA scanners are the simplest DevSecOps tools to reduce maximum risks with minimal effort. 

2. Moving faster with DAST, and component and container-level security controls

Integrating security early on in the DevOps toolchain is critical for any organization looking to build a robust and secure modern application. The earlier the integration, the more time teams get to fix any significant security weaknesses—be it code, design, or operations. Start by getting the security, development, and DevOps teams to decide on which tool to integrate, where to integrate it, and how to react to resulting vulnerabilities. Most modern security controls support automation and deliver results faster, eliminating wait times involved in manual testing.

3. Selecting the best security tools for DevSecOps

When choosing a DevSecOps tool, it's easy for an organization to choose a highly rated tool and believe it can be the best fit. However, this is not always the case. Organizations should choose tools that suit their security environment.  

Here are four tips for getting it right:  

• Bucket the right DevSecOps tools based on the purpose or outcome.

• Compare DevSecOps tools on the technological coverage they offer. For code review, look at both the current and future technology support and extendibility.

• Gauge the risk aspects. If your application manages sensitive information subject to regulatory audits, on-premise security tools are a good option. Otherwise, SaaS security solutions are a better choice.  

• Go for solutions that provide ease of maintenance and administration—they are key to a successful DevSecOps implementation. Even the best systems can be difficult to maintain and operate without skilled subject matter experts. 

4. Using Agile DevSecOps or other security automation tool set

The best security tools today may not be the best in the future. To keep up with the evolving security landscape, organizations need the ability to quickly adapt to new tools and technologies. But migrating from one security tool to another can be complicated. That’s why starting out with agile DevSecOps principles and having a trusted security partner who can automate the integration of security tools into DevOps workflows are crucial.

5. Adopting DevSecOps automation and orchestration 

Enterprises can look at automating the manual and time-consuming tasks of assembling security tools in the DevOps toolchain and getting a single pane of glass view of all the vulnerabilities scattered across various interfaces and reports. Organizations can create or invest in DevSecOps automation wireframes or platforms that allow simpler integration capabilities with existing and new security tools. This will also ensure that they can switch tools in the future without losing historical data, which is crucial to understanding how the security posture has evolved.

Diverse benefits 

Mitigate vulnerabilities and move ahead with confidence.

DevOps teams can now spend more time innovating instead of performing manual tasks like detecting code quality issues and vulnerabilities. They can collaborate proactively and progressively to identify areas where security tools and processes can be introduced and improved like automating report generation. With DevSecOps and early identification of vulnerabilities, they can reduce risks significantly despite the widening attack surface due to increased adoption of cloud-native services, containers, more API-based applications, and microservices. What's more, DevSecOps ena