The latest trends and best practices for integrating security into DevOps processes

Introduction

The software development cycle keeps evolving. The DevOps process revolutionizes it by providing agile and fast-paced solutions. Earlier security was not much of a concern for DevOps processes. With the latest technological evolution in this software development field, the trend is to engage various best practices for integrating security into DevOps. It is now known as DevSecOps. DevSecOps started as a novel-idea of implementing security into DevOps processes without compromising its agile nature. The security implanted into DevOps makes it more secure than previous versions. In a way, the primary purpose of DevSecOps is to collaborate with security teams and DevOps professionals. Here, DevSecOps principles get inherited from all the essential characteristics of DevOps with the addition of security in every element involved. It includes CI and CD processes of the software development cycle. The benefits of DevSecOps include security on the left, automating security, and functioning more efficiently. The existing tools for DevOps were speed based, while the DevSecOps brings in the security aspects that fulfill the requirements. With all these aspects, the popularity of DevSecOps is on the rise. It integrates a greater degree of security into software delivery pipelines. Here, various software automation trends get equipped to manage the current industry standards by integrating security into DevOps.

DevSecOps and Security instilled by DevSecOps

DevSecOps works well to automate and embed security into application development workflows. Thus, software developers and related business organizations leverage DevSecOps to deliver value to customers continuously. The security function reduces errors while improving response speeds. With added security, high-risk vulnerabilities, which occur in a penetration test, get quickly-discovered using source-code scanners. It can get repaired at an early stage before packaging the artifacts.

Integrating security into CI/CD pipeline of DevOps process: Installing DevSecOps

DevSecOps gets integrated into the CI/CD pipeline by a software developer. When the developer pushes a code-piece into the source code repository or GitHub, it gets verified for sensitive information. It includes API (Application Programming Interface) tokens and AWS credentials. Here, a source composition analysis checks for any third-party libraries in the code that identifies any inherited vulnerabilities. Also, SAST (Static Application Security Testing) scans get used by software developers to check for vulnerabilities at a source code level. DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) scans examine common vulnerabilities. Software testers use open-source frameworks like GAUNTLT for open-port scanning. Nowadays, most software applications run a Docker-container. It gets checked using Anchore, a container security tool. The reports extracted from different security tools get imported into DefectDojo, a vulnerability management tool. The software testers can view all the findings in a single dashboard. The bugs or issues, if any, get recognized within CI/CD pipeline. It gets tracked by tools like JIRA, an issue-tracking tool. It is how security gets instilled into the DevOps CI/CD pipeline, making it DevSecOps, which becomes useful for software developers and business organizations. Applications get secured using DevSecOps, and everyone involved with the software development pipeline gets included in the grand scheme of software development and testing.

The latest trend in DevSecOps ensures that the entire software development ecosystem is secure. It enables apt security decisions and tools according to the requirement. The DevSecOps environment provides constant monitoring and detection of any bugs or defects to enhance threat-hunting abilities. Observation showcases that DevSecOps reduce software development costs, improves accountability and collaboration, minimizes security logjams, ensures compliance, and provides a better security approach than before. Nowadays, software runs businesses as it powers operations and enhances transactions with communications. It follows to ensure the security of software applications and operating systems, which forms a priority for software development and security teams. Thus, the latest trends and best practices to integrate security into DevOps, or DevSecOps, play a vital role in the software development cycle.

DevSecOps: Development, Security, and Operations

The DevSecOps model focuses on practices that increase collaboration with security, development, and operations teams. As discussed, the main objective is to secure the software during a Software Development Cycle. Some examples of DevSecOps practices include security design reviews, a code scanning process for finding any security vulnerabilities and eliminating bugs that present legitimate threats.

Importance of DevSecOps

Software vulnerabilities become entry points to attacks launched by cybercriminals. These affect entire supply chains. Recently in 2021, software vulnerability got discovered in Apache Log4j. Log4j is a Java package that gets located in the Java logging systems. This software makes it easier for Java applications to log data. It gets widely used by all Java developers. Software engineers detected a remote code execution flaw in Log4j. It aided hackers in controlling data and systems. The discovered bug put millions of devices at risk. It included many internet-connected devices running specific versions of Log4j. Nowadays, digital businesses are reliant on software applications as it ensures security, which is extremely important. DevSecOps model secures these flaws through scans that filter out any issues that get rectified immediately. The research director of DevOps and DevSecOps at International Data Corporation (IDC) noted that software-application security and supply chain security got attention due to high-profile vulnerabilities like Log4j. IDC speculates a double-digit growth of the DevSecOps tools market by 2026.

Benefits of DevSecOps

Business organizations derive various benefits from adopting the DevSecOps model as it has strong software security than previous versions. Security-controls get put early on in the developmental stage before continuing to focus on security right through software design and production. The software development teams deliver secure-products with the use of the DevSecOps process. One another benefit is the increased collaboration between software design, development, production and security teams. The teams work together to mitigate any friction between them in the workplace environment. Software developers utilize the collaboration opportunity to gain new knowledge related to cyber security. DevSecOps facilitate faster software delivery. The process encourages teams to evaluate, revise, and test code at each step of the software development process. Software testing helps teams avoid complex and time-consuming revisions to fix security vulnerabilities during the software development-process. Research has shown that DevSecOps is an evolutionary model of DevOps. It evolves the core concepts of DevOps with a proper emphasis on security. As discussed, DevSecOps adds security layers to software development and operational processes facilitated by DevOps. DevOps and DevSecOps emphasize automation and team collaboration within an organization.

DevSecOps facilitates collaboration between software development and security professionals, whereas DevOps brings the development and operations teams together.

DevSecOps Tools

Business organizations deploy several software technology tools that support DevSecOps programs. The tools minimize risks in software development pipelines while keeping the production pace intact. It gets done by finding and rectifying vulnerabilities with continuous security testing processes. The DevSecOps tools aid security teams in efficiently managing the security of software development projects automatically. The vulnerability scanner is a DevSecOps tool that automatically scans software at various stages of development to look for vulnerabilities. The open-source vulnerability scanning and software composition analysis (SCA) identifies and compares the open-source components of software against vulnerability databases, software vendor advisories, and other security sources to detect bugs. As discussed before, SAST scanning enables software developers to scan source codes. The target here is weak or insecure coding that might have crept into software design. The software testing identifies possible security issues that need to get addressed. SAST gets integrated into the DevSecOps SDLC to ensure proper software fixing before it gets moved on to the next-stages of the SDLC pipeline.

A DevSecOps engineer works to secure code that increases demand for software design among professionals. One of the most important skills acquired by a DevSecOps engineer is the ability to test software applications for security flaws. They also need to know about the DevSecOps tools. Other possible skills include the knowledge of DevOps principles while understanding the working principles of programming languages like Java, Ruby, Perl, Python, and PHP. The DevSecOps engineers stay up to date on the latest cyber-security threats. These professionals should have analytics capabilities to determine the working nature of codes and what vulnerabilities could have emerged during the software development process. Software developers in software security increase their knowledge and advance their careers by earning the DevSecOps certification. The DevSecOps foundation offers certification programs through the DevOps institute that cover topics about the importance of DevOps and DevSecOps. These also include DevSecOps culture & management, general security considerations, identity and access management, and application and operational security.

Conclusion

The latest trends and best practices for integrating security into DevOps processes provide you with DevSecOps. It gets used by software developers and testers to scan for any bugs in the software applications developed. DevOps is all about speed and accuracy, and DevSecOps incorporates the most significant security element into the mix. The idea of DevSecOps got discovered in late 2021, and it has evolved into an essential factor that keeps growing. DevSecOps has become a vital element of importance used by all software developers, testers, and companies. Thus, DevOps gets strengthened by addition of security to its CI/CD pipeline.