What is DevSecOps? Diff. between DevOps and DevSecOps

What is DevSecOps? Diff. between DevOps and DevSecOps

DevSecOps (development plus security plus operations) is a management approach that combines application development, security, operations, and infrastructure as code (IaaS) in a continuous, automated delivery cycle.

The main objective of DevSecOps is to automate, monitor, and apply security in all phases of the software life cycle: plan, develop, build, test, release, deliver, implement, operate and monitor. Applying security at every stage of the software development process enables continuous integration, lowering compliance costs and delivering software faster.

DevSecOps means that every employee and team is accountable for security from the start and must efficiently make decisions and put them into action without losing security.

How DevSecOps works

A typical DevSecOps workflow is as follows:

• Development is done within the version control system.
• Another team member analyzes the changes in the application. The employee does this by considering the component’s security weaknesses, the code’s maximum quality, and any possible bugs.
• The application is deployed within security settings.
• The application is tested in the back end, user interface, integration, and security through test automation.
• The application is moved to the production environment if it passes the test.
• In the production environment, various monitoring applications and security software monitor the application.

Differences between DevOps and DevSecOps

DevOps is a methodology under which developers and operations teams work together to create a more streamlined and agile deployment framework. DevSecOps aims to automate key security tasks by incorporating security controls and processes into the DevOps workflow. DevSecOps extends the DevOps culture of shared responsibility to include security practices.

DevOps and DevSecOps approaches are similar in some ways, including using automation and continuous processes to establish collaborative development cycles. However, DevOps prioritizes speed of delivery, while DevSecOps shifts security to the left, which means moving security to the earliest possible point in the development process.

Four tasks in a DevSecOps model must be performed or automated.

DevSecOps Benefits

The benefits of adopting DevSecOps include the following:

• Improvement of software quality and security;
• faster software delivery;
• improved communication and collaboration between teams;
• faster recovery speed in the event of a security incident;
• better implementations of cloud services with strong security protocols;
• faster response to changing customer needs;
• earlier identification and correction of vulnerabilities in the code;
• increased use of automation, especially regarding quality control testing; Y
• More opportunities for automated builds and QA testing.

DevSecOps Challenges

Some of the main challenges of implementing DevSecOps are the following:

• Teams are reluctant to integrate. The essence of DevSecOps is the integration of teams so that they can work together instead of independently. However, only some people are ready to make the switch because they are already used to current development processes.
• Tool Battle. Since the three teams have been working separately and using different metrics and tools, they need help to agree on where to integrate the tools and where it doesn’t. It takes work to bring together tools from multiple departments and integrate them into one platform. Therefore, the challenge is selecting the right tools and properly integrating them to build, deploy, and test the software continuously.
• Implement security in IC/DC. Security has generally been thought of as something that comes at the end of the development cycle. However, with DevSecOps, security is part of continuous integration and development (CI/DC). For DevSecOps to be successful, teams cannot expect DevOps processes and tools to adapt to old security methods. By integrating security controls into DevOps, organizations are embracing the new DevSecOps model to harness the full potential of CI/DC. When companies implement security or access control technologies early on, they ensure that those controls align with an IC/DC flow.

DevSecOps Tools

DevSecOps tools include the following:

• ThreatModeler is an automated threat modeling tool that can be deployed on-premises or in a cloud instance. ThreatModeler continuously monitors threat models for cloud computing environments, notifying users of updates and changes. ThreatModeler provides a bi-directional API to easily integrate with CI/DC tools, allowing teams to build secure infrastructures in the cloud. ThreatModeler offers reusable templates and built-in threat information and frameworks.
• Acunetix provides an all-in-one website security scanner to help developers find vulnerabilities as early as the development cycle. Acunetix enables organizations to protect their web assets from hackers by providing specialized technologies that developers can use to discover more problems and fix them quickly.
• Checkmarx offers a Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tool that looks for security vulnerabilities analyzed in code. This tool enables developers to deliver secure, fully scanned, and tested applications by incorporating security code analysis and testing into the development process. And Checkmarx integrates easily with any continuous integration and development environment or tool.
• Aqua Security is a security platform specializing in the security of containerized applications and their infrastructures, avoiding intrusions or vulnerabilities through the DevSecOps pipeline. Aqua has very strict runtime security processes and controls. This tool focuses on vulnerabilities related to network access and application images. Aqua integrates with various infrastructures, including Kubernetes, to protect clusters at the lowest network level and monitor container activity in real-time using machine learning-based behavior profiling.

DevSecOps Skills

DevSecOps engineers need the technical skills of IT security professionals, as well as knowledge of DevOps methodology. They also need in-depth cybersecurity knowledge, including the latest threats and trends.

Here are some of the top skills DevSecOps engineers need:

• Understanding of DevOps principles and culture;
• knowledge of programming languages, e.g., Perl, Java, Ruby, Python, and PHP;
• strong communication and teamwork skills;
• understanding of risk assessment and threat modeling techniques;
• up-to-date knowledge of cyber security threats, the latest software, and best practices; Y
• Understanding programs such as ThreatModeler, Chef, Puppet, Checkmarx, Immunio, and Aqua.

Best practices for supporting a DevSecOps team

Here are three best practices for supporting a DevSecOps team:

• Implement automation to protect the CI/DC environment. One of the key aspects of the IC/DC environment is speed. And that means automation is necessary to embed security into this environment, as is incorporating essential security controls and testing throughout the development lifecycle. Implementing automated security tests in the CI/DC pipelines is also important to enable real-time vulnerability scanning.
• Address the security issues of open-source technology. The use of open-source tools for application development is increasing. Therefore, organizations must address security concerns related to the use of such technologies. However, since developers are too busy to review open-source code, it is important to implement automated processes to manage open-source code and other third-party tools and technologies. For example, utilities like the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) can check for vulnerabilities in code that depend on open-source components.
• Integrate the application security system with the task management system. This will automatically create a list of failed tasks that the information security team can run. Additionally, it will provide actionable details, including the nature of the defect, its severity, and any mitigation needed. As such, the security team can fix issues before they end up in development and production environments.

What DevSecOps is not

DevSecOps is not about providing applications with an external security layer; it is about integrating security into each process and decision made during development.

With DevSecOps, the traditional practice of providing software with a security perimeter is abandoned, integrating security into each step taken during development.

What are the advantages of DevSecOps?

DevSecOps adapts the DevSecOps methodology to an environment where security is paramount. The advantages of embracing the DevSecOps philosophy for a company are:

guarantee delivery

Security issues are one of the main reasons software delivery is delayed. Fixing the code and eliminating security-related issues is very time-consuming and will lengthen the time it takes to deliver the product.

With integrated security, redundant patches and unnecessary builds are reduced,  speeding up delivery times and ensuring a high level of security.

Cost reduction

As with delivery times,  costs are reduced by not having to make constant changes for security reasons. With the planning and participation of security teams in all phases of development, security-related problems are minimized, achieving delivery at a lower cost.

Increase the level of security

The final product will have a  higher level of quality as proactive security is introduced throughout the development process. Not only is the delivered product more secure with DevSecOps, but when responding to incidents  (such as applying patches to eliminate vulnerabilities, for example), you react faster and more efficiently.

Automation of security tests at all levels

With DevSecOps, automated security tests and checks are added in all development phases, managing to implement a higher level of security in a continuous integration and continuous delivery system. These tests ensure that the code progresses to the next phase with an appropriate level of security.

Automating the vulnerability management process and open-source configuration scanning are two of the most widely used DevSecOps initiatives.

How DevSecOps is applied

DevOps practices must adapt to dynamic security guidelines, more appropriate for new cloud technologies, where security policies and other static tests must be clarified. To work in the cloud, DevSecOps is the best option, where it is necessary to prioritize security to allow truly secure and reliable applications to be delivered to clients.

The process or DevSecOps  process  to implement this methodology requires taking into account some important aspects:

• It is necessary to carry out a  code analysis in all phases of development, paying special attention to the detection of vulnerabilities.
• Identify the threats to which each update or modification of the code is exposed to have an immediate response ready in case it occurs.
• Vulnerability analysis to specify response and patching times.
• Code modification review system to guarantee its benefit about security.
• Implement a  monitoring system in all phases to ensure compliance with security policies and to be able to be ready for an audit at any time.
• Promote good security practices at all company levels (such as with specific training for development and operations teams, for example). The security team must foster a culture of security by design in all work teams and company members.
• Use the appropriate security tools to avoid creating bottlenecks during the different phases of development. Betting on automated security tools and agile methodologies is the best alternative so that the implemented security processes flow at the same pace as development.

DevSecOps has among its main objectives to decentralize the security of a company, sharing the responsibility of the security department with the other areas of the company.

Security should be one more requirement within the development flow, with the same importance as other aspects (such as performance).

Thanks to the DevSecOps philosophy, you will not only be ready to react quickly and effectively to an attack, but you are prepared to prevent it from happening.

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What is DevSecOps? Diff. between DevOps and DevSecOps