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Developing Framework for DevSecOps Automation
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Developing Framework for DevSecOps Automation

DevSecOps mindset is pivotal, as most businesses embark on their digital transformation. Security is no longer confined to one area. Data breaches have escalated at an alarming rate in recent years, and there’s no sign of the trend slowing down soon. In 2021, data breaches hit new highs. By September 30, 2021, there were 1,291 data breaches compared to 1,108 in 2020, an increase of 17%, according to Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) research. These alarming insights make it imperative to have a solid DevSecOps Automation Framework.

Hackers are always looking for the most effective ways to spread malware and other malicious software. Consider the possibility that malicious code could be inserted into an app during development but would not be discovered until the app had been distributed to thousands of users. This is a nightmare scenario. The impact on both customers and businesses would be enormous, especially in today’s world, where bad news spreads so quickly.

The faster the pace of technology, the quicker business moves, and the more competitive the industry becomes. So how do we keep up? How do we stay one step ahead of cybercriminals? The answer is by implementing DevSecOps automation into our Software Value Stream. By implementing DevSecOps to automate your security practices and continually look for vulnerabilities in order to catch them before they’re exploited by cybercriminals. Once you’ve got DevSecOps automation set up, you’ll notice that security threats are detected earlier and more accurately than ever before! This article will show you how to make your DevSecOps automation framework the core of your IT security strategy.

According to Gartner, more than 70% of enterprise DevSecOps projects will feature automated security vulnerability and configuration scanning for open-source components and commercial packages by 2023, a significant increase from less than 30% in 2019.

Why is DevSecOps Automation necessary?

The IT infrastructure landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years. With cloud computing platforms, shared storage and data, and advanced applications, organizations are reaping the benefits of an agile and dynamic computing environment. The speed, scale, and functionality of applications have soared in recent years, but security and compliance aspects lagged far behind. Application security and deployment can be a challenge for developers. It’s time-consuming and error-prone to perform these tasks manually. As the time available for application development shrinks, manual deployment must be eliminated from the process. In order to bring development, operations, and security under one roof, DevSecOps Automation was introduced.

DevSecOps enables enterprises to design secure software quickly. Early detection of bugs and vulnerabilities can shorten development time leading to significant cost savings. DevSecOps puts security at the start of the development process in your software value stream and is an integral part of your entire SDLC. Security issues are addressed immediately as soon as they are found. So, before new dependencies creep in, potential vulnerabilities are addressed. Code is monitored and audited at every stage of development, making bug fixes quicker. Here are more concrete benefits of DevSecOps Automation:

  • Security boosts customer satisfaction.
  • Rapid response to change
  • More automated builds and QA testing
  • Early detection of code flaws
  • Team can focus on value generating activities
steps-to-create-framework-for-devsecops-automation

If you're going to successfully integrate security into your DevOps pipelines with a DevSecOps approach, then you'll need to use specific tools, resources, and procedures that can bring together developers, operations, and security teams on the same page.

The following are the steps to creating a framework for DevSecOps automation.

1. Identify your DevSecOps needs.

As you progress towards DevSecOps automation, it's crucial to evaluate your current security process. The abundance of DevSecOps tools and technologies can sometimes overwhelm software developers and security teams. DevSecOps tools and technologies that foster speed and accuracy should be emphasized. Establish a development strategy that adheres to security rules by utilizing the most appropriate resources. 

2. Verify Code Dependencies

Many businesses now outsource software development. A significant amount of each application's code is likely to come from third-party, open sources. Such software may have bugs and flaws that are not automatically detected or addressed. Developers rarely have time to evaluate code or documentation due to the strain of meeting customer demand.

Automated testing can play an important role in ensuring that open-source and third-party components are tested routinely. The DevSecOps methodology necessitates it. You need to find out if open-source usage is producing any flaws or vulnerabilities in your code before you use it in production. Find out how it affects other software. It will assist you in identifying problems that can be resolved in the interim.

It's possible for third-party code to have major flaws. Automated processes will be needed to ensure that third-party code does not have any known vulnerabilities and is being updated as it should be during the development phase of a product. They can check a database of known vulnerabilities for concerns with code dependencies. Prevent third-party threats from entering the program with this software.

3. Adopt the right DevSecOps tools

Selecting security tools is critical to the successful implementation of your DevSecOps Automation strategy. As CI/CD cycles become more agile, it's important that security technologies can seamlessly integrate into them, rather than impeding the process. Developers should be able to focus on their tasks without security concerns.  DevOps workflows rely on security tools that are fast, accurate, and actionable, without requiring developers and security teams to double-check their findings. Security tools also make it easier for coders to detect and prioritize security flaws while they write code, so they can fix them faster.

4. Implement a methodology for threat modeling

A threat modeling technique should be a part of the DevOps lifecycle to help developers in perceiving their software from the attacker's perspective. Thus, developers will learn to build secure code. A threat assessment can also help you find architectural and design flaws that previous security checks may have overlooked. However, threat modeling can slow down your CI/CD process and cannot be automated, but it is critical to having a solid security strategy.

5. Embrace Automation

Integrating security into DevSecOps processes is impossible without automating security technologies for code analysis, configuration management, patching and vulnerability management. DevSecOps Automation also lowers human error and the ensuing downtime. Prioritize the use of automated technologies to discover potential risks, susceptible code, and difficulties with the process and infrastructure. There will be fewer cultural barriers if the security process can be more closely aligned with the DevOps process.

6. Build security controls and vulnerability detection into CI/CD pipelines

DevSecOps teams should incorporate security testing and controls into the development process and is essential for a secure CI/CD pipeline. Building and releasing software faster is a primary goal of continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Test automation solutions come in a wide range of capabilities, from post-deployment monitoring to source code analysis. It is possible for teams to add manual approval gates at key points. Develop solutions that don't overburden CI/CD pipelines while yet allowing flexibility for varying tech stacks, security tools and environments.

7. Monitor your DevOps value stream.

Continuous monitoring is vital for DevSecOps. Various technologies for continual monitoring ensure security systems work effectively. It improves auditability, traceability, and security. Monitoring allows us to quickly discover and fix security issues, averting operational breakdowns. Improve the production user experience while avoiding costly rollbacks with continuous monitoring in place.

8. Security training for Developers

As a DevSecOps practitioner, you must ensure that your teams and team members are well-versed in all security procedures. Training helps teams better grasp their roles and responsibilities; and thereby lowering the likelihood of a data breach. Team members will have a clear idea of what they need to do to make DevSecOps automation a part of their daily routine.

Revitalize Your Security Now!

Creating a DevSecOps Automation framework is a significant undertaking, and there are many known and unknown obstacles to overcome. We must respond quickly to changing market conditions and new security threats. Security is a top priority at Qentelli, and we work hard to ensure that your application is ready for market as quickly as possible by increasing deployment frequency and delivering reliable, trustworthy releases.

Proper security measures should be implemented, especially in a world where security breaches can damage a company's reputation for years to come. If you're just getting started with DevSecOps or need help deciding on the right tools, send us an email at info@qentelli.com