Developing A DevSecOps Pipeline: 8 Factors to Consider

Security is a huge challenge that impacts everyone in the digital world. Securing your business from malicious attacks and even competitors who try to make you feel inferior by pointing out security flaws in your product or service should be a top priority. Due to the increasing amount of cyber threats, there is a growing demand for highly secure apps in the market. By 2030, the DevSecOps market is predicted to grow from its current value of USD 3.73 billion to USD 41.66 billion at a CAGR of 30.76 percent. When using the DevSecOps pipeline to manage software development, you can ensure that security is tested at every stage, allowing you to identify issues quickly and fix them before they harm your brand or bottom line. In this article, we will talk about the most important considerations in building a DevSecOps pipeline in your organization to improve your software delivery process and increase the quality of software delivered to your customers.

A successful DevSecOps implementation necessitates proper planning, a deliberate mix of cross-team collaboration, a security-first mindset, and the end outcome is accelerated innovation.

Understanding the DevSecOps Pipeline

DevSecOps represents a sea change in the way companies approach software development. It is driven by the need to build new software quickly that is resilient, agile, and devoid of vulnerabilities. Creating an effective DevSecOps pipeline can help organizations to continuously integrate security testing and feedback into the development process, which ideally results in higher-quality code, fewer security incidents, and faster time to market. A DevSecOps pipeline is an automated approach that enables enterprises to produce secure software throughout the development, testing, and deployment processes. By integrating security, enterprises can minimize the attack surface of their software to lower the risk of exploitation by cyber criminals and hackers. The purpose of implementing a DevSecOps pipeline is to ensure that security loopholes are discovered and fixed before the software is deployed and minimize the potential to cause damage to your infrastructure, data, or users.

A typical DevSecOps pipeline has several stages, like the standard SDLC process, which includes steps like planning, coding, building, testing, releasing, and deploying. Each phase of the DevSecOps process has its own set of security checks.

Plan: Develop a test plan to identify the scenarios for where, how, and when testing will occur.

Code: Secure API keys and passwords by adding linters and Git controls.

Build: During the build process, use Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools to discover problems in code before pushing it to the next stage.

Test: Make sure your app is secure by using Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools while it’s running! Using these tools, you can find errors in the user authentication and authorization, SQL injection, and API-related parts of these tools.

Release: Before releasing the application, use security analysis tools to undertake rigorous penetration testing and vulnerability scanning.

Deploy: After running the above tests in production, send a secure build to production

The most important considerations in building a DevSecOps pipeline

Organizations struggle to keep up with the demands of customers in today’s fast-paced world. To stay competitive, firms are increasingly looking to DevSecOps as a crucial differentiator. But how can companies ensure their DevSecOps pipelines deliver value? Consider these 8 factors when building your DevSecOps pipeline.

1. Security scanners for containers

Applications are increasingly being deployed in containers, but this poses some security risks. As the number of container images grows, it is critical to scan for vulnerabilities, malicious files, and compliance issues. Container scanning compares the contents of an image to a database of vulnerabilities. The tools mark the container as insecure if any of the libraries or dependencies within it are vulnerable. Detection of unknown vulnerabilities is one of the main drawbacks of container scanning. For example, if a container image makes use of a library that contains a security flaw but is not listed in the vulnerability database, it may go undetected. Container scanning is simply one step in the DevSecOps pipeline, which should not be overlooked. It can help identify and avoid known vulnerabilities early in the SDLC.

2. Pre-commit hooks and Security Plug-ins

Security controls may slow down the development process, which is a major concern for software developers & businesses. A slowdown occurs when security checks begin at the start of a DevSecOps pipeline. After sending the code to the repository, the developer discovers the potential flaw. IDE security plug-ins and pre-commit hooks can help speed up the process and provide rapid feedback. IDE security plug-ins identify security issues while developing in the developer’s preferred IDE. Plug-ins can alert developers if their code or a third-party library or package contains a potential security flaw.

3. Automate CI security testing

Build in quality checks like automated tests for unit integration and acceptance tests to make sure that your CI/CD pipeline is secure. Check pre-built container images for known security flaws as part of the build process.

4. Automate security tests in the acceptance test process

Input validation checks and features for confirming authenticity, identification, and authorization should be automated if possible. Password creation and authentication are examples of functional security tests, while non-functional security tests include testing for vulnerabilities in the program’s logic and the security of the application and its infrastructure.

5. Manage access controls for CI/CD

In CI/CD pipelines, access controls are used to ensure the security of tools and resources. This safeguards application development from any type of intrusion. To guarantee that only the people on the team who need a CI/CD pipeline have access, it should be protected by access keys, passwords, and other controls. The notion of least privilege and minimizing the risk of attackers gaining access to a CI/CD environment can be achieved by adhering to these procedures.

6. Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Static Application Security Testing is a white box vulnerability scanning tool that scans the source code, binary code, or byte code of an application for vulnerabilities. It identifies the root causes of vulnerabilities and helps in resolving underlying security issues. SAST solutions analyze an application from the inside out and do not require a working system to scan. SAST reduces application security risks by alerting developers to potential vulnerabilities introduced into the code during development. It helps developers learn about security while developing, enabling faster vulnerability detection and collaborative auditing. This allows developers to build more secure code, resulting in a more secure application. In order to use SAST applications properly, users must understand that a single scan of the source code and subsequent issue fixes are insufficient. This approach will undoubtedly cause delays and intractable issues. To avoid future delays, SAST must be included in the CI/CD workflow.

7. Dependency management

Utilizing external packages and libraries can speed up the development process by allowing developers to implement functionality without having to write all the code, but one has to be mindful of the security aspects. It is critical to address potential risks when implementing dependencies in source code and especially if they are open source. Developer teams should know the various components in their apps and ensure that secure and up-to-date versions are downloaded from trusted sources. Tools like OWASP-Dependency-Check and WhiteSource can be useful.

8. Ensure Pipeline Monitoring

A DevSecOps pipeline should be continuously monitored at the infrastructure, application, and network levels. This allows DevOps teams to continuously improve their security decisions and stay ahead of the curve. A diverse set of tools & technologies simplifies monitoring at all levels of your SDLC. There are tools and processes in place to monitor networks, hardware, performance, and the status of currently running applications. These monitoring tools scan network activities for security vulnerabilities. 

Establish your own DevSecOps pipeline for secure code delivery

To successfully implement the DevSecOps pipeline, your organization will have to overcome some significant barriers. It’s difficult to build a pipeline from development to production with baked-in security when you don’t know where to start or what each stage entails. Qentelli provides a complete solution for implementing DevSecOps. By creating your own DevSecOps pipeline, you can deliver secure software quickly and efficiently, allowing you to compete better in today’s fast-paced world. DevSecOps promises to be a game-changer for businesses. There are bound to be some initial setbacks, but the long-term benefits of DevSecOps are undeniable. If you need help in implementing a secure DevSecOps pipeline, all you need to do is drop an email at info@qentelli.com