Code Signing Best Practices
Download this Code Signing Best Practices guide to improve your software and supply chain security.
Today, delivering code fast has become a must — often to the detriment of security (unfortunately for everyone). However, as organizations move to the cloud (where most breaches are caused by misconfiguration, security can’t play Cinderella role anymore. Thus, traditional cybersecurity architectures and models are quickly becoming obsolete.
Find out how security as code can effectively replace more traditional (and outdated) security models. Discover how it can enable your organization to achieve a robust, scalable, and agile security program by strengthening the code at its core, right from the beginning. Learn how to get your developers to embrace security and your security specialists to think more like developers. Bring security to the heart of DevOps now.
Security as a code (SaC) is the methodology that implements security practices, tests and policies in every step of the software development life cycle (SDLC) shared by development, security and operations teams. How? By:
But what’s the overall goal of security as code? The SaC aims to codify security checks and processes into the SDLC and infrastructure to keep things moving along while also ensuring that the software released is as secure as possible.
Let’s consider this with the analogy of constructing a house. When building a house, the whole process is defined in advance through a series of steps:
This is much like how security as code works in an organization’s cybersecurity and development processes. With this methodology, security becomes an integral part of the entire software development life cycle (SDLC), right from the very beginning. Thanks to automated checks and tests performed during the whole process, vulnerabilities are identified earlier and quickly fixed. Thus, there aren’t nasty surprises at the time of release to have to deal with at the last moment.
Adopting a security as code approach is considered one of the best ways organizations can increase collaboration, agility, and security across their entire infrastructure by many businesses, including Microsoft and RedHat. All this without impacting quality and speed of delivery. In fact, security as code is considered so valuable and key for secure innovation that it’s been embraced by U.S. government bodies like the Department of Defense. You could even make this approach one of your software development best practices.
This sounds fantastic, right? But it also looks like some work will be needed to implement it so, why should you bother? What are the benefits? Let’s find it out.
Like Charles Kettering once said, “The world hates change, yet it’s the only thing that has brought progress.”
Changes are never easy and usually don’t happen overnight, above all when involving a cultural shift. And this is exactly what implementing security as code into your software development life cycle (SDLC) is; it’s a drastic change that’ll require you to win the hearts and minds of the teams involved and the leaders of your organization overall.
However, the greater the effort, the sweeter the reward — and let me tell you, implementing security as code comes with a plethora of benefits. Which ones? Well, for a start, security as code:
Not bad, huh? And these are just a few of the key benefits that your organization will be able to enjoy once security as code has been implemented.
Have you ever heard a developer complaining because the security guys came up with a new vulnerability to fix at the last minute? Security is sometimes seen as a pain in the neck by developers and organizations trying to release software as fast as possible. If you’re a developer or project manager, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
Imagine if you had a dime every time a piece of code you thought was ready for release had to undergo more back-and-forth between the developer, operations, and security teams. If you’re like most software creators, it’s likely that you’d probably be very rich right now because this back-and-forth exchange frequently happens! (Then you could be sitting on your private island’s beach, enjoying the sunset, and drinking out of a freshly opened coconut.)
Coming back to reality now — wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could avoid such delays? But wait, you can! All you have to do is implement security as code directly into the continuous integration and continuous development (CICD) pipeline. We’ll talk more about CICD and its close relations with security as code in a moment. What’s important now to understand is that security as code will enable you to automatically and continuously detect security vulnerabilities, making things much simpler, faster, and hassle-free. Goodbye, delayed releases!
The cloud environment is another perfect fit for security as code. Have you ever tried to make cloud deployments fit into traditional security processes? If you know a bit about the cloud, you’ll know that it’s basically impossible. Its environment and infrastructure are too complex, and the workload required would be immense.
Once again this is where security as code can come to the rescue: just replace those outdated processes with it and you’ll see the magic happen.
One of the characteristics of security as code’s process is automation. As security checks, tests and audits are automated, so is the whole DevSecOps environment. A related concept is known as infrastructure as code (IaC). This entails managing your organization’s IT infrastructure through configuration code instead of setting up each component manually.
As businesses increasingly move to the cloud, the development and operations teams have begun working together as DevOps. They’ve also included IaC in their framework. Why? Because it enables them to create and manage infrastructure using code, thus speeding up things immensely. So long, manually managed servers, databases, operating systems, and such!
Security as code builds upon the advantages brought by IaC, enhancing your development process even further. How? By shifting security to the left in the development life cycle. This is done, in part, by including codes running automated security screening, testing, and feedback loop in each step of the CICD pipelines like:
IaC, CI, CD, and security as code work together like the four musketeers (remember? All for one and one for all!). Once smoothly integrated, they’ll take your development life cycle process to the next level. The risk of including security vulnerabilities in your application will decrease, while your customers’ trust in your organization will grow.
Several tactics can help you bring security into your development process without undermining the rapid delivery and collaboration characterizing DevOps. Let’s have a look at the most important ones.
When everyone is responsible for making applications more secure, all team members should know what’s all about. This doesn’t mean that a developer or an administrator must become security experts. However, they must have the basic security skills that’ll enable them to collaborate and implement security as code. How?
There are several certifications and training to choose from, for developers, administrators, and security professionals alike. Many are available as online courses offered by organizations like the DevOps Institute, Exin, Practical DevSecOp, and GIAC:
Need to do something to enhance collaboration? Or are you looking for a tool that would help developers secure source code through iterative threat modeling? The tools listed below are just a few examples of what is available out there to support your teams in successfully implementing security as code:
Before you start filling in your teams’ toolbox though, make sure you do your research and check with your teams to see if they have recommendations. Then — and only then — select the right tools for your organization. Because remember: one size doesn’t fit all.
Having clearly defined and documented processes is crucial as they serve as the basis of your SDLC. Get them wrong and your plan of embedding security into your development process will fail. How can you then create a successful model for sustainable security?
You can have all the most wonderful technologies, processes, and skilled team members in the world, but if your organization’s culture doesn’t evolve to support the changes you need to make, then those changes won’t be successful. In the beginning, you may encounter a lot of difficulties and resistance from employees. But once the people within your organization understand the benefits coming from these changes, things will likely get easier.
How can you do that?
Because with security as code, security becomes a mindset and a goal common to all departments and teams.
Implementing security as code can be a significant shift for most organizations. However, adopting this approach will also help you save time, money, and resources in the long run and help you create more secure products. How? By enabling your teams to:
Long gone are those days when security was just an afterthought at the end of the development process. Security as code has now become a fundamental element of application development that empowers you and your teams to ensure a secure and compliant configuration.
So, are you ready to take the next step and switch to security as code? Then don’t miss our next article where you’ll learn some secure coding practices you can immediately implement. And, while you’re waiting, why don’t you find out more about secure DevOps and the difference with DevSecOps?