Hey there! Have you heard of this concept called "DevSecOps" and wondered how exactly it fits in with DevOps? As someone who has tested applications on over 3500 browser and device combinations, security vulnerabilities are top of mind for me.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll break down how DevSecOps builds upon DevOps to bake security in from the start. Stick with me to understand the key differences, why DevSecOps matters, and how to layer it into your practices.
Let‘s Level Set: What is DevOps Again?
Before explaining DevSecOps, it‘s worth recapping what DevOps is all about.
The key goals of DevOps are to:
- Tightly align development and operations teams
- Promote collaboration between these two historically siloed groups
- Drive faster release cycles and reliable deployments
- Enable scalability through extensive automation
Research shows strong adoption with 87% of organizations implementing DevOps in some form over the past few years.
DevOps has transformed release cycles. Back when I started cross-browser testing in 2010, monthly or quarterly releases were normal. Now teams ship multiple changes per day!
However, DevOps alone does not focus heavily on security – that‘s where DevSecOps comes in.
DevSecOps: Bringing Security Into Focus
DevSecOps injects security deep into DevOps culture, tools and workflows.
It expands cross-team collaboration to include security teams. Security becomes everyone‘s responsibility – not just a separate silo.
Key goals of DevSecOps include:
- Embed security early via "shift left" mentality
- Break down walls between dev, ops and security teams
- Promote "security as code" practices
- Identify issues pre-production through automation
For example, leading DevSecOps teams:
- Architect security requirements before writing code
- Automate security unit tests as part of CI/CD pipelines
- Scan infrastructure-as-code templates for misconfigurations
- Perform penetration tests on staging environments
This end-to-end approach is critical. A 2022 study found 45% of security leaders feel DevOps creates critical application security risks. DevSecOps closes this gap.
Why Layer in Security: Key Benefits
Here are 5 compelling benefits driving DevSecOps adoption:
1. Meet Compliance and Regulations
Applications today need to adhere to growing regulations around data security and privacy based on your geography and industry:
- Healthcare apps must meet HIPAA
- Fintech software faces PCI DSS and SOC 2
- Companies handling PII must comply with GDPR
Building compliance in from the start with DevSecOps is far easier than retrofitting it later.
2. Reduce Breach Impact Costs
According to IBM, the average data breach costs surveyed companies $4.35 million. And they found having an incident response team and extensive testing reduces costs considerably.
Catching issues pre-production is much cheaper than post-launch rework. Tight integration with security reduces response times and lowers costs.
3. Improve Release Velocity
A 2022 State of DevSecOps report found security automation accelerates deployment velocity by freeing up developer time and shortening feedback loops.
4. Prevent Future Attacks
95% of Cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error according to a multi-year study by Cybersecurity Insiders. Common oversights include:
- Effectiveness gaps in testing
- Misconfigured cloud resources
- Missed patches and updates
DevSecOps review gates prevent many common yet damaging oversights.
5. Build Customer Trust
Finally, embedding security deeply enhances customer trust in your brand. Buyers value security posture, especially with digital solutions holding sensitive data.
Prioritizing protection signals commitment to do right by customer data. That matters deeply today.
With these compelling reasons covered, let‘s explore how DevSecOps works.
Mapping Out the DevSecOps Workflow
DevSecOps tightly integrates security across the software development life cycle (SDLC):
![DevSecOps stages illustration]
Let me walk you what effective security integration looks like at each phase:
1. Plan
In the planning phase, teams:
- Threat model based on design specs early
- Outline security requirements needed
- Specify security tools and controls to integrate
This preventive planning lays the groundwork for building securely.
2. Code
With foundations set, developers start crafting the application.
Secure coding best practices include:
- Using trusted libraries and frameworks
- Sanitizing inputs and outputs
- Following guidelines like OWASP Top 10
Code reviews and static analysis also help identify issues early.
3. Build
The next phase takes code and compiles it ready for testing.
Key build security steps:
- SAST scan on source code
- SCA check on third-party libraries
- License compliance on open-source usage
- Flag known vulnerable component versions
Remediating risks here prevents many headaches downstream!
4. Test
Now it‘s time to validate functionality and security.
Testing security involves:
- Pen testing on infrastructure
- DAST scanning on running apps
- IAST to check flows in production-like systems
- Confirm all controls active in test environments
I‘ve seen clever testers bypass application security far too often during my career! Extensive testing prevents unseen gaps.
5. Release
Before promoting to production, security reviews continue.
Teams will:
- Analyze infrastructure configs
- Confirm hardening of networks, policies
- Validate production-ready controls and certs
I once saw an app launch halted last minute due to an expired TLS certificate! The release process helps catch such misses.
6. Deploy
With all bases covered, applications go live!
Post-deployment:
- Monitor attacks, anomalies and threats 24/7
- Respond swiftly to intrusions through proven processes
- Continue security hygiene via patching and upgrades
Think your job is done once live? Not so! Runtime vigilance is key.
Now that we‘ve covered the end-to-end workflow, let‘s look at critical components for making this stick.
4 Essential Ingredients for DevSecOps Success
Based on patterns I‘ve seen testing leading implementations, DevSecOps relies on:
1. Cross-team Collaboration
The hardest yet most vital step is culturally embracing security as everyone‘s responsibility – not just a separate team.
Developers, testers and ops engineers must partner closely with security champions.
2. Strict Access Controls
With many hands in the pot, strict access controls and change tracking promotes accountability.
Limit data and system access to just what each persona requires. Closely govern changes too.
3. Secured Foundations
Choosing hardened tools and cloud services certified to meet security and compliance bars sets a robust foundation.
For example, services like BrowserStack with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance support building securely.
4. Continuous Auditing
Finally, you must iterate and improve constantly via frequent risk reviews and penetration testing.
Compliance is not "one and done!" Meet evolving standards through continual audits.
Now that you understand the components, let‘s clearly distinguish DevOps and DevSecOps.
DevOps vs DevSecOps: Key Differences Summarized
While the two approaches overlap, some marked differences exist as this table summarizes:
| Factor | DevOps | DevSecOps |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Speed to market | Security + speed |
| Ownership | Distributed | Shared security responsibility |
| Monitoring | App performance | Adds security monitoring |
| Automation | CI/CD and testing | + security testing |
| Mindset | Release velocity | Security first |
Expanding focus, tools and culture to address security moves the needle from DevOps to DevSecOps.
Automation Makes it Happen
Heavy automation fuels both DevOps and DevSecOps transitions.
DevSecOps layers additional test automation including:
- Static application security testing (SAST)
- Infrastructure security scanning
- Interactive app security tests (IAST)
- Dynamic application security testing (DAST)
- External penetration testing
Integrating security checks into existing functional testing, infrastructure management and deployment workflows is key.
For example, BrowserStack App Automate enables automation across 3000+ real mobile and desktop browsers. Customers can further integrate tools like ZAP proxy for added security checks.
Tracking Metrics for Continual Improvement
To gauge progress, teams should track security key performance indicators (KPIs) like:
- Lead time to remediate vulnerabilities
- Application risk posture over time
- Pass percentage of compliance controls
- Test coverage for OWASP top 10 categories
![Sample DevSecOps Metrics Dashboard]
Visibility into security and compliance health is critical for continual improvement.
Making the Shift: My Top 5 Insider Tips
After observing hundreds of teams attempt DevOps and DevSecOps moves over the past decade, here are my top recommendations:
Start small. Running a security gateway on a key pipeline or piloting on low-risk apps lets you walk before running.
Prioritize by risk level. Can‘t boil the ocean so focus controls on high sensitivity areas first.
Involve security champions early. Collaboration falters if they only review late in cycles.
Educate relentlessly. Culture changes require strong change management through training.
Automate aggressively. Manual security checks don‘t scale. Bake them into existing automation flows.
Those tips will smooth your path. Of course many nuances apply across industries, tool stacks and teams.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, I hope you now grasp why DevSecOps matters, how it expands DevOps with security and key ways to layer it in.
Transforming culture, tools and workflows brings huge advantages but takes patience too. Take it step-by-step.
And feel free to reach out if any other testing, security or deployment questions come up! Happy to help Troubleshoot.
