Emphasizing DevSecOps, this title describes integrated methods…

Shift Left: Start Security Early

The earlier you catch vulnerabilities, the cheaper and easier they are to fix. “Shift left” is a mindset that integrates security from the initial planning phase, rather than waiting until testing or deployment.

During planning:

• Define security requirements alongside functional requirements.
• Conduct threat modeling to identify potential attack surfaces.
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• Engage security stakeholders early—devs, security teams, product owners.

Tip: Build secure-by-design principles into architecture decisions.

Secure Design and Architecture Reviews

Security must be part of design validation—not just code review.

Best practices:

• Perform design risk assessments before development begins.
• Evaluate third-party services and libraries for potential risks.
• Use security design patterns to avoid common architecture flaws.

Adopt Secure Coding Standards

Developers are your first line of defense. Training and tooling help ensure secure code from day one.

Key actions:

• Use secure coding guidelines (e.g., OWASP, SEI CERT).
• Provide ongoing training for developers on common vulnerabilities (e.g., XSS, SQL injection).
• Integrate IDE plugins and linters that catch security issues as code is written.

Automate code quality and security checks wherever possible.

Integrate Automated Security Testing

Just like functional testing, security testing should be automated and continuous.

Tools and techniques:

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST) – Analyze source code for flaws.
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) – Test running applications for vulnerabilities.
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA) – Detect vulnerabilities in open-source components.
• Integrate security scans into your CI/CD pipeline to catch issues early.

Conduct Manual Security Assessments

Automation is powerful, but it’s not foolproof. Manual review is essential for nuanced analysis.

Include:

• Peer code reviews with security checklists.
• Penetration testing to simulate real-world attacks.
• Red team exercises for high-risk applications.