Securing the software development lifecycle (SDLC) comprehensively indeed demands the deployment of various tools, but managing this array of tools can sometimes lead to discord rather than harmony in DevSecOps processes. The root of this issue lies in the fact that each security tool used in the software supply chain operates independently, conducting scans and generating alerts without sufficient context. As a result, these alerts may be redundant, lack coherence, or even contradict each other.
DevOps Security Conundrum
Software engineers and developers maintaining applications are often burdened with correlating numerous alerts to proactively respond to security-related issues, an approach to meeting security requirements for deploying changes to upstream environments. The reality, on the other hand, is that not all flagged vulnerabilities, especially those labeled as high or critical severity, can be addressed promptly. Typically, development teams can only tackle around 10% of their vulnerability backlog in a given month due to bandwidth constraints. Therefore, it becomes crucial to prioritize the vulnerability backlog based on impact rather than severity. By focusing on vulnerabilities with the most significant potential impact, development teams stand a better chance of improving their security posture effectively. This approach ensures that limited resources are allocated efficiently to mitigate the most critical risks first.
Constant alert storms not only cause fatigue but also introduce a real risk of false negatives – the critical issues that slip through the crack and go unnoticed.
Security Flaw or Total Lack Of Security
DevSecOps workflows in modern software development is pretty much akin to sections of an orchestra playing with no score, rather relying on the hope that a consistent methodology for securing the software supply chain will happen magically
What’s clearly lacking is an orchestration framework that initiates the security process in response to changes within the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Ideally, this framework seamlessly integrates with CI/CD workflows but operates independently, creating a harmonious symphony that enhances an organization’s security posture.
DevSecOps Challenges
Development teams use a plethora of technologies, each having distinct functions, for application development in microservices-based as well as cloud-native environments. Each technology could depend on a specialized tool which basically is code. Beyond that code, when we consider infrastructure pipelines, binaries, data and identity, the tooling framework becomes extensive, with a plethora of policies against which every change must be assessed.
Contain scanning can certainly be a periodic task that you perform prior to deployment.
Certainly, periodic scanning of containers before deploying to production can be sufficient in environments where releases occur monthly. Even under this circumstance, the argument however is that by the time vulnerabilities are detected, it’s already too late, and efficiency has been compromised.
Likewise, the essence of deploying a microservice-based architecture is its scalability and agility in building and deploying applications swiftly. Ideally, you aim to release features rapidly to meet customer demands. With a high frequency of changes, traditional point-in-time assessments may not suffice to protect assets effectively. Each commit carries the potential to introduce new risks, which may only be discovered too late if reliant solely on point-in-time assessments.
More Mean Less
Here is something to chew on: every organization wants to deliver error-free software but the reason applications get deployed often with vulnerabilities lies in the obnoxious yet avoidable security as well as remediation mechanisms. While a small fraction of time – 10% to 20% of deployment timeline is supposed to go into security and remediation, developers and engineers end up spending a lot more time. To foster more secure applications, organizations must simplify the process for developers to correlate, prioritize, and contextualize vulnerabilities as they arise. Often, when developers are notified of vulnerabilities in their code, they lose context.
The Solution
On the other hand, proper adoption of security in software development is not unconnected with leveraging tool-agnostic mechanisms for security orchestration across CI/CD pipelines. This approach ensures that security measures are applied consistently from the initial commit to production deployments and beyond. With real-time assessment of every change, its impact is projected across development, operations, and security domains, prompting clear and actionable responses.
Adopting this approach also offers a more extensible and scalable framework for organizations as they progress through their DevSecOps adoption journey.
Simplifying security implementation can also come inform of partnering with a niche DevOps company to help organization navigate today’s complex landscape of modern software development. At OpsBee Technologies, we have the resources, capability, expertise and experience to help you streamline your DevSecOps workflow and boost your software development capacity.