Ensure the Security of your App with a Secure SDLC

Security should be a key consideration in the design of any software application. A secure software development life cycle (SDLC) can help to ensure that security is built into your application from the start. This blog page discusses the importance of security by design in the software development lifecycle.

What is secure software development?

Secure SDL is a set of best practices aimed at incorporating security into the normal software development lifecycle, from concept to delivery. Most of the time, security testing was overlooked during the testing process, therefore end users discovered issues after distribution. Security tests were previously included at the end of the process. Bugs were fixed in future patches, however, weaknesses and more vulnerabilities were discovered afterward. These security flaws took a long time to resolve. The absence of security integration also increased the overall cost of the process.

Early implementation of security in SDLC

During the Planning stages, analysts compiled a list of needs from stakeholders. The programmers would then work on the design and architecture of the program. Only after the code had been thoroughly tested would the operations department start to plan for deployment. during the Testing phase, several bug fixing methods and application security audits would be performed by the organization. The security auditors would next present a list of weaknesses as well as a strategy for remedy. As you can see, security testing was done at the end of the lifecycle, immediately before release, in waterfall models. To mitigate the flaws, another cycle would be required to fix the bug. The issue would need rethinking, implementation of the modifications, and additional testing to ensure that it is remedied.

Why we need secure SDLC?

Secure SDLC models seek to incorporate security at all stages of the SDLC. In other words, security should be built in. By implementation of secure software development operations, security flaws are discovered early in the development cycle, which reduces the risk of being exploited. Moreover, addressing a bug discovered initially in the lifetime is far less expensive than fixing it later.

Modern implementation of security in SDLC

Security consistently increases software performance and overall protection. When security is built in, security training and education improve, allowing all stakeholders to be cognizant of each SDLC phase’s security guidelines and needs.

Early discovery and remediation of issues reduce costs while increasing speed. Aside from accelerating development and lowering costs, incorporating security throughout the SDLC aids in the early detection and mitigation of vulnerabilities, thereby lowering business risk.

You can implement security at the very start of the software development lifecycle with architecture analysis that you can implement at the design phase. You can conduct software testing and continuous scanning throughout development. You can finalize security assessments such as penetration testing before the deployment of the application.

Conclusion

This blog article demonstrates how security by design decreases the security vulnerabilities in your app and mitigates the effect once they are discovered. Security vulnerabilities may be resolved in the SDLC pipeline before delivery with a security by design mindset.

See also

Want to learn practical Secure Software Development skills? Enrol in MCSI’s MASE - Certified Application Security Engineer