“The absence of security in the initial stages of system engineering is the single most significant cybersecurity gap and risk in modern system development.” This quote from tech entrepreneur Linda Rawson is a good reminder for the current cybersecurity threat situation. With software supply chain attacks increasing in aggressiveness and sophistication, organizations need to understand that cybersecurity should no longer be an additional process, let alone an afterthought.

Integrating security in the software development process provides a few other benefits, including better efficiency and customer satisfaction. However, its most notable benefit is addressing cybersecurity threats more effectively compared to the conventional ways of enabling software security.

The Rise of DevSecOps

DevSecOps is a fast-rising star in today’s search for effective cybersecurity solutions. The DevSecOps market is expected to be worth $23.63 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 23.84% in the forecast period 2023-2030. Its value in 2022 was estimated at around $4.27 billion.

This double-digit growth is actually a bit conservative. Other forecasts showed higher CAGRs in the 30% range. This growth hints at the strong demand for DevSecOps solutions. Many organizations have started to acknowledge the benefits of implementing security validation methods early in the software development life cycle (SDLC) instead of doing them in bulk as a separate phase at the end of the development process.

Many organizations are now convinced that they can benefit from shifting left or bringing security into the SDLC earlier. Tools and solutions like static code analysis (SCA), automated dynamic analysis, interactive application security testing (IAST) and source composition analysis address security weaknesses before an application is released to the market. This allows organizations to release apps faster and, because of the elimination of most bugs and vulnerabilities, provide considerably better user experiences.

Vulnerabilities will never be completely eliminated, but they can be significantly reduced and more properly resolved while software is being developed if security validation is integrated in the development process. Some software defects and weaknesses tend to be more difficult to address through a separate security testing process, since it would entail a broader code tracing or review as opposed to quickly spotting the affected code when security validation is done alongside the development process.

Addressing Software Supply Chain Attacks

So, how does DevSecOps help prevent supply chain attacks? The key is in the visibility and control DevSecOps affords.

DevSecOps requires vigilance of security issues throughout the software development process. Security is not relegated to a different team that doesn’t understand the specifics of a development project. As such, the team has broad visibility over security concerns. Because the DevSecOps team also has mastery of the code being developed, it is easy to trace the origin of vulnerabilities and implement the necessary corrections.

DevSecOps is aided by automated tools that scan code for security issues and detect threats even before they manifest themselves as problems. These tools are used across all phases of the development process, from the time code bears basic features and functions to deployment and post-production.

Static testing: Even before an application’s code is ready to run, it can be subjected to static testing to find vulnerabilities. Tools such as static application security testing (SAST) can analyze code and detect possible security problems.

How does this address software supply chain attacks? Static testing can be overlaid on automated CI/CD pipelines to stop code that has security weaknesses from getting committed to the codebase.

Dynamic testing: An automated dynamic analysis can be used for code that is already executable. This is done through dynamic application security testing (DAST) tools, which are capable of detecting vulnerabilities usually invisible to SAST but which are detectable once the code is running.

How does this address software supply chain attacks? Organizations can implement automated black-box testing for apps in the CI/CD pipeline(s) to detect security flaws for apps that are already executable. This addresses the vulnerabilities that have not been detected by static testing while reducing the costs associated with the corresponding remediation.

Interactive app testing: This is a combination of static and dynamic testing. It employs IAST tools which run static testing on available code and come up with bespoke dynamic tests for a specific app to identify issues more thoroughly.

How does this address software supply chain attacks? Pure static and dynamic testing usually apply to earlier stages of the development process, whereas interactive testing addresses vulnerabilities that emerge in the later parts. By bringing IAST to the CI/CD pipeline, organizations achieve better security issue detection outcomes, which means the prevention of malicious code deployment.

Supply chain analysis: This entails the use of tools that specifically examine the security of third-party libraries and dependencies. To be clear, this is not the only method for addressing software supply chain vulnerabilities. In this case, supply chain merely refers to the external libraries, dependencies and other components that do not originate from the development team.

How does this address software supply chain attacks? Integrating software chain analysis tools in the CI/CD pipeline significantly reduces the adverse effects of vulnerabilities in dependencies and other components on a project’s codebase as well as on the development process itself.

Security-as-Code

One of the best practices developed in line with the integration of security in the software development process is the idea of implementing security-as-code. This means that security policies and measures such as testing and validation are turned into code whenever possible. In other words, the code itself already bears security mechanisms. Security testing runs automatically whenever code is committed. This ensures robust, consistent, highly scalable security that does not rely on external rules and mechanisms to prevent the introduction of anomalous code or malicious inputs.

Security-as-code also means that the DevSecOps team can see how modifications to code and the underlying infrastructure are created. The team can map out the impact of code changes and identify the areas where security tests and regulations can be implemented to optimize processes and avoid unnecessary delays.

Security-as-code is essentially the automation of security practices. It is not applicable in all instances, though, so it is still important to be knowledgeable about security testing methods that can be used in different stages of the development process.

Securing the Software Supply Chain

The SUNBURST incident and other similar high-profile attacks should serve as a warning for all organizations to ascertain the security of their software supply chain. DevSecOps is one of the best solutions right now. It does not guarantee the complete elimination of all threats, but it ensures that if threat actors succeed in getting around security controls, a breach won’t go unnoticed.