How an Effective AppSec Program Shifts Your Teams from Fixing to Building

Post Category :

Development teams are under tremendous stress in developing software applications with shorter lifecycles. But by making software solutions more innovative and multifold with operational usage, there comes the burden of fixing security vulnerabilities. The overall development lifecycle slows down due to agile development, specifically for the security testing phase. Inefficient ways of taking security measures to prevent software from cyber threats make the software development team spend more time firefighting bugs than building. This back-and-forth on security often diverts the focus of developers from the primary software development objective: delivering creative & high-performance software. 

But with effective use of the AppSec approach to program development, software engineers can move from emergency patching & merely fixing flaws to focusing on actively building secure, high-quality applications from the outset. This article is a comprehensive guide on how enterprises can design and implement an effective AppSec program that transforms their development processes, enabling teams to achieve greater efficiency, security, and innovation. Let us dig deep into how effective AppSec can shift your team’s focus from repetitive fixing to smooth and quick development. 

Reactive Software Security: The Traditional Approach 

Historically, developers have considered AppSec as an afterthought and not as a part of the development process at every phase. The reactive approach to security is a traditional technique where security experts, in collaboration with software engineers, aim at identifying & patching vulnerabilities after building the application or when the app hits a security flaw. In such an old and fragile approach to software development, the vulnerability scans are often performed late in the software development lifecycle (SDLC), leading to several challenges: 

1. Delayed Feedback Loops

In such traditional methods, the app developers receive security findings long after writing the code or sometimes when attackers have already exploited the system. Thus, it becomes difficult to contextualize and address issues effectively. 

2. Increased Costs

Resolving security vulnerabilities late in the SDLC significantly increases the expenses rather than addressing them during development. 

3. Development Bottlenecks

Providing security solutions based on reviews or previous attack postures stall deployment timelines. It creates friction & multiple back-and-forth between the app development and security teams. 

4. Reduced Morale & Reputation

Constantly finding & fixing vulnerabilities can frustrate developers and limit their proficiency to concentrate on building resourceful features. Also, having bugs post-deployment brings reputational damage to the software and the company. 

Compromising on Innovation or Software Security 

Software development companies often have pressing needs to release products and features as per the deadlines. That is where developers met tough decisions about releasing applications with potentially vulnerable code. According to the research by Checkmarx, application developers had to fulfil business requirements, innovative features, or security-related deadlines – but maintaining all three in parallel is tough. Thus, they had to ship code with vulnerabilities. 

Since the demand for shorter SDLC is increasing tremendously these days, the application development teams had to be in a successive loop of efficiently building & fixing flaws. But, going out of the loop to fix vulnerabilities and retesting the security aspects makes developers unproductive and frustrating. According to software development researchers, the time-to-delivery demands versus the magnitude of fixing vulnerabilities, including security demands, hinder development processes. 

That is where shifting from the traditional approach to software development to proactive AppSec can prove beneficial. 

The Era of Proactive AppSec 

Proactive Application Security (AppSec) refers to the forward-thinking approach to securing software solutions during the application development lifecycle. Rather than focusing entirely on building software functionalities or fixing vulnerabilities, AppSec emphasizes integrating security measures early and consistently during the design, development, and testing phases. This strategy aims to control vulnerabilities before they occur, declining the risk of security breaches and minimizing the cost and complexity of fixes. Here are some methods of how enterprises can foster cooperation between AppSec and development while keeping up the speed & delivery. 

1. Security by design

Proactive AppSec development focuses on security by design. In this principle, fixing security flaws begins at the beginning of the development process. It involves various processes like threat modeling, preparing a secure architecture by software architects, and standardizing secure development practices. 

2.Automate security testing

Another effective way developers can leverage proactive AppSec is by implementing automated security tests across the fast-paced DevOps pipelines. Automated tools can help identify preliminary bugs and malicious dependencies. It will then provide actionable feedback that developers can integrate to resolve in parallel to adding software functionalities.  

3. Implement DevSecOps Principles for AppSec

Developers can leverage the principles of DevOps while reinforcing security in the CI/CD pipeline. Such a philosophy will help app developers encourage close collaboration between development, security, and operations teams. It will also help embed code-based security solutions, set policies, & enable continuous monitoring.

4. Security in every phase

AppSec development methodology also helps developers leverage the power of security activities earlier in the SDLC. Hence, it aligns them with the secure development process. Developers can run lightweight security checks on code before it is committed to version control. It also enables the development and security teams to follow up with real-time feedback on security issues as they write code. 

All these approaches help bridge the gap between application security and performance metrics. Application development companies should clearly comprehend the fact that secure coding & code without bugs is itself a measure of performance in software development. If a breach occurs, it is a clear indication that the application is not functioning aptly. Security teams must collaborate closely with the developers to understand the real impacts to prevent loss of revenue and customer trust. 

Various Benefits of an Effective AppSec 

Proactive application security helps software developers prevent vulnerabilities early in the software development life cycle. Such an approach to application development offers significant benefits to the firm developing the app. Here are some noteworthy benefits of the AppSec approach. 

  • Through this approach, applications tend to become more secure with the early detection of potential vulnerabilities. 
  • Through AppSec, the development team can increase operational efficiency through tools like static and dynamic application security testing (SAST and DAST). Such tools ensure that the vulnerabilities are flagged automatically, reducing manual effort. Also, it helps streamline collaboration by introducing security into workflows and improving cross-functional teamwork. 
  • It enables developers to monitor continuously – while protecting apps from emerging & latest threats. Through this approach, developers can prevent sophisticated attacks on apps.  
  • Through AppSec, software developers & the company itself can improve their compliance & adhere to various software regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc. 
  • Impenetrable software can bring customer trust and enhance brand loyalty. Preventing apps from security breaches protects the organization from the reputational damage caused by cyberattacks. 
  • Secure applications reduce multiple back-and-forth. It helps eliminate operational downtime in different apps. A highly secured & tested application environment ensures uninterrupted operations, even under attempted cyber threats. 

Conclusion 

We hope this article has portrayed the feature-rich aspects of proactive AppSec for strategic & preventive approaches to software development. Incorporating security methodologies across every application development stage and fostering collaboration among teams can help bolster users’ safety, reduce risks, and build trustworthy yet resilient applications. Since we are in an era of DevOps, DevSecOps, and agile development methodology, application security must be a priority. Enterprises responsible for developing apps must shift from reactive application security methods to proactive & strategic secure app development. VE3 specialise in developing of applications that streamline workflow, automate business requirements, and drive digital transformation. Our expertise extends to modernising existing applications and building custom applications tailored to businesses specific needs. Contact us or Visit us for more information.

EVER EVOLVING | GAME CHANGING | DRIVING GROWTH