Why Shift Left Will Be the Key to Securing Your Business in 2022
Developing applications quickly has always been the first most priority for developers. Traditionally, this puts them at the odds of testing them to fix any potential vulnerability. They used to code up to the last minute, which leaves no time to fix vulnerabilities for meeting deadlines.
In the past few years, this push-pull between developers and security has led many organizations to look for a way to build security deeper within the application development company lifecycle. The earlier developers find vulnerabilities, the less rework they will have to do. This need to embed security into the software development lifecycle (SDLC) gives birth to “Shift-left Security.” Shift left security practice can do wonders to diminish the risk of releasing your application with vulnerabilities. It will also help optimize the ongoing delivery chain by making security an integral part of the development process.
Defining Shift Left Security:
The simplest way to define Shift left security is moving security to the initial possible point in the SDLC process. The idea is to fix bugs by moving tasks to the left as early as possible in the development lifecycle. This new methodology, “shift-left security,” is a vital part of backing up the DevOps process. Businesses can streamline the development process and enhance pace with the focus on remediating vulnerabilities earlier in the SDLC. It also means to make security a part of the continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline for developers to form the cornerstone of DevOps practices.
Why Shift Left?
In the traditional SDLC, the left side of the process is kept for requirements, while the right side is for the testing and delivery. The problem with this practice is that it can’t handle changing requirements and expectations, which results in adverse outcomes for business such as;
- Unexpected errors
- Increased costs
- More time to market
According to research by Ponemon Institute, in 2017, “finding vulnerabilities in the earlier stages may cost you around $80 on average, but the same vulnerability may cost you around $7,500 to detect and fix after the development process.”
Key Benefits to Shift Left:
Enhanced accountability between non-security team members: Shift left practice helps your workforce understand that security is the key to success, and they need to make it a part of their daily work.
More code gets tested: Shifting left in the software development company life cycle will allow your team more opportunities for code to be scanned and security bugs to be remediated.
Much mature Planning: The shift-left approach is not just about technology; it’s also about people. Bringing a security DRI in your integral planning will ensure that your security account is required in all SDLC stages. It will also streamline end-of-cycle security reviews, diminish fraction among teams, and enhance the chances of hitting your deadline with a secured product.
Tips for effective DevSecOps
- Automate and integrate the security scans. Make scans pervasive so that every code change is reevaluated and vulnerabilities are found at their source of creation.
- Classify pain points and blocks between security and development, create a plan to resolve them, and then implement that plan.
- Evaluate the time wasted in dealing with vulnerabilities after code is implemented. Then, look for a pattern in the type or source of those vulnerabilities and make improvements.
- Provide access to SAST and DAST reports to the developers. While this is significant to remediate vulnerabilities, it’s also a helpful tool to help developers build secure coding practices.
- Build security scans into the developer’s workflow. Integrated security enables developers to find and fix vulnerabilities before the code leaves their hands. It also reduces the volume of vulnerabilities sent to the security team, streamlining their review.
- Make small code changes. More minor updates are easier to review and secure and can be launched more quickly than monolithic project changes.