Secure Software Development Lifecycle

Security isn’t a final step—it’s a core requirement from the first line of code to deployment and maintenance. Adopting a secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) and DevSecOps practices helps you identify and fix vulnerabilities earlier, reduce remediation costs and deliver trustworthy applications.

Best Practices

• Threat modeling & requirements: Identify potential attack vectors and define security requirements during the design phase.
• Secure coding & code review: Follow industry standards (e.g., OWASP Top 10) and conduct peer reviews to catch mistakes before they ship.
• Automated security testing: Integrate static application security testing (SAST), dynamic testing (DAST) and software composition analysis into your CI/CD pipelines.
• Dependency & supply chain management: Monitor third‑party libraries and open‑source components for vulnerabilities and apply patches promptly.
• DevSecOps & continuous monitoring: Foster collaboration between development, security and operations teams to build security into daily workflows and monitor applications post‑deployment.

Benefits

• Reduce the number and severity of security flaws in production.
• Lower remediation costs by catching issues early in development.
• Improve compliance with industry standards and regulations.
• Increase customer trust in your products and services.

A mature secure development program complements penetration testing and zero trust strategies. By embedding security from the start, you lay the groundwork for resilient applications and systems that can withstand evolving threats.

Free Resources

• NIST SP 800‑218 (SSDF) – The Secure Software Development Framework outlines practices for integrating security into each phase of development.
• OWASP Secure Coding Practices Quick Reference Guide – A free checklist of secure coding principles for developers.
• CERT Secure Coding Standards – Guidance from the CERT Division for preventing common coding errors across languages.