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What is the Secure SDLC?
The Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) is a
structured approach to embedding security throughout the entire
software development process.
It’s a modern evolution of the traditional SDLC.
The core idea is to shift security from a reactive, end-of-lifecycle
activity to a proactive, integrated part of every phase.
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Why the Shift to SSDLC?
Early Vulnerability Prevention: It is significantly cheaper and more
efficient to fix vulnerabilities in the requirements or design phase than
in production.
Regulatory Compliance: Provides a clear, traceable path of security
controls and evidence for auditors.
Increased Agility: Integrates security into DevOps pipelines
(DevSecOps), allowing for rapid, yet secure, releases.
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Achieving Secure SDLC Maturity
Three-step roadmap to achieve a mature SSDLC.
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Step 1: Baseline Assessment
Conduct a baseline assessment to understand the current security
posture.
Perform a gap analysis using industry frameworks like OWASP
SAMM (Software Assurance Maturity Model) to identify weaknesses.
This step provides a clear picture of what needs to be improved.
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Step 2: Pilot Projects
Start with small, manageable pilot projects.
These projects are used to validate new security controls and
processes.
The goal is to get ”quick wins” and build momentum before a full
enterprise rollout.
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Step 3: Enterprise Rollout
Expand the successful pilot projects across the entire organization.
This includes providing comprehensive training to developers and
engineers.
Establish a robust governance model to ensure continuous adherence
to security policies.
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The SSDLC in Action
Security is integrated into every phase of the traditional SDLC.
We will now detail the security activities for each phase.
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Phase 1: Requirements
Define Security Needs: Codify security requirements with the same
rigor as functional requirements.
Threat Intelligence: Use threat intelligence to understand the threat
landscape.
Abuse Cases: Define ”abuse cases” (what an attacker might do) in
addition to normal use cases.
This phase defines the security ”guardrails” for the entire project.
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Phase 2: Planning
Define Security Scope: Clearly define the scope of security coverage
for the project.
Establish Risk Budget: Determine the acceptable level of security
exposure or risk for the release.
Security Test Planning: Integrate security testing plans for static,
dynamic, and composition analysis into the project forecast.
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Phase 3: Design
Critical Control Point: The design phase is where architecture can
either enable security or introduce systemic weaknesses.
Threat Modeling: This is the most crucial activity of this phase.
Analyze the system’s design to identify potential threats and
vulnerabilities before any code is written.
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Phase 4: Implementation
Secure Coding: Developers write code following secure coding best
practices.
Automated Testing: Integrate Static Application Security
Testing (SAST) into the CI/CD pipeline.
Secure Code Reviews: Peer reviews focus on both functional
correctness and security flaws.
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Phase 5: Testing
Comprehensive Security Testing:
Static Analysis: Find flaws in the code itself.
Dynamic Analysis (DAST): Find flaws in the running application.
Composition Analysis: Scan for vulnerabilities in third-party and
open-source components.
Penetration Testing: Simulate an attack to find and exploit
real-world weaknesses.
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Phase 6: Deployment & Maintenance
Continuous Monitoring: Monitor the application for new threats
and vulnerabilities in real time.
Incident Response: Have a clear plan to handle and mitigate
security breaches.
Feedback Loop: Use security telemetry to improve the entire SSDLC
process.
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DevSecOps and Continuous Compliance
DevSecOps embeds security into the continuous integration and
continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline.
This approach generates a rich set of ”artifacts” that serve as
compliance evidence.
Examples include pass/fail logs, build signatures, and SBOM
(Software Bill of Materials) hashes.
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Security Metrics for Continuous Improvement
The article suggests extending DORA (DevOps Research and
Assessment) metrics with security KPIs.
Key Security KPIs:
Percentage of builds passing security gates on the first attempt.
Mean time to remediate critical vulnerabilities.
The number of vulnerabilities found in production.
These metrics help teams track their progress and continuously
improve their security posture.
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Summary
SSDLC moves security left, from a reactive to a proactive model.
A successful implementation provides regulatory assurance and
enables faster, more secure delivery.
The process is a continuous loop of assessment, implementation, and
improvement.
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