SDLC Security: The Backbone of a Secure Software Development Life Cycle
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) emphasizes that security should be integrated into all phases of the SDLC, from planning and requirements gathering to design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. This approach addresses vulnerabilities early and minimizes risks across the entire lifecycle. For more details on NIST’s guidelines, refer to their NIST Secure SDLC Guide.
Before diving into the phases, teams must understand SDLC security. In a Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SSDLC), teams integrate security into every phase. They follow practices from frameworks like the NIST Secure SDLC Guide. This proactive approach addresses vulnerabilities early and reduces risks throughout the lifecycle.
Phases of Software Development Life Cycle and Their Security Requirements
What are the phases of the secure software development life cycle, and how does SDLC security fit into each? Each phase introduces specific security challenges, and embedding SDLC security practices into every step helps prevent vulnerabilities from becoming major risks. Here’s how Xygeni’s products secure each stage of the secure software development life cycle.
1. Planning and Requirement Analysis
The planning phase sets the foundation for the entire project. During this phase of the Software Development Life Cycle, teams gather requirements, define the scope of the project, and assess potential risks. This phase is crucial for integrating security from the beginning to prevent vulnerabilities later.
Xygeni’s Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) provides complete visibility into potential security risks during the planning phase. It automates the discovery of software assets and identifies risks before development even begins. Additionally, Software Supply Chain Security (SSCS) offers dependency mapping, ensuring that any third-party or open-source components being considered for the project are safe and secure.
2. Design
In the design phase of the Software Development Life Cycle, architects create the system architecture and determine how the software will function. They make crucial security decisions about managing sensitive data, protecting user access, and defending against threats.
To secure the design phase, Xygeni scans cloud infrastructure and system architecture for misconfigurations using its Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security. This prevents potential security flaws from being embedded in the design. Additionally, Secrets Security ensures proper management and security of sensitive data, such as API keys, passwords, and other credentials, throughout the design process.
3. Development
In the development phase of Software Development Life Cycle, the actual coding happens. Security is critical during this phase because poorly written code or integration of vulnerable components can introduce major security risks.
Xygeni’s ASPM continuously monitors the code as it is being developed, identifying security risks in real time. Developers can address these risks immediately using Auto-Remediation, part of Xygeni’s Open Source Security suite. This automatically fixes vulnerabilities in open-source components before they reach production.
At the same time, Real-Time Malware Detection ensures that third-party libraries and dependencies remain secure throughout the development process. Secrets Security adds another layer of protection by ensuring developers do not accidentally expose sensitive information in the code.
4. Testing
In the testing phase of Software Development Life Cycle, the software undergoes rigorous validation to ensure it functions as expected and is free from security vulnerabilities. Security testing is essential at this stage, as any undetected vulnerabilities could cause significant issues once the software is live.
Xygeni’s ASPM ensures that security vulnerabilities are detected and prioritized during the testing phase. It uses exploitability metrics to identify and prioritize critical vulnerabilities that pose the greatest real-world risks. At the same time, Real-Time Malware Detection from the Open Source Security suite continues to scan for threats in third-party components during testing.
Anomaly detection in SSCS continuously monitors for unusual behavior that could signal a potential threat during testing, ensuring that no suspicious activity goes unnoticed.
5. Deployment
During the deployment phase of the Software Development Life Cycle, developers release the software into the production environment. They must handle this phase carefully to ensure the software integrates securely into its live environment.
Xygeni’s Open Source Security suite plays a key role during deployment. Real-Time Malware Detection continues to monitor for vulnerabilities in open-source components after deployment, ensuring the software remains secure in production. Auto-Remediation fixes any new vulnerabilities automatically without requiring manual intervention.
Additionally, SSCS protects third-party and open-source components in the production environment, continuously scanning for new threats as the software operates live.
6. Maintenance
Even after deployment SDLC phase, the software requires ongoing maintenance to address any new security vulnerabilities, apply patches, and keep the system up to date. Without ongoing monitoring, previously undetected vulnerabilities or new threats could emerge, leaving the software exposed to attacks.
Xygeni’s ASPM provides continuous monitoring of the software’s security posture, ensuring that any vulnerabilities that emerge post-deployment are identified and remediated quickly. Combined with Real-Time Malware Detection from the Open Source Security suite, it protects the software against emerging threats in third-party components.
This comprehensive monitoring ensures that your software remains secure throughout its lifecycle.
Securing Every Phase of the Software Development Life Cycle: A Holistic Approach to SDLC Security
Understanding what are the phases of the software development life cycle is essential to developing secure, reliable software. By adopting the Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SSDLC), integrating security from planning to maintenance, you can significantly reduce vulnerabilities and protect your software from modern threats.
Xygeni’s suite of products provides end-to-end security for each phase of the secure software development life cycle. With tools like Software Supply Chain Security (SSCS), Application Security Posture Management (ASPM), Auto-Remediation, and Real-Time Malware Detection, Xygeni helps development teams secure their software from the first line of code to post-deployment.
