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Chapter 11: Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS)
Brook S. E. Schoenfield
Department of Information Systems Security,
ISOL 536: Security Architecture and Design
March 30,2024
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Agile approaches are widely used in today's fast-paced digital environment due to
their efficiency, flexibility, and iterative nature. But if security is not given enough
consideration, this speed-driven strategy may pose security threats. Traditional security
models frequently clash with agile principles because they depend on strict governance and
final-stage security reviews. Throughout the development lifecycle, security must be
seamlessly integrated to guarantee secure software development without compromising
agility.
A key to Agile velocity is to prevent roadblocks and bottlenecks in the process. In
other words, a bottleneck will be introduced if every project must go through a small number
of security architects who must pass every single project no matter how small or big
(Schoenfield, 2015).
Secure design makes sure that security is integrated from the beginning rather than
being added later. By being proactive, this strategy reduces weaknesses and fortifies system
security against online attacks. However, because of the quick development cycles, changing
requirements, and dependence on third parties, integrating security in agile environments can
be difficult. Security must not be a stumbling block but rather a cooperative, iterative process
that develops with the software.
Key Strategies for Implementing Secure Design in Agile
Embedding Threat Modeling Early: For the early detection and mitigation of
security threats, threat modeling is crucial. As system architecture changes, agile threat
modeling needs to be ongoing, in contrast to traditional security reviews that take place at the
conclusion. For new threats to be addressed before they become vulnerabilities, agile teams
should regularly reevaluate security risks during sprints (Geveye, 2023).
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Decentralizing Security Expertise: In agile environments, maintaining security
without impeding development is a significant challenge. By doing the following,
organizations can integrate security expertise into agile teams rather than having a small
group of security architects handle every security [Link] agile team should be
assigned a developer who has received security best practices training in order to proactively
address security issues. supplying security experts who assist several teams by providing
prompt advice when security issues emerge. By incorporating security knowledge into the
development process, this decentralized method removes bottlenecks and guarantees that
security is taken care of early on.
Security as Code and Automated Testing: Agile development places a strong
emphasis on automation, and security should be no different. To find vulnerabilities early,
security testing needs to be incorporated into continuous integration/continuous deployment
(CI/CD) pipelines. The following are important automated security procedures. Static
Application Security Testing (SAST) Scanning source code for security vulnerabilities before
deployment. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Identifying security flaws in
running applications through simulated attacks. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security
Ensuring secure cloud configurations and container security for cloud-native applications.
Automated Dependency Scanning Detecting vulnerabilities in third-party libraries to mitigate
supply chain risks. Agile teams can continuously verify security without halting development
by automating security testing, guaranteeing real-time defense against new threats.
Integrating Security into User Stories: Product requirements should incorporate
security directly rather than as an afterthought. By doing the following, agile teams can
incorporate [Link] security acceptance criteria for each user [Link]
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security-specific user stories. Teams can make sure security is taken into account in each
sprint by explicitly including security in development tasks.
Adopting a DevSecOps Approach: By incorporating security into the entire
software development lifecycle, DevSecOps expands on the concepts of DevOps. These are
important DevSecOps [Link] as Code (IaC) Security Automating security
configurations for cloud [Link] Security Scanning Docker and Kubernetes
environments for [Link] Security Monitoring Using tools like Security
Information and Event Management (SIEM) for real-time threat detection and
[Link] can be made a continuous, automated, and scalable process by teams
integrating it into DevOps pipelines (Hirschauer, 2022).
Security Sprints and Ongoing Training: Teams can proactively address
vulnerabilities instead of reactively addressing security issues by implementing regular
security-focused sprints. Organizations should also give developers continual security
training so that safe coding techniques become second nature. Development teams that are
security conscious make software more resilient and make fewer mistakes.
In Conclusion, Agile development requires a change from strict security governance
to ongoing, cooperative security integration in order to implement secure design.
Organizations can strike a balance between speed and security by implementing DevSecOps
principles, automating security testing, integrating security into user stories, and integrating
security expertise within teams. In order to achieve security goals without impeding agile
velocity, security must change in tandem with software development. Deep engagement,
continuous involvement, and a flexible strategy that combines security with agile principles
are essential for success.
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References
Geveye, M. O. (2023, December 8). Why is threat modeling so important in 2024?.
Centraleyes. [Link]
Hirschauer, J. (2022, May 11). DevSecOps Best practices. [Link].
[Link]
Schoenfield, B.S. E. (2015). Securing Systems. Taylor & Francis.
[Link]
