With developers under the constant pressure of completing the software development process expeditiously, more and more facets of the process are compelled to make a “shift-left”, and bob up in the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Given this circumstance, security can no longer be taken as a casual job especially when the code is being updated and delivered every few seconds and minutes.
That is where this “AppSec Shift-Left” movement comes into the spotlight. A strategy to audit code by discovering and eliminating software vulnerabilities without hampering the development process.
This blog will elucidate the need for AppSec shift-left approach and the application security tools that can be leveraged to patch the same issues.
The Need of Shift-Left Approach
The idea behind using the shift-left approach is to find vulnerabilities at an early stage in the SDLC in a fast and efficient manner. The earlier the development teams find bugs, the lesser is the rework they’ll have to do later. This is the reason why enterprises are setting up their developers responsible for application security.
As a result, developers will have to embed this approach asap as a part of their responsibility to keep security in check and deliver the applications on time, and in case errors occur, they can fix in on time and not throw it over the fence to let someone else take care of it.
How Application Security Tools Can Support Developers
Generally, developers have the common goal of producing secure, functional code within a deadline. To ensure security and functionality, they typically perform a code review process to debug their code.
Debugging code is not among the hopes and dreams of most of the developers. Plus, lengthy debugging sessions can delay the projects. So the ideal application security tools should help developers debug their code swiftly to boost their productivity and help them meet their deadlines.
All these accomplishments will encourage developers to use the tool to remove software vulnerabilities.
Additionally, whenever developers embrace these app security tools as a means to enhance their productivity, these tools are far more likely to showcase a material impact on vulnerability remediation.
Simply put, these application security tools reduce the amount of time they take for developers to debug their code. However, this is no easy task! To help developers produce secure, functional software on-time, these solutions must:
- Integrate into daily developer workflows. They shouldn’t interrupt development processes geared towards complying with the next deadline.
- Produce accurate and actionable results. Going forward, developers can fix vulnerabilities quickly once they have been identified.
Implement Shift-Left Approach With These Tools
Below mentioned tools, when implemented in CI/CD pipeline, will empower developers in finding the security loopholes, if any, at the right time.
- Fortify Static Code Analyzer (SCA) -
The Micro Focus Fortify Static Code Analyzer (SCA) can identify, analyze, and resolve complex issues efficiently as it scans massive amounts of code in a flash followed by immediate actionable results; making it convenient for developers to create secure code.
SCA plays an essential role in creating secure software by identifying vulnerabilities in software security architecture and application code with minimal effort & in negligible time; without compromising on the quality of the code.
- Black Duck -
Black Duck software composition analysis solutions and open source audits give you the insight you need to track the open source in your code, mitigate security & license compliance risks, and automatically enforce open source policies using your existing DevOps tools and processes.
Watch this video further to understand about AppSec Shift-Left Approach-
Open Source and Third-Party Software Audits
No matter what your organizations’ business is, you must be using open-source in one or the other way. The question that arises with the use of open-source is, whether you know how your organization is using it, what kind of licenses are playing the roles, and whether you can meet all of your license requirements.
To answer all these questions, an audit is conducted to find what kind of open-source software (OSS) is present within your code and what licenses that OSS falls under.
Black Duck, an open-source library analyzer, comprises of following features-
- Open Source and Third-Party Code Audit
Provides you with a complete open source bill of materials (BOM) for the target codebase; showing all open source components and associated license obligations and conflict analysis.
- Open Source Risk Assessment
It offers a detailed view of open source risks in the codebase, including known security vulnerabilities, using Black Duck Enhanced Vulnerability Data. It can serve as a high-level action plan to prioritize research and potential remediation actions.
- Web Services and API Risk Audit
Lists the external web services used by an application, with insight into potential legal and data privacy risks. It allows you to quickly evaluate web services risks across three key categories, i.e., governance, data privacy, and quality.
Conclusion
The software development life cycle (SDLC) is constantly increasing the pace and becoming more automated.
Developers must keep up with the pace and leave security behind with the shift-left approach. Considered as the fastest and most comprehensive tool, it can be easily integrated into DevOps pipelines to analyze the code, and boost security into digital SDLCs without compromising on the innovation part!
Srijan takes security issues as a serious threat to organizations’ valuable assets and progress. And so, to mitigate the risk, it has provided its clients with a solution to deal with it efficiently. You too can reach out to us for the same. Contact now!
