Enhancing Secure Software Development With ASOC Platforms

The rise in cybercrime, coupled with the pressing need for fresh products and the push to speed up development, is making the adoption of DevSecOps essential. Industry analysts note that about 77% of development teams are already on board with this approach. Nowadays, an increasing number of businesses are opting for Application Security Orchestration and Correlation (ASOC) within DevSecOps frameworks to ensure secure software development.

ASOC-Type DevSecOps Systems

DevSecOps stands out from traditional development methods by weaving security into every phase of software creation right from the start. There are many ways to adopt DevSecOps. For those looking to avoid complicated setups, the market offers ASOC-based solutions. These solutions can help companies save time, money, and labor resources while also reducing the time to market for their products.

ASOC platforms enhance the effectiveness of security testing and maintain the security of software in development without delaying delivery. Gartner's Hype Cycle for Application Security, 2021, indicated that the market penetration of these solutions ranged from 5 to 20% among the intended clients. The practical uptake of this technology is low primarily because of limited awareness about its availability and benefits.

ASOC solutions incorporate Application Security Testing (AST) tools into existing CI/CD pipelines, facilitating transparent and real-time collaboration between engineering teams and information security experts. These platforms offer orchestration capabilities, meaning they set up and execute security pipelines, as well as carry out correlation analysis of issues identified by AST tools, further aggregating this data for comprehensive insight.

ASOC tools can generate documents and reports on security and associated business risks based on their analysis. By orchestrating and correlating within the DevSecOps framework, they handle an extensive array of data from development, testing, and security processes in real-time. This wealth of information enables a dynamic feedback loop with the platform, allowing for the intelligent oversight of the entire secure software lifecycle.

Smart Control Setup

Data analysis tools can be integrated into ASOC class platforms by developing an additional module dedicated to consolidating, storing, and analyzing the collected information. Here is how it is done:

1. Gather data from software development and security scanning tools, then upload it into a dedicated data warehouse.
2. Establish a set of metrics derived from the collected data.
3. Incorporate business context into these metrics and identify key performance indicators (KPIs).
4. Create dashboards to manage the DevSecOps platform using the original data, metrics, and KPIs.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are revolutionizing how we analyze collected data, enabling us to swiftly adapt to changes and refine the software delivery process. To leverage smart management of the ASOC platform, it is possible to tweak the implementation steps for the data-handling module. The initial three steps remain unchanged, but the fourth step involves employing AI and ML to process the raw data, metrics, and KPIs. This allows for the creation of dashboards that streamline the management of the DevSecOps platform based on this enhanced data analysis. 

Through the lens of ASOC practices, AI and ML significantly boost the efficiency of orchestration and correlation tasks.

Orchestration

Automated Software Quality Assurance

AI within ASOC-class platforms has the smarts to dynamically set up the components and criteria needed at each checkpoint for assessing software quality, drawing from a pool of collected data and metrics. This AI-driven approach to defining quality control points lets you know if a build is primed for the next phase in its lifecycle. Leveraging AI, you can move artifacts through the DevSecOps pipeline with maximum automation. Decisions on progression are made after scanning builds in different environments, paving the way for swift and consistent releases.

Automated quality control checkpoints can encompass various Application Security Testing practices. The configuration of these checkpoints can dynamically adapt depending on the stage of the security pipeline. As such, it is feasible to establish checkpoints within CI/CD pipelines and tailor their criteria, offering a powerful means to oversee and manage software quality.

CI/CD Pipeline as Code

For large-scale DevSecOps implementations, managing CI/CD pipelines as code presents clear benefits. Companies that adopt this strategy gain a powerful tool to enhance their software deployment, launch, management, and monitoring processes. Modern ASOC solutions enable the construction of security pipelines "out of the box" at the click of a button. AI and ML technologies improve this by automatically identifying software components and setting up CI/CD pipelines that meet exact quality standards.

AI assists in cataloging software artifacts, automatically setting up end-to-end pipelines, and proactively integrating calls to information security tools, all while being guided by the context and various parameters of the product under development. AI technologies within ASOC frameworks also dynamically adjust the sequence and quantity of software quality control checkpoints within each CI/CD pipeline. This method significantly speeds up product releases, as the entire process - from the initial commit to the launch of the final version - is meticulously overseen.

Correlation

Application Vulnerability Correlation

ASOC technologies enable the creation of an Application Vulnerability Correlation (AVC) mechanism that correlates security issues using data from software testing tools. This process involves an ML model that can automatically sift through the noise to eliminate false positives, spot duplicates, and similar security issues, and then consolidate them into a single identified defect.

This mechanism significantly reduces the time needed to address security issues, allowing the team to concentrate on critical vulnerabilities and enhance the speed of threat detection in the developed software.

Software Vulnerabilities Quick-Fix Guides

Any set of detected issues always contains common vulnerabilities, including some critical ones, that can be fixed easily. AVC technology steps in to identify and rank information security vulnerabilities, offering automated advice on how to fix these issues.

ASOC platforms collect vulnerability data from a range of security scanners, including SAST, SCA, DAST, and others. By integrating AVC technologies and providing them with comprehensive standards and detailed secure coding recommendations, it becomes possible to generate secure code templates. These templates are customized to align with the specifics of the company's DevSecOps implementation, further enhancing security measures.

Security Compliance Management Simplified

In software development, adhering to industry security standards and regulatory requirements is always a critical aspect. The process of managing these requirements can be fully automated within the product lifecycle, easing task execution within the company.

Automated checks help ensure that all standards and requirements are met. With ASOC platforms, AI and ML technologies enable ongoing monitoring of security compliance, leveraging software quality checkpoints and predictive analytics. This monitoring provides the development team with a clear verdict on whether the developed software fulfills the necessary criteria.

Evaluating the Return on Investment for ASOC Platforms

Investing in ASOC platforms requires an assessment of the potential return on investment (ROI), which includes considerations of cost, time savings, and improved security. To evaluate ROI:

• Cost savings: Calculate the cost savings resulting from the reduced need for manual security testing and the potential reduction in security incidents and breaches.
• Time efficiency: Assess the time saved by automating security testing and integration within the CI/CD pipeline. Faster detection and remediation of vulnerabilities accelerate development cycles.
• Improved security: Consider the value of a stronger security posture, including the potential to avoid regulatory fines, protect brand reputation, and secure customer trust.
• Scalability: Evaluate the ability of ASOC platforms to scale with your development needs, potentially offering greater long-term value as your organization grows.

Conclusion

ASOC platforms are powerful tools for adopting DevSecOps, enabling companies to not only establish secure development processes but also automate them as much as possible. The integration of AI and ML significantly cuts down on manual work and speeds up the delivery of software to the market.

ASOC tools are at the forefront of the DevSecOps evolution. They enable the resolution of security issues for software of any architecture and complexity without compromising delivery speed. 

However, not many organizations are aware of ASOC platforms. This leads many companies to stick with traditional, less scalable methods of implementing DevSecOps through isolated automation efforts. Despite this, the market already offers effective solutions that can significantly ease the workload of software professionals. ASOC platforms employing AI/ML technologies merge the analysis and management of security within existing DevOps workflows, considerably shortening the DevSecOps implementation timeline to just a few weeks.