Secure Development and DevSecOps
Software security cannot be a late addition: it must be built into every phase of the development cycle. The “shift-left” approach to application security requires secure coding practices, automated vulnerability validation and compliance by design to be an integral part of the CI/CD pipeline from the very first commit.
The Application Security Problem
Vulnerabilities in application code are one of the main attack vectors in modern organizations. According to industry reports, more than 70% of data breaches involve the exploitation of application-level vulnerabilities. The cost of fixing a vulnerability grows exponentially as the software moves through its life cycle: fixing a bug at design stage costs 6x less than in production, and 30x less than after a security incident.
Our Secure Development Services
SAST: Static Application Security Testing
We analyze application source code to identify security vulnerabilities before the software is deployed. Our SAST analysis covers the main languages (Java, .NET, Python, PHP, JavaScript/TypeScript) and focuses on the OWASP Top 10, the CWE/SANS Top 25 and the vulnerabilities specific to the framework in use.
DAST: Dynamic Application Security Testing
We test running applications to identify runtime vulnerabilities: SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, authentication bypass, IDOR, SSRF and the other critical categories. DAST complements SAST by covering the vulnerabilities that only emerge at runtime.
Security Code Review
Our experts carry out manual, security-focused code reviews: authentication and authorization logic, session management, cryptography, input validation, error handling and logging. Manual code review finds logic vulnerabilities that automated tools cannot detect.
Integration with Fidem Services
The Secure Development service integrates with Fidem’s offensive testing services and the Defensio ecosystem:
- Penetration Testing: validation of applications in a real environment
- Vulnerability Assessment: automated scanning of the application infrastructure
- Defensio SECaaS: continuous monitoring of the external attack surface, to check every production release
- Defensio XT: the same external scanning engine, installed on your own infrastructure, ideal for software houses and MSSPs
- Defensio Sensor: web application testing and monitoring of the internal network where the software runs
- GDPR & NIS2 Consulting: privacy by design and security by default
For an initial consultation on secure development practices, contact us.
What is secure development?
It means writing software with security controls built into the development process, instead of checking them at the end. The reason is economic: a vulnerability found while the code is being written costs a fraction of the same one found in production, where it has to be fixed, tested and released in a hurry.
SAST, DAST, SCA: what is the difference
- SAST: analyzes code at rest. It finds issues early, with many false positives.
- DAST: attacks the running application. It finds what really happens, but late.
- SCA: analyzes third-party dependencies. It is often the one that finds the most: most of the code in a modern application was not written by those who develop it.
Where to start if there is nothing in place
With dependencies and secrets. They are the two checks that give the most results with the least friction: knowing which vulnerable libraries are in use, and verifying that no credential has ended up in the repository. The rest comes later.
What it does NOT replace
Automated tools do not replace manual verification of application logic: a missing authorization check is perfectly valid code, and no scanner reports it. That part remains the work of a penetration test. Glossary.