Is DevSecOps Just DevOps Reinvented?
Tags: devops, devsecops
Published: 2023-11-08 00:59:21

The difference between DevSecOps and DevOps
The advent of DevOps—short for Development and Operations—provided an efficient approach for streamlining the software delivery pipeline. DevOps has achieved measurable improvements in deployment frequency, lead time, and system reliability by fostering a symbiotic relationship between software development and IT operations. However, integrating security measures into this pipeline has often been considered an afterthought or a parallel activity.

DevSecOps, or Development Security Operations, emerged as an extension to DevOps, with the primary objective of integrating security practices right from the inception of the software development lifecycle. But this raises a pertinent question: Is DevSecOps simply a reinvention of DevOps? This article aims to dissect the architectural, procedural, and philosophical differences and similarities between DevSecOps and DevOps to provide a clear standpoint.

 

Key Concepts: DevOps vs. DevSecOps
DevOps
Automated Infrastructure: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like OpsCanvas, Terraform, and Ansible allow the codification of infrastructure, making deployments predictable and version-controlled.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Jenkins, GitLab CI, and others make it possible to automate testing and deployment, facilitating rapid iterations.
Monitoring & Logging: Tools like Prometheus and ELK Stack offer comprehensive insights into application performance and system metrics.
DevSecOps
Security as Code: Utilizes policy as code tools such as OPA (Open Policy Agent) to enforce security measures as part of the codebase.
Continuous Security Monitoring: Incorporates real-time security monitoring tools like intrusion detection systems (IDS) within the deployment pipeline.
Secure Code Practices: Emphasizes secure coding guidelines, often automated using static (SAST) and dynamic (DAST) application security testing tools.
Architectural Differences

DevOps primarily focuses on automating operational tasks and standardizing deployments. However, it often leaves security to a separate team, typically referred to as a Security Operations Center (SOC). DevSecOps aims to rectify this by making security an integral part of the development lifecycle. It integrates security tools into the CI/CD pipeline, ensuring automated security checks at multiple stages. For example, using container scanning tools such as Clair or Trivy as part of the build process ensures that the deployed Docker containers are devoid of known vulnerabilities.

Procedural Distinctions

In DevOps, security assessments are often phase-gated, occurring only at predetermined points in the development process. These assessments are generally manual and can introduce delays in deployment. In contrast, DevSecOps incorporates security into every stage of development. From the developer’s local setup to the production environment, security checks are automated and continuous. For instance, the pipeline may use a tool like SonarQube to perform static code analysis, identifying potential vulnerabilities as soon as code is committed to the repository.

Philosophical Orientations

Shared Responsibility

DevOps encourages a shared responsibility model between development and operations for application reliability. DevSecOps extends this model to include security, making it a collective concern for all stakeholders involved in the software delivery process.

Cultural Shift

DevOps initiated a cultural shift by breaking down the silos between Development and Operations. DevSecOps takes this further by incorporating security professionals into cross-functional teams, democratizing security expertise across the organization.

End-to-End Accountability

DevOps emphasizes end-to-end accountability for application performance and availability. DevSecOps adds another layer of accountability by ensuring the code is performant, reliable, and secure from inception to decommissioning.

Additional Considerations for DevSecOps Adoption

Risk Mitigation

While DevOps does allow for rapid code deployments and quick iteration cycles, the lack of security focus can introduce high-risk vulnerabilities into production environments. DevSecOps, with its integrated security checks, effectively minimizes this risk. Security vulnerabilities are identified and rectified early in the development process, reducing the potential for exploitation.

Regulatory Compliance

As organizations become increasingly subject to data protection laws such as GDPR or HIPAA, there’s a greater need for compliance monitoring. DevSecOps incorporates compliance as a code paradigm, wherein regulatory requirements are coded into automated tests that run throughout the CI/CD pipeline. This ensures that compliance is not just met but consistently maintained.

Cost-Effectiveness

While the initial setup cost for a DevSecOps pipeline could be more than a conventional DevOps pipeline due to additional security tools and processes, the cost benefits become apparent in the long run. Organizations can avoid the much higher costs associated with late-stage security remediation and potential data breaches by identifying and addressing security issues earlier in the lifecycle.

DevSecOps Tooling

A variety of specialized tools have emerged to facilitate the DevSecOps approach. These tools can be categorized as follows:

Infrastructure Security: Tools like HashiCorp Vault for secrets management and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for permissions ensure the underlying infrastructure is secure.
Application Security: Tools like Snyk or WhiteSource can automatically scan code dependencies for vulnerabilities, while static and dynamic analysis tools scan the application for potential security threats.
Runtime Security: Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) tools and Web Application Firewalls (WAF) offer real-time protection against application-level vulnerabilities during runtime.
Incident Response: Tools like PagerDuty and Splunk offer sophisticated incident management and real-time operational insights, allowing quick response to security incidents.
Challenges in DevSecOps Implementation

Skills Gap

The primary challenge in DevSecOps implementation lies in the skills gap. Security professionals are often unfamiliar with DevOps practices, and DevOps teams may need more advanced security expertise. Cross-skilling is a necessity, and organizations must invest in comprehensive training programs.

Complexity

The sheer complexity of integrating multiple tools and technologies can be daunting. A clear understanding of existing workflows and how they will integrate with new security measures is essential for a seamless transition.

Resistance to Change

As with any shift in operational paradigms, there can be organizational resistance to adopting DevSecOps. Strong leadership and clear communication about the benefits and the necessity of DevSecOps are crucial for successful implementation.

Overall, DevSecOps enhances the DevOps model by embedding security into every aspect of the software development and deployment process. It provides a holistic approach to software development, where speed, reliability, and security coalesce into a unified framework. The operational efficiencies gained through DevOps are fortified with robust security measures in DevSecOps, providing a strategic advantage and reducing long-term risk and cost for the organization. 

Therefore, far from being a reinvention of DevOps, DevSecOps stands as a critical evolution, fortifying existing practices with a deep-seated layer of security. With the cyber threat landscape evolving rapidly, adopting DevSecOps is not merely an option but a necessity for organizations committed to delivering secure, high-quality software. By understanding and implementing DevSecOps correctly, organizations stand to gain in areas of compliance, security, cost-efficiency, and long-term business viability. Thus, DevSecOps deserves its position as a distinct yet complementary extension to the well-established DevOps methodology.