SDLC Agile

The agile software development lifecycle (agile SDLC) is an iterative development process, focusing on rapid minor releases and collaboration between teams. Instead of fully working out every last issue before a release is made, agile developers may finish one specific issue per release, getting individual improvements into their customers' hands faster than under a traditional development lifecycle.

Making Your SDLC Agile and Secure

There's a school of thought that creating an agile software development lifecycle means you can't create secure software without a lot of additional expense. The reason for this, however, is because testing is usually set aside as an afterthought to be completed directly before a release, when it's more time-consuming and expensive to find and fix errors.

The reality is that a secure software development lifecycle doesn't have to be slow or expensive, and making your SDLC agile doesn't have to mean sacrificing security. To meet the needs of agile and secure software, developers simply need to integrate security tests into their development workflow. This practice is known as agile security.

Veracode's cloud-based testing services streamline and improve secure web application development, whether you have made your SDLC agile or are using a more traditional software development model. That's because our tools deliver guidance and remediation advice when it's most useful and least disruptive rather than as a final step. Download our free handbook on secure coding best practices to learn more.

Secure SDLC: Agile Edition

In a secure SDLC, security best practices aren't saved for last. Rather, each step of the software development process has its own set of security tests.

• Requirements - Security best practices begin before development, with developer training in security best practices and outlining of potential security concerns.
• Design - The software architecture and functionality are carefully designed while implementing threat modeling efforts.
• Develop - Static analysis testing uncovers vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting and SQL injection while code is still being written and can be fixed prior to release.
• Test - After the release is finished, dynamic analysis testing in a live web environment uncovers additional flaws that often cannot be captured in static analysis.
• Deploy - Manual penetration testing and other real-world tests find vulnerabilities that can't be discovered with automated tools.
• Review - Developers keep secure coding practices in mind while reviewing the release.

Veracode's Solutions for the SDLC Agile Developer

Veracode makes it easy to fit security testing into your SDLC, agile or not. Because our security testing software is cloud-based and integrated into a single platform, there's no need to spend a lot of money on specialty hardware or staff. Instead, your developers and security professionals can perform security tests at any stage of the software development lifecycle by uploading their code into our secure platform. After automated scans are completed, developers receive in-context guidance on vulnerabilities and fixes in a matter of seconds to minutes instead of needing to resolve security issues on months-old code.

Our tests can also be integrated into existing development environments with our Veracode API or through any of our existing integrations.

Veracode Static Analysis

Static analysis automates security testing for many common vulnerabilities by scanning your application's code for known issues.

Many static analysis tools can only assess source code, making it impossible to fully review security flaws in your application's code base. Veracode's static analysis tool scans the binary (or compiled) code instead, meaning you can get full coverage even for third-party libraries and other code where you don't have access to the source.

Static Analysis IDE Scan

Veracode's static analysis software can be run on demand or integrated into your organization's development environment to give developers real-time security guidance as they write code.

The IDE scan works by leveraging our 10+ years of security expertise. As your developers work, the scan will automatically locate any vulnerabilities in our database that match their code. The system then provides not just information about the vulnerabilities but where they are in the code and how to fix them, making the detection and remediation of security flaws rapid and effective.

Software Composition Analysis

Software composition analysis (SCA) is another key part of Veracode's static analysis process.

As software has grown more complex, developers have come to rely on a robust ecosystem of open-source libraries. These libraries make it significantly easier for development teams to deliver complete and functioning applications, but they also increase the security risk. Veracode SCA lets you quickly identify and prioritize relevant vulnerabilities in open-source libraries, allowing developers to take advantage of open source code with the peace of mind that comes with accurate, fast scan results.

Vendor Application Security Testing (VAST)

Third-party software is another essential shortcut to modern software development. Of course, Veracode's static analysis tool can perform automated scans of third-party software included in your application, even if you don't have access to the source code.

Veracode also offers a Vendor Application Security Testing (VAST) program, working with third-party vendors to ensure compliance to your organization's security policies. With VAST, you can entrust Veracode with analyzing third-party applications and providing software vendors with detailed remediation guidance, as well as keeping your organization up to date with vendor reporting.

Demo Veracode's Static Analysis IDE Scan

Achieving secure code doesn't have to be an insurmountable task. With tools like Veracode's static analysis IDE scan and services like hands-on developer training with Veracode Security Labs, your organization can spend less time and money on security testing while also having more confidence that your software won't put customers at risk of exploits and attackers. Sign up for one of our expert-led security webinars, or contact us today for a demo of our static analysis IDE scan or to learn more about any of our security solutions.