DevSecOps

DevSecOps vs DevOps

DevOps is a set of practices that unifies software development and IT operations, aiming to shorten the development lifecycle and deliver software continuously. DevSecOps extends this by adding security as a first-class concern throughout the pipeline rather than a separate phase.

In a traditional DevOps workflow, security testing typically happens at the end. A penetration test before go-live, or a manual code review weeks after development. This creates bottlenecks. Vulnerabilities found late are expensive to fix, and the pressure to ship on schedule often means security findings are deferred or accepted as risk.

DevSecOps eliminates this pattern by automating security checks at each stage:

• Plan – threat modelling during design identifies attack surfaces and informs architecture decisions before any code is written
• Code – static application security testing (SAST) scans code for vulnerabilities as developers write it, with IDE plugins providing real-time feedback
• Build – software composition analysis (SCA) checks third-party dependencies for known vulnerabilities and licence risks
• Test – dynamic application security testing (DAST) runs automated attacks against running applications to find runtime vulnerabilities
• Release – infrastructure-as-code scanning validates that deployment configurations follow security baselines
• Monitor – runtime application self-protection (RASP) and security monitoring detect and respond to threats in production

Core tools and practices

DevSecOps relies on a combination of automated tooling and cultural practices.

SAST (Static Application Security Testing) analyses source code without executing it. It identifies insecure coding patterns, injection vulnerabilities, and hardcoded credentials early in the pipeline. Common tools include SonarQube, Checkmarx, and Semgrep.

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) tests running applications by simulating attacks. It catches vulnerabilities that only manifest at runtime — cross-site scripting, authentication bypasses, and server misconfigurations. OWASP ZAP is the most widely used open-source DAST tool.

SCA (Software Composition Analysis) inventories open-source and third-party components, cross-referencing them against vulnerability databases such as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). With open-source code comprising 70-90% of modern applications (per Synopsys OSSRA reports), SCA is essential for managing supply chain risk.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) scanning checks Terraform, CloudFormation, and Kubernetes manifests for security misconfigurations before deployment. Tools like Checkov and tfsec enforce policy as code.

These tools integrate directly into CI/CD pipelines, running automatically on every commit or pull request. The goal is that no code reaches production without passing security validation.

The cultural shift

Tooling alone does not create DevSecOps. The harder change is cultural. Development teams must take ownership of security outcomes rather than treating security as someone else’s problem. Security teams must move from gatekeeping to enabling, providing guardrails, training, and automation rather than blocking releases with manual review processes.

OWASP’s DevSecOps Guideline provides a practical framework for organisations implementing this shift, mapping security activities to each pipeline stage and recommending tool categories for each.

Organisations already applying Secure by Design principles will find DevSecOps a natural operational extension. Secure by Design defines the architecture, DevSecOps enforces it continuously through automation.

Cyberfort and DevSecOps

Our penetration testing and application security services help organisations validate their DevSecOps pipelines. We test the effectiveness of automated security tooling, identify gaps in CI/CD security coverage, and assess whether development teams are catching vulnerabilities before production. Our threat modelling engagements embed security thinking at the design stage. The foundation that DevSecOps automation builds upon.

Related glossary terms

• Secure by Design – the architectural principle that DevSecOps operationalises through automation
• Threat Modelling – structured identification of threats during the design phase, informing DevSecOps security requirements
• OWASP Top 10 – the most critical web application security risks, commonly used as a baseline for SAST and DAST rule sets
• Supply Chain Cyber Security – managing risk from third-party code and dependencies, addressed through SCA tooling

External references

• Wikipedia: DevOps – includes DevSecOps section
• Wikidata: Q65068002 – DevOps entity identifier
• OWASP DevSecOps Guideline – practical framework mapping security activities to pipeline stages
• NCSC: Secure development and deployment guidance – UK government guidance for secure software development

Frequently asked questions