5 Must have DevSecOps tools for today’s Organizations

septiembre 27, 2022

A successful DevSecOps implementation requires automation. Today’s software development is more complex than it was yesterday, and therefore, relying on manual testing will lead to inefficiencies even in the most organized enterprises. DevSecOps tools are very important for today’s organizations as they enable businesses to implement DevSecOps principles like agility, testing, monitoring, and security, and they ultimately help in the delivery of high-quality software. In this post, we will look at five very important DevSecOps tools & what is their significance.

1. Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

Given the fact that open source software makes up 90% of the codebase of today’s software, SCA has gained prominence as an important DevSecOps tool. So, what are the issues that SCA detects? – It scans an open-source application to detect & address issues like security vulnerabilities and quality issues. This tool also has reporting functionality with the ability to generate a software bill of materials. It’s not just about detecting the threats, whenever SCA identifies a vulnerability it gives a set of information which includes severity score, remediation guidance, and inclusion path. This helps users properly address the issue. It also plays a key role in delivering quality software which is a key DevSecOps principle. 

2. Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

SAST refers to a set of tools that are very useful in scanning different types of codes such as source code, binary code, and byte code in a static, non-running state. As it scans the code it flags weaknesses effectively reporting common issues like cross-site scripting, SQL injection, buffer overflow errors, and more. Similar to the SCA, it not only unearths issues but also offers remediation guidance. These two tools share some common features – they analyze source code & do not run the applications, they are frequently used in the build stage of the SDLC, and they both fit into the ‘shift-left’ principle of security testing discovering the issues as early as possible in the SDLC. 

3. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

In contrast to SCA & SAST, DAST scans a running application for vulnerabilities. And therefore, it’s used later in the SDLC. This tool does not require access to source code, instead, it detects vulnerabilities in a running app by injecting malicious inputs to identify potential vulnerabilities within the app. By making HTTP requests, it can uncover issues like SQL injections, OS injections, and cross-site scripting errors. It is also effective in finding bugs related to the application’s security context. This tool is used along with SCA & SAST as part of the application security suite. 

4. Automated Testing Tools 

DevSecOps implementations have done away with the requirements of having large, dedicated QA teams. Though it’s not possible to automate every part of a test, the majority of it can be automated & very small part of the manual testing is required. For example, Unit test tools are language-specific and they analyze individual units of code, Integration tests are done after unit tests and deal with the interaction between units of codes, and Systems tests are performed after the integration tests and analyze the entire application. Similarly, there are other areas of testing that can be automated.

5. Issue Tracking System 

This is the final tool in this list. It supports several key DevSecOps phases & activities. Its key characteristics are – 

Automation: It enhances efficiency by automating several processes like closing issues, notifying customers, assigning issues, and more. 
Change management: Gives the stakeholders visibility into new feature development. Gives interactive workflows to support planning & development. 
Priority management: Enables teams to prioritize different activities so they can address the most important ones first. 
Reporting: It has an automated reporting feature to give a view of resolved issues & different resolution metrics like resolution velocity & development velocity.

For a successful implementation of DevSecOps, you must have effective DevSecOps tools. The tools mentioned in this post play an important role in helping organizations automate source code testing & management. ISmile Technologies provides DevSecOps managed services & lets you innovate & deploy at speed with seamless compliance & advanced security. Get in touch for more information.