Supply chain attack cybersecurity is a critical part of preventing online fraud. Supply chain attacks are much more likely when companies do not take the proper precautions to protect their software development lifecycle (SDLC) against attack. Securing the SDLC is critical because cybersecurity failures can have far-reaching consequences for account takeover fraud, compliance with laws around securing customer data, harming brand reputation, and more.
By embedding supply chain attack cybersecurity best practices throughout the SDLC, organizations can significantly minimize the chance they will join the ranks of numerous high-profile breaches such as Mimecast, Solarwinds, and others. Below, we provide an outline of the key practices that should be integrated into every phase of the SDLC to enhance software security and resilience against supply chain threats:
Planning Supply Chain Attack Cybersecurity
Improving security during the planning phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is crucial, as decisions made at this stage can have a profound impact on the overall security of the software product. Here are several strategies to enhance security during the planning phase:
- Regulatory Compliance: Determine which regulations and standards apply to the software, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, and ensure the software will comply with these requirements.
- Analyze Attack Surface: Evaluate the attack surface of the application and strive to reduce it by minimizing the points where unauthorized users can interact with the system.
- Principles of Secure Design: Integrate security principles like least privilege, defense in depth, and segregation into the architecture design.
- Selection of Secure Tools: Choose development and management tools that offer built-in security features and are known for their security robustness.
- Document Security Requirements: Clearly document all security requirements, decisions, and design considerations to ensure they are consistently followed throughout the SDLC.
Designing supply chains with cybersecurity in mind
Improving security during the design phase of the software development lifecycle is pivotal for establishing a robust foundation for the overall security of the software product. Here are key strategies to enhance security during this critical phase:
- Least Privilege: Ensure that systems and components operate with the minimum level of access necessary to perform their functions.
- Component Segregation: Design the system architecture to segregate components, reducing the risk of widespread system compromise from a single vulnerability.
- Use Trusted Components: Where possible, leverage well-tested and trusted components or frameworks to reduce the risk of introducing vulnerabilities.
- Data Flow Diagrams: Create data flow diagrams to visualize how data moves through the system, identifying potential points of data leakage or unauthorized access.
- Design Reviews: Conduct regular security reviews of the system design with security experts to identify potential security flaws.
- Secure Error Handling: Design error handling mechanisms that do not expose sensitive information or system details to users.
Developing systems to provide supply chain attack cybersecurity
Improving security during the development phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is crucial, as this is when much of the code that will make up the final product is written and tested. Here are strategies to enhance security during the development phase:
- Follow Guidelines: Enforce secure coding guidelines that align with standards such as OWASP Top 10 or CERT Secure Coding to minimize common vulnerabilities.
- Vet Third-Party Code: Conduct thorough security reviews of third-party components and libraries to ensure they do not introduce vulnerabilities.
- Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Security Plugins: Utilize security plugins within IDEs that can highlight potential security flaws in real-time as developers write code.
- Secure Change Management: Ensure that changes to the codebase are tracked and audited, with a clear process for reviewing and approving these changes to prevent unauthorized alterations.
Testing supply chains against cybersecurity threats
Improving security during the testing phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is critical to ensure that vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated before the software is deployed. Here are strategic approaches to enhance security during this phase:
- Automated Security Scans: Utilize automated tools to perform security scanning and testing regularly, integrating these tools into the CI/CD pipeline for continuous assessment.
- Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Continue to use SAST tools during this phase to analyze the source code for potential security vulnerabilities that might have been introduced during development.
- Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Use DAST tools to test the application in its running state, simulating real-world attacks.
- Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST): Employ IAST tools that combine static and dynamic analysis for comprehensive testing and more accurate detection of vulnerabilities.
- Penetration Testing: Conduct thorough penetration testing to identify and exploit vulnerabilities, providing a real-world perspective on the application’s security posture.
Deployment Phase
Improving security during the deployment phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is crucial to ensure that the software is released and maintained securely, minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited. Here are strategies to enhance security during this critical phase:
- Immutable Deployments: Adopt immutable deployment strategies where new environments are created for each deployment instead of updating the existing ones, reducing the risk of configuration drift.
- Access Control: Implement strict access controls for production environments, ensuring only authorized personnel can make changes or deploy software.
- Configuration Auditing: Regularly audit configurations to ensure they adhere to security policies and are free from known vulnerabilities.
- Secure CI/CD Pipelines: Ensure that the CI/CD pipeline is secure, with measures to protect code integrity, authenticate commits, and scan for vulnerabilities in the pipeline itself.
- Post-Deployment Reviews: Conduct post-deployment reviews to analyze the security outcomes of the deployment and identify lessons learned and areas for improvement.
- Feedback Integration: Integrate feedback from monitoring, incident response, and post-deployment reviews back into the SDLC to continuously improve security practices.
Maintaining a strong cybersecurity defense against supply chain attacks
Improving security during the maintenance phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is vital for ensuring the long-term resilience and reliability of software applications. This phase involves regular updates, patches, and adjustments to the software to address new vulnerabilities, enhance functionality, and ensure ongoing compatibility with other systems. Here are key strategies to enhance security during the maintenance phase.
- Regular Scanning: Continuously scan and monitor the software and its environment for new vulnerabilities. Employ both automated tools and manual testing methods to identify and assess vulnerabilities.
- Patch Management: Develop a systematic approach for applying patches and updates to the software and its dependencies. Ensure patches are tested in a non-production environment before deployment to avoid introducing new issues.
- Continuous Monitoring: Utilize security information and event management (SIEM) systems and intrusion detection systems (IDS) to continuously monitor the software for suspicious activities or breaches.
- Manage Third-Party Components: Regularly review and update third-party libraries and components to ensure they are not introducing vulnerabilities into the software. Employ tools that can track and alert on vulnerabilities in these components.
- Periodic Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits to assess the effectiveness of the software’s security controls and identify any potential areas for improvement.
- Continuous Improvement: Use feedback from security audits, user input, and incident analyses to continuously improve the security posture of the software.
How can you protect yourself against supply chain cybersecurity incidents
Knowing what a supply chain attack is, and the damage it causes, all businesses should minimize the risk. By taking proactive measures from the planning phase to maintenance, organizations can build more secure software, enhancing their resilience against the sophisticated threats that target software supply chains. In doing so, they not only protect their assets and customers but also contribute to the overall security of the digital ecosystem.