Secure software development requires organizations to address security throughout the software development life cycle, not only after an application is released. This includes protecting source code, securing development environments, testing software continuously, managing third-party components, and responding quickly to vulnerabilities.
NIST SP 800-218, also known as the Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF), provides a common set of practices organizations can integrate into their existing software development processes to reduce vulnerabilities and improve software security.
The current final publication is SSDF Version 1.1. NIST has also published a draft of Version 1.2 for public review, but Version 1.1 remains the current final version.
In this blog, we explain what NIST SP 800-218 is, its four core practice groups, and the key steps organizations can take to integrate secure software development into their SDLC.
Key Takeaways
- Build security into the SDLC: Address security throughout development, not only before release.
- Follow four core practice groups: Prepare, Protect, Produce, and Respond.
- Protect development environments: Secure source code, build systems, credentials, and software artifacts.
- Test continuously: Identify and address vulnerabilities throughout development.
- Manage software supply-chain risk: Assess third-party components and dependencies.
- Respond after release: Maintain processes for vulnerability disclosure, remediation, and improvement.
What is the NIST 800-218 Security Software Development Framework?
NIST SP 800-218 defines the Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF), a core set of secure development practices designed to be integrated into existing software development life cycles.
The framework helps software producers reduce vulnerabilities in released software, limit the potential impact of vulnerabilities that remain undetected, and address the root causes of recurring software security issues.
SSDF Version 1.1 is organized around four practice groups:
- Prepare the Organization (PO)
- Protect the Software (PS)
- Produce Well-Secured Software (PW)
- Respond to Vulnerabilities (RV)
The SSDF does not prescribe a single development methodology. Instead, organizations can integrate its practices into their existing development, DevSecOps, and software security processes based on their risks and environment.
What are the Four Practices of the NIST 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework?
There are four categories in which the SSDF procedures fall. Every practice in the SSDF framework has a unique identifier and a synopsis explaining what it is, why it is good, and what has to be done to put it into practice.
With references to approved secure development practice documents, the framework also offers illustrations of instruments, procedures, and techniques for implementing the practices. The four pillar practices of the NIST 800-218 SSDF Version 1.1 are as follows:
Prepare the Organization (PO)
The development of secure software depends heavily on people. Consequently, the first step in putting the SSDF into practice is to ensure that everyone in your organization is adequately ready for the adjustments the framework will call for.
The first step is to determine the product’s unique security needs based on the tools used in the software development process. In this way, you can begin preparing the individuals and organizational levels, along with the people, processes, and technology they use.
The organization typically needs to be prepared by enlisting the support of upper management and providing staff with the required training. You might also include using technologies to automate processes and establish a safe environment for your preparation activities.
Protect the Software (PS)
This SSDF practice describes how to keep all of your software’s components safe from tampering and illegal access. This is a crucial step to safeguard your software’s source code and settings and to assist in avoiding unwanted code modifications, both unintentional and purposeful.
Depending on the circumstances, there are various ways to protect your program. When code is not meant for public consumption, it can help deter software theft and make it more difficult or time-consuming for hackers to discover security holes.
Users can ensure the software they purchase is authentic and unaltered by adhering to the guidelines provided in this section of the SSDF. Preserving software releases also helps detect, examine, and remove vulnerabilities in software after it has been released.
Produce Well-Secured Software (PW)
Throughout the software development lifecycle, there are fundamental processes to build well-secured software with few security flaws. These include:
- Selecting software configurations that are secure and assessing any third-party software component to guarantee its integrity
- Making sure the source code for your project complies with safe coding guidelines.
- Examining, evaluating, and testing your code to find vulnerabilities and fixing any problems found before the code’s release
- Using compilers and interpreters, among other build tool features, to prevent vulnerabilities
Respond to Vulnerabilities (RV)
It is important to remember that your program may still have vulnerabilities that you find after it has been released.
These vulnerabilities might be found by consumers, outside security researchers, or even internal testers in your company. Reacting quickly to these vulnerabilities as soon as they are identified is a crucial component of software security. A security flaw can inflict more harm the longer it is kept hidden. To assess new vulnerabilities and determine how to resolve them, each organization must have a vulnerability disclosure program in place in addition to other procedures that quickly help identify weaknesses and mitigate them.
Last, some considerations regarding implementing the NIST 800-218 SSDF in your organization exist. We will cover them in the following section.
Key Considerations of the NIST 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework
The primary objective of NIST’s 800-218 SSDF is to assist organizations in integrating security into their software development processes and giving it top priority. When integrating security into the software development lifecycle, the SSDF needs to consider the resources, risk tolerances, and business requirements.
Here are the key considerations for implementing the NIST 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework in your organization:
Integrating the Framework into Your Software Development Lifecycle
Integrating security into your software development lifecycle’s many phases and stages is the first step in creating secure software. From the beginning of the development process, your development team must have a foundational security-focused culture.
Most of the time, common coding approaches create several vulnerabilities that hostile parties could later exploit after the software is launched. For this reason, developers need to consider security from the beginning and have a solid understanding of the techniques that close these possible attack points. It would help if you considered automating the process of testing and monitoring your program for potential vulnerabilities from the outset and considering the human components of software security.
Develop a Secure Software Development Policy
A safe software development policy is more than just advice on how to make your program more reliable. It should comprise a pre-defined set of instructions outlining the processes and procedures your organization adheres to for secure software development, called a secure software development policy.
Secure development policy documentation is necessary, for instance, if your program needs to adhere to security requirements like ISO 27001 or SOC Type 2 standards. Additionally, your software security team can create the policy documentation from the ground up and modify it to meet your unique requirements.
Third-Party Vendors
Writing secure code and adhering to internal security regulations must be more comprehensive. Most software still uses third-party vendors’ components, which might adhere to different security regulations than you do. Malicious agents frequently use these third-party code components as entry points for software supply chain attacks.
Thus, you should monitor all third-party components you use and confirm that the suppliers are completely aware of your security requirements and are fully compliant with the same security standards as you as part of your efforts to maintain security compliance throughout your software development lifecycle.
Code-Integrity Protection
Malicious actors could also use your software’s code and all its components as attack sites to introduce vulnerabilities into your program. In light of this, all programs should be stored in secure repositories that are protected from tampering to avoid this.
Ensuring the source code is only accessible to authorized developers is one aspect of maintaining code integrity. This should be guaranteed by the code repository you select, together with other measures to safeguard the login procedure and keep an eye on any modifications to your code. You may further enhance code integrity by using automation to track access statistics and do recurring code analysis.
Code Testing — Reviews and Checklists
Code testing is typically left until the very end of the software development lifecycle in the traditional software development methodology. However, this reactive method of finding software flaws has not proven successful, especially in recent years.
Setting up automated testing instead to continuously find bugs in the code as you build can be a more effective strategy. It is advisable for developers to personally inspect and check their code to avoid becoming frustrated when defects are later found. Building requires keeping track of many parts and components, so creating checklists makes it logical. This aids in making sure that your software development and monitoring team properly follows all of the procedures outlined in the SSDF policies.
Secure Default Settings and Quick Incident Responses
The default security settings in your new program should assist in shielding consumers from software vulnerabilities even without significant technical knowledge. To protect users even when they are just starting to use your program, you may also put policies that inform them of these default settings.
While secure default settings are necessary, vulnerabilities might still find their way into your systems invariably. They may prevail despite your adherence to the SSDF and other security standards. This is why it is essential to be prepared to address these vulnerabilities when they arise. This can entail assembling a team with well-defined plans and tactics to deal with security problems as soon as they arise.
The speed at which your company can address security flaws, or in other words, your incident response time, will significantly impact how damaging an attack is allowed to be. Malicious actors will have a reduced opportunity to exploit software weaknesses when discovered and addressed promptly. Consequently, vulnerability mitigation is also crucial to secure software development, which all organizations should consider.
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