Train for application security

Providing training for application security is essential for equipping developers, DevOps engineers, and other builders in your organization with the knowledge and skills needed to design, develop, and operate secure applications. Security-focused development practices help reduce the likelihood of vulnerabilities being introduced during the software development lifecycle and minimize the occurrence of issues that are only detected later during security reviews. Building a culture of secure development within your organization ensures that security is considered throughout all stages of application development and deployment.

1. Provide secure coding training: Train developers on secure coding practices that address common vulnerabilities, such as those identified by the OWASP Top Ten. Secure coding training should cover topics like input validation, authentication, authorization, secure data handling, and protection against common threats such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF). Providing developers with a solid understanding of secure coding techniques helps prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities during development.
2. Use hands-on security labs and exercises: Offer hands-on security labs and exercises to help developers practice identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities in a controlled environment. Platforms like AWS Skill Builder, AWS Well-Architected Labs, and third-party training providers can provide interactive exercises that help reinforce secure coding concepts. Hands-on experience helps developers better understand security issues and how to avoid them in real-world scenarios.
3. Integrate application security into developer onboarding: Make security training part of the onboarding process for new developers. Provide training on your organization’s security policies, standards, and best practices for secure development. By integrating application security into onboarding, you ensure that new team members start with a security-first mindset and understand their responsibilities in maintaining application security.
4. Provide training on threat modeling: Train developers on how to conduct threat modeling to identify and address potential threats during the design phase of application development. Threat modeling helps teams think like attackers and identify areas of the application that require stronger security controls. Tools like AWS Threat Modeling and other threat modeling methodologies can help developers understand common attack vectors and design more secure applications.
5. Establish secure development guidelines: Develop and provide secure development guidelines that outline best practices, coding standards, and security requirements for building applications. These guidelines should address common vulnerabilities, secure software architecture, and compliance requirements. Make these guidelines accessible to all developers and periodically update them based on evolving threats and lessons learned from security incidents or penetration testing.
6. Train on using automated security tools: Train developers and DevOps engineers on how to use automated security tools integrated into the CI/CD pipeline. Tools like AWS CodeGuru, Amazon Inspector, and static analysis tools can help identify potential security issues during development and testing. By training developers to use these tools effectively, you can catch security issues early in the software development lifecycle.
7. Provide training on secure cloud-native practices: Train developers on secure cloud-native practices, such as least privilege IAM roles, proper use of security groups, and secure handling of sensitive data in AWS environments. This helps ensure that applications built for the cloud are designed with security in mind and that common misconfigurations are avoided.
8. Conduct regular security workshops and refreshers: Conduct regular security workshops, refreshers, and awareness campaigns to keep developers up to date on the latest security best practices, new vulnerabilities, and emerging threats. Providing regular training sessions helps reinforce a security-first culture and ensures that developers stay informed about new attack techniques and defenses.
9. Encourage participation in security communities and certifications: Encourage developers to participate in security-related communities, such as AWS re, and pursue certifications, such as Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP) or AWS Certified Security – Specialty. Participation in these communities and certifications helps developers stay engaged in application security and enhances their ability to implement secure development practices. 

Supporting Questions:

• How do you ensure that developers are equipped to build secure applications from the outset?
• What training programs are in place to help developers understand secure coding practices and threat modeling?
• How do you keep developers up to date on the latest security best practices and vulnerabilities?

Roles and Responsibilities:

Application Developer:

• Responsibilities:
  • Participate in secure coding and threat modeling training sessions to understand common vulnerabilities and secure development practices.
  • Apply secure coding techniques learned during training to prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities.

DevOps Engineer:

• Responsibilities:
  • Integrate automated security tools into the CI/CD pipeline and train developers on using these tools to identify vulnerabilities early.
  • Ensure that the pipeline infrastructure and deployment processes adhere to secure development guidelines.

Security Analyst:

• Responsibilities:
  • Organize training sessions and workshops to educate developers on secure coding, threat modeling, and security best practices.
  • Develop secure development guidelines and standards, and provide training to ensure developers understand and follow them.

Artefacts:

• Secure Coding Training Material: Documentation and resources for secure coding training, including courses, labs, exercises, and coding standards.
• Threat Modeling Playbook: A playbook outlining the steps for conducting threat modeling, identifying potential threats, and applying mitigations during the design phase.
• Secure Development Guidelines: Guidelines outlining best practices, coding standards, and security requirements for building applications securely.

Relevant AWS Services:

AWS Training and Hands-on Labs:

• AWS Skill Builder: Provides security training and interactive labs that help developers learn secure development practices and cloud security concepts.
• AWS Well-Architected Labs: Provides hands-on labs that cover security best practices, including how to secure applications, infrastructure, and configurations within the AWS environment.

Automated Security Tools:

• AWS CodeGuru Reviewer: Uses machine learning to analyze code and identify potential security vulnerabilities, providing recommendations to developers for secure coding practices.
• Amazon Inspector: Assesses applications for vulnerabilities, providing insights into common security issues and helping developers understand how to remediate them.

Threat Modeling and Security Integration:

• AWS Security Hub: Aggregates findings from security tools and provides insights into security issues, helping developers understand the risks associated with different application components.
• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Provides training on secure IAM practices, such as least privilege, to ensure developers understand how to securely grant access to AWS resources within their applications.