Software Development Security Standards
By 10Pearls editorial team
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Following good software development security measures is essential when creating applications that generate revenue while also keeping your brand, clients, and everyone’s data safe. However, it is important to understand which of these measures best apply to what you are developing.
In this article, we leverage our two decades of experience in the industry to tell you what security standards are important today, and how to choose the ones that are appropriate for your project and will support your strategic goals.
5 security standards for software development
First, let’s clarify the meaning of security standards vs. security frameworks:
- Security standards are fixed conditions (the “what”) organizations must meet for compliance, like a goal post.
- Security frameworks (the “how”) provide flexible, high-level guidance for achieving those standards, like a coach.
Below, we list five security standards for software development:
5 Security Standards for Software Development
| Standard | Description | Best for |
| The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS) | This well-respected resource provides baselines for designing, building, and testing application security controls at three data sensitivity levels (low, medium, & high) for verification. | Developers |
| NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-218 | The National Institute of Science and Technologies’ SP 800-218, Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) Version 1.1: Recommendations for Mitigating the Risks of Software Vulnerabilities outlines best practices governing the public sector. | Developers in the public sector |
| Center for Internet Security (CIS) Control 16 | A community-driven nonprofit organization (NPO), CIS Control 16’s Application Software Security describes 14 safeguards for securing software applications. | Developers |
| Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) | The PCI Security Standards Council is a regulatory organization founded by the major credit card issuers that oversees any technology that processes payment card information. | Companies that handle payment information |
| International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27034 | The international association for standardization that gathers global experts to agree on the best practices across industries. ISO 27034 offers guidance on how companies can integrate security into their software development processes. | Developers |
During any development effort, it’s important to recognize that security is not the same as compliance. Organizations achieve compliance through a transactional process of meeting certain standards or regulations written by governmental or regulatory bodies.
Brands in highly regulated industries like healthcare or finance must meet more requirements than others. Organizations that tick all the boxes earn compliance. Failure to comply can result in fines and downtime, among other consequences.
Currently, no similar processes can guarantee security, partly due to the ever-changing nature of technology but also because the meaning of “security” differs according to individual organizations. In addition, software development is an unregulated industry, so it’s important to know which standards and frameworks your potential dev team partners are most proficient in using.
Implementing security standards and general best practices outlined by security frameworks can help strengthen your applications’ resistance to data breaches and other cybercrimes.
1. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS)
Focuses only on applications. As a respected standard in the developer community, this online, open-source nonprofit foundation establishes 3 verification levels:
- Level 1: low assurance levels, completely penetration testable
- Level 2: applications containing sensitive data (recommended for most software)
- Level 3: software containing highly sensitive data
OWASP’s framework suggests 14 controls to ensure authorized software versions are in use. It also includes use cases beyond the initial development stage, including:
- Security architecture
- Replace off-the-shelf secure coding checklists
- Automated unit & integration tests
- Driver for agile AppSec
- Guide for procuring secure software
2. NIST
This federal agency under the US Department of Commerce establishes precise standards for measuring countless items – from mundane to ultra high-tech – throughout society and across every industry.
As mentioned above, the agency’s SP 800-218 (SSDF) publication offers a framework of best practices to reduce security risks for applications in the public sector. These are organized into four categories of actions a business or organization must take to respond to threats effectively:
1. Prepare the organization (PO)
2. Protect the software (PS)
3. Produce well-secured software (PW)
4. Respond to vulnerabilities (RV)
NIST also offers volumes of guidance via multiple cybersecurity frameworks, AI risk mitigation, and a general sense of compliance with a list of 19 best practices in developing software applications. Some of these include:
- Safeguard 16.1: Establish and maintain a secure application development process
- Safeguard 16.3: Perform root cause analysis on security vulnerabilities
- Safeguard 16.5: Use up-to-date and trusted third-party software components
3. CIS Control 16
This respected, community-driven NPO suggests best practices for securing IT systems and data. Among the overarching controls (18 in all), number 16 incorporates application security via 14 controls. In addition to software development, CIS also organizes companies into “implementation groups” based on size and cybersecurity expertise and tailors its security recommendations accordingly.
- Implementation Group 1: Enterprises relying heavily on off-the-shelf or Open-Source Software (OSS) that are capable of applying basic operational and procedural best practices for security.
- Implementation Group 2: Enterprises with some custom applications integrated with third-party components and an in-house development staff applying software development and security best practices.
- Implementation Group 3: Enterprises with a major investment in custom software for in-house and customer applications as well as many third-party open source and commercial software components.
4. PCI DSS
These guidelines were established by the PCI Security Standards Council, a global forum that connects industry stakeholders who support and refine security standards to keep global payments secure. Like many other professional industry organizations, the PCI Security Council offers its members online resources, regulatory updates, training, and regional conferences.
The global benchmarks for security outline 14 compliance requirements, some of which include:
- Requirement 3: Provide secure authentication features
- Requirement 5: Develop secure payment applications
- Requirement 7: Test payment applications to address vulnerabilities and maintain software updates
- Requirement 8: Facilitate secure network implementation
5. ISO 27034
Compiled by the International Organization for Standardization, this publication is one of thousands provided online. The structure of this framework and its collective authors mirrors that of No. 2 above (NIST’s SSDF), except the ISO’s expertise crosses all national borders as well as industries and use cases, including metrics for environmental management, healthcare, and AI, to name just a few.
Core elements of the ISO framework for software development security include:
1. Application Security Control (ASC)
2. Application Level of Trust
3. Organization Normative Framework (ONF)
4. Application Normative Framework (ANF)
5. Application Security Verification Process
5 Security best practices for software development
The list of essential best practices for secure software development as outlined in the frameworks above include:
Shift-left with security
Shifting left is the practice of integrating security as early as possible in multiple stages throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC), making security an integral part.
Project leaders should consider multiple aspects of security from the earliest planning stages and conduct security tests early and often. A security-first approach to development helps ensure that teams catch potential issues well before they can affect later stages in the project pipeline. This results in more efficient product releases and more secure software.
Security testing
Integrating security testing tools into the software development pipeline can help teams identify issues in the earliest stages. Examples of security testing tools include:
- Static application security testing (SAST) – a form of white box testing, analyzes source code before it’s compiled. SAST uses techniques like code review, vulnerability scanning, and data flow analysis to detect security issues
- Dynamic application security testing (DAST) – a form of black box testing, analyzes while the application is running without access to the source code. DAST typically uses vulnerability scans, penetration testing, and data flow analysis to identify problems.
- Interactive application security testing (IAST) – combines the techniques from SAST and DAST to analyze security in real-time while the application is running.
- Software composition analysis (SCA) – analyzes all third-party components an application uses to detect potential risks and vulnerabilities.
Version control
Version control logs every change and stores the source code securely. Tracking activity helps prevent unauthorized changes and protects end-users from attacks. An added benefit of version control is that it’s easy to undo a modification — intentional or unintentional — that introduces a security vulnerability or other issues.
Configuration management
Configuration management tools help prevent unauthorized changes to the infrastructure and environments used to develop, test, and run software applications. In addition to monitoring system configurations, like version control tools, they also make it easy to roll back changes, whether unauthorized or if they introduce security vulnerabilities intentionally.
Access control
Another tactic for secure software development includes preventing unauthorized users from accessing applications, third-party components, or related systems. Best practices for access control include:
- Role-based access control (RBAC) – Assign access privileges based on job roles rather than determining access for each account individually. This can help prevent security breaches caused by overprovisioning. If one account is compromised, it allows you to limit attack surfaces to the systems and data required for a specific job function.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) – Require users to provide a second factor to prove their identities, such as a one-time passcode (OTP) or verification code sent through another communication channel. MFA helps prevent malicious actors from accessing applications, systems, and data with stolen account credentials.
- Single sign-on (SSO) – SSO simplifies access by only requiring users to enter their name and password once to access some or all of the applications they need. This encourages good security hygiene while reducing the hassle of remembering various strong passwords while simultaneously juggling MFA codes. It also simplifies the requirements of deprovisioning access when someone leaves an organization or changes their job role.
Meet security standards without the hassle
It can be difficult for companies to keep abreast of current software development security standards, regulations, and best practices, especially those with limited team resources dedicated to software development. The best way to reduce software security risks and headaches at the same time is by outsourcing to a trusted provider.
10Pearls staffs global security experts with experience developing compliant, secure software solutions for multiple industries. We’ll create custom security controls that are ready to integrate into any pipeline, deploy streamlined version control and configuration management tools for your busy engineers, implement leading-edge authentication features, and much more.
Get in touch with us
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