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Secure Development Lifecycle

What do I need to develop a secure product?

We guide and support you throughout the entire development process.

Secure software development is an important part of the development process: If security elements are missing at the beginning of the development, the probability increases that the software systems or products contain critical security vulnerabilities at the time of delivery, which create security risks for both the manufacturer and the system operator. You can rely on the support of Limes Security along the entire path to a Secure Software Development Lifecycle. Be it to test software systems for critical security vulnerabilities, to assist in finding and fixing the root cause, to analyze the existing software development process or to drive the integration of security activities into the development processes. Limes Security has many years of experience in supporting developers and manufacturers in the introduction and improvement of security in software development, supported by the IEC 62443-4-1 standard part.

Analyze and improve your secure development lifecycle

Define and measure security-related activities

Build a balanced software security assurance program

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Our Services

Secure Development Consulting

By integrating security into the organization and development processes and defining realistic and applicable guidelines, a basis is created for employees to develop secure software. With the help of workshops and support in the creation and review of documents, measures for a secure development process can be developed and introduced.

IEC 62443-4-1 Gap Analysis

The support provided by Limes Security is based on the requirements of the IEC 62443-4-1 standard "Lifecycle requirements for secure product development". Within the scope of a gap analysis, the status quo regarding the security activities in the product development process and the development department is assessed, and the understanding of the requirements of the IEC 62443-4-1 standard and their implementation possibilities is strengthened.

Secure Coding and Secure Development Training

Limes Security trains developers, architects and others involved in the development process on the processes and measures for secure software development in order to prevent vulnerabilities at design and code level in the long run

Testing of the implemented measures

Discover risks before your device hits the market and let Limes Security test the specific security aspects of the device based on its expected usage. Taking into account specific requirements, the goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of security controls at different levels: hardware platform, software platform, communication components and interfaces.

Why we fail to develop secure software

When security is implemented in a product, development is usually affected by at least one of the following five problems, which can be addressed and compensated by introducing a Secure Software Development Lifecycle.

1

State of the art definition missing

The safety requirements and prerequisites that must be taken into account in the development of a product in a company are often incomplete or not defined. Under such circumstances, it is natural to take the path of least effort when implementing a product in order to quickly achieve a deliverable product.
2

Security as Feature Add-On

In many cases, security is not embedded in the product from the start, but is rather added when the basic functions have already been implemented or a customer demands specific security functions. This means that the product has to be adapted afterwards to ensure that it "works securely".
3

Use of unfamiliar technology

Driven by technological change and the need for innovation, products often rely on new technologies whose extent and consequences are difficult to assess. This creates the danger of integrating problems and vulnerabilities into the software that are very difficult to assess or are even unknown.
4

Test if product still works despite security, not if security features work

If the product is tested after the implementation of security features, a successful test is usually measured by whether all functions of the product still work properly and without problems. Whether the security feature itself has been implemented correctly and thus fulfills its purpose is often left out of the equation.
5

Hiring security staff, but no training of developers regarding security

Without establishing or passing on security know-how to the developers and architects, they cannot develop secure software.

FAQs

Do I need a defined development lifecycle to implement security?

No, you can also let your customers stumble over vulnerabilities until the product has finally reached a reasonably secure state through many fixes. Or you take the security of your product development seriously and view it as an important quality component that can only be achieved efficiently and sustainably for your products through a well-defined procedure (i.e., a secure development lifecycle).

I already have ISO27001 certification. Do I need this in addition?

Although it is sometimes incorrectly associated with it, ISO 27001 is not a standard for developing secure products. ISO 27001 has its strength in the implementation of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) for the protection of one’s own IT landscape and information. It only briefly touches on the process of developing secure products. IEC 62443-4-1, on the other hand, supports the implementation of security measures and describes requirements for the development of secure (in the form of: secure, not safe) products.

I already perform security testing. Why do I need to worry about a Secure Development Lifecycle?

Security testing is an important step in developing secure products, but security cannot be “tested into” a product. Above all, it is very expensive to discover vulnerabilities late through testing instead of proactively avoiding them. Therefore, the same principles apply as for quality and safety: security must be a planned, integrated part of product development, with the right measures being taken at every stage of development.