Shift-Left Security

Simple Definition for Beginners:

Shift-Left Security is an approach in software development where security considerations and practices are integrated early in the development lifecycle.

Common Use Example:

A software development team adopts a Shift-Left Security approach by conducting security reviews and testing during the design and coding phases to catch vulnerabilities before they reach production.

Technical Definition for Professionals:

Shift-Left Security is a DevSecOps strategy that emphasizes integrating security measures, practices, and tools early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC), starting from the planning and design stages and continuing through development, testing, and deployment. The goal of Shift-Left Security is to identify and address security vulnerabilities, flaws, and risks as early as possible, reducing the cost and impact of fixing issues later in the development process or after deployment. This approach involves security code reviews, static and dynamic application security testing (SAST/DAST), security-focused automated testing, threat modeling, secure coding practices, security training for developers, and integrating security tools into the CI/CD pipeline. Shift-Left Security promotes a proactive and collaborative approach between development, security, and operations teams to build secure and resilient software applications.