World discovers DevSecOps, NIST recommends thorough examination
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a consortium of 14 leading technology vendors, including Google, Microsoft, Dell, and GitLab, have released a draft framework aimed at promoting the implementation of DevSecOps practices. The goal is to simplify good software design practices, increase security throughout the development lifecycle, and help organizations build more resilient software systems [1][2][4].
The draft framework, available as a PDF document, builds on NIST’s existing Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) and addresses implementation challenges by providing real-world, example solutions to demonstrate and simplify good software design practices in the context of DevSecOps. It emphasizes collaboration among development, operations, and security teams to maintain agility and innovation while embedding security from the outset [1][4].
Key aspects of the project include:
- Incorporation of off-the-shelf software, making it easier for organizations to rely on common, tested components with secure handling to reduce vulnerabilities in the supply chain [1][4].
- Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities as tools to proactively identify and help remediate security threats, automate repetitive security tasks, and provide actionable insights for continuous improvement of security throughout the software lifecycle [4].
- Embedding zero-trust design principles, ensuring that every component, user, and process within software development and deployment is continuously verified and never implicitly trusted, thus strengthening defense against sophisticated attacks [1][4].
- Offering detailed guidance and reference models based on collaboration with industry leaders to help evaluate current "software factories," identify security gaps, and implement best DevSecOps practices effectively across diverse environments [2][3][4].
The initiative is a direct response to a June 2025 White House Executive Order aimed at strengthening national cybersecurity, highlighting the urgency of securing the increasingly targeted software supply chain [1][2][5]. The resulting NIST Special Publication (SP) 1800-44 series offers both a high-level overview and forthcoming detailed implementation guidance to improve secure software development practices broadly across industries [2][4].
The project's ultimate aim is to normalize and simplify secure software development through actionable DevSecOps practices combined with AI, zero-trust, and secure use of off-the-shelf components. This approach enables organizations to build and operate software systems more securely and resiliently in a rapidly evolving threat landscape [1][4].
A workshop on the project is being held on August 27 to solicit feedback from the industry. NIST was unable to share more information about the project before publication, but it is clear that the consortium is turning to the private sector for ideas on connecting SSDF practices with DevSecOps. The goal is to help companies construct software development environments where people can work securely, focusing on controlling access and eliminating software supply chain vulnerabilities [1][4].
DevSecOps is a model that integrates developers, operations teams, and security from the beginning of software development, ensuring that security is not an afterthought but an integral part of the process [1]. The draft framework reads like a DevSecOps evangelical broadsheet and scolds organizations for not adopting NIST's SSDF effectively. The consortium's goal is to develop guidelines that demonstrate the implementation of best practices based on NIST's SSDF [1].
As the software industry continues to evolve and face increasingly sophisticated threats, the NIST DevSecOps framework project offers a promising approach to help organizations build more secure and resilient software systems. By integrating security into DevOps practices and leveraging AI, zero-trust, and off-the-shelf components, the framework aims to provide a practical, actionable guide for organizations to improve their software security throughout the entire development lifecycle [1][4].
- The NIST DevSecOps framework, a collaboration with tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Dell, and GitLab, champions the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to proactively combat security threats and automate repetitive tasks, thus strengthening an organization's cybersecurity [4].
- The framework encourages organizations to adopt zero-trust design principles, continually verifying every component, user, and process for enhanced defense against advanced cyber attacks [1][4].
- Open source software can be incorporated into the framework, helping reduce vulnerabilities in the supply chain and allowing organizations to rely on common, tested components [1][4].
- The DevSecOps approach embedded in the framework aims to simplify secure software development practices, making them commonplace across various industries, including finance, business, data-and-cloud-computing, and education-and-self-development [1][4].
- The NIST DevSecOps project invites industry feedback at a workshop on August 27, focusing on creating software development environments that prioritize access control and minimize software supply chain vulnerabilities [1][4].
- The framework follows NIST's Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) and provides detailed guidance and reference models, assisting organizations in evaluating their "software factories" and enhancing their DevSecOps practices [2][3][4].
- By implementing the NIST DevSecOps framework, organizations can build and operate software systems more securely and resiliently, providing protection in an ever-evolving threat landscape [1][4].
