Creating a Culture of Security in Engineering & Development Teams

Establishing a secure SDLC is just the first step. To truly safeguard your software and your business, it’s crucial to create a culture of security within your engineering and development teams. Here’s a few ways to foster that culture:

1. Lead by Example

⏺️ Ensure that leadership, including CTOs, CPOs, and team leads, visibly prioritizes security. When leaders emphasize the importance of security, it sets the tone for the entire team. When leaders prioritize security, it sends a clear message that security is everyone’s responsibility, not just the security team’s. This top-down approach, or “tone at the top,” encourages all team members to take security seriously.

⏺️ Appoint security champions within your development teams—individuals who are passionate about security and can advocate for secure practices in every project. A Security Champion Program is a fantastic way to empower employees within a company to take an active role in promoting and maintaining cybersecurity practices. In this program, certain team members—often from various departments, not just IT—are chosen to be "Security Champions." These champions receive additional training in cybersecurity and help spread awareness, best practices, and knowledge across the organization. They act as the go-to people for security questions in their teams, helping to build a culture where everyone is aware of and responsible for keeping the company’s data and systems secure.

2. Make Security Part of the Development Workflow

⏺️ Make security tools a seamless part of the development process. For instance, ensure that code commits automatically trigger security scans, and set up automated alerts for vulnerabilities. By embedding security into the daily workflow, it becomes a natural part of the development process, rather than an afterthought. This integration helps prevent security issues before they occur.

⏺️ Encourage developers to think about security from the outset of any project. This means considering security implications in design discussions, code reviews, and architectural decisions. Check out our blog on how to establish a DevSecOps team and process: https://www.kaylawilliamsconsulting.com/cyber-insights/how-to-establish-devsecops-team

3. Provide Continuous Training and Education

⏺️ Organize regular training sessions to keep your team updated on the latest security threats and best practices. These can be led by internal security experts or external consultants.

⏺️ Engage your teams with security-focused hackathons or drills. These activities are both educational and fun, helping to reinforce security knowledge in a practical setting.

⏺️ Ongoing education ensures that your teams are aware of the latest security threats and techniques. It also empowers developers to proactively address security in their work, rather than relying solely on security teams.

4. Encourage Open Communication and Collaboration

⏺️ Establish clear channels for developers to communicate with security teams, whether to report potential vulnerabilities, seek advice, or share ideas for improving security. Open communication fosters a collaborative environment where security is everyone’s concern. It also helps break down silos between development and security teams, leading to more secure software.

⏺️ Make code reviews a collaborative effort where security is a key focus. Encourage team members to look for potential security issues and discuss them openly.

5. Recognize and Reward Security Efforts

⏺️ Publicly recognize team members who identify and fix security issues, or who contribute to improving the security of your applications. Recognition and rewards reinforce positive behavior and encourage team members to continue prioritizing security. This not only boosts morale but also ensures that security remains a key focus in all development activities. Consider including leveling-up in your Security Champions Program and rewarding at different tiers and/or when individuals complete the program.

⏺️ Look at implementing rewards or incentives for teams that consistently demonstrate secure coding practices and successfully integrate security into their projects. Could your HR function include company-wide goals and objectives tied to cybersecurity?

Conclusion

Security isn’t just a box to check off—it’s a continuous process that requires vigilance, collaboration, and a commitment to ongoing improvement. Whether you’re a novice developer or a seasoned pro, making security a core part of your development process will pay dividends in protecting your business, your customers, and your brand’s reputation.

Establishing a secure software development lifecycle and creating a culture of security in your engineering and development teams are critical steps in today’s cybersecurity landscape. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you’ll not only build more secure software but also foster a security-first mindset that permeates your entire organization.