The pressure to deliver quickly and efficiently is pervasive. Speed often comes at the expense of security. To address this, the “shift left” philosophy has gained traction among development teams. This emphasizes the importance of integrating security measures early in the development lifecycle, rather than as an afterthought. We have also spoken about the need for security to be integrated throughout the entire SDLC –  allowing you to secure your applications from the very first line of code, to runtime and deployment in the cloud.

The rationale behind this strategy is straightforward: identifying and resolving security issues during the initial stages of development is significantly more cost-effective and less risky than making changes after deployment. By addressing security considerations earlier in the development process teams can prevent future headaches. This can also help get software to production faster, as it’s easier to fix in the development cycle.

The best way to secure applications is to bake security into the code from the start. Developers play a critical role in securing the software by adopting security best practices. However, that’s easier said than done. There is a gap between theoretical best practices and truly embedding security into development.

The security gap in software development

Software developers aren’t security experts. According to the Forrester report, “Show, Don’t Tell, Your Developers How To Write Secure Code,” none of the top 50 undergraduate computer science programs in the United States require a secure coding or secure application design class.

Bridging the skills gap and fostering security awareness among developers is critical. This is why Checkmarx offers security training such as Codebashing. However, training doesn’t equal  instant changes. As a result, developers are relying on AI-generated coding due to the speed it provides and the mistaken belief that AI-generated code is somehow more secure. 

The new frontier of AI-generated code

Traditional software development workflows are being reshaped with the proliferation of AI-generated code. GenAI tools, such as GitHub Copilot or Amazon CodeWhisper, fundamentally alter the coding process by providing suggestions, autocompleting code, and automating repetitive tasks. This shift represents a significant advancement in the field, with AI-driven assistants seamlessly integrated into coding workflows, enhancing human capabilities, and expediting development cycles.

AI-generated code is a double-edged sword. While it offers the potential of productivity boosts and tapping into collective knowledge, there are potential risks.  Research into the increasing prevalence of AI-generated code and its potential to redefine software engineering practices, has also identified the potential of reduced code quality and security risks.

Often ignored by developers, AI tools can generate insecure code. According to research, “Participants with access to an AI assistant were also more likely to believe they wrote secure code, suggesting that such tools may lead users to be overconfident about security flaws in their code.”

Introducing real-time scanning in the IDE

Real-time scanning in the IDE offers a security best practice for developers that complements Checkmarx SAST. It analyzes and provides real-time insights for:

• Human-generated code as it’s being written by software developers
• AI-generated code using tools such as GitHub Copilot

This is a plugin for Visual Studio Code, and it scans in milliseconds, providing instant responsiveness in the IDE and even can scan source code repositories. In internal tests, we scanned over 1 million lines of code in under 10 seconds – much faster than other “developer-friendly” solutions. 

Security best practices

Real-time scanning in the IDE provides the first step to ensure that source code follows security best practices. It’s not intended to replace thorough testing by your application security team or that undertaken by Checkmarx SAST, but rather to ensure that code – particularly AI-generated code – follows secure coding best practices. It does not test an entire application, but rather code snippets – a specific line of code plus the nearby lines of code. The scope of the analysis is a relevant short piece of code. By providing a few lines of code, the scanner provides a security review and points to potential issues that a developer should consider. 

Unlike a complete SAST scan, it doesn’t find attack vectors such as SQL injection. It works by analyzing the adjoining lines of code so, unlike complete SAST solutions, it is not fully application aware.  It looks at the “micro” — a few lines of code and provides suggestions for remediating the code snippets. 

 This makes it easy for developers to fix their code as they are writing it. 

This is a win-win for security. By giving developers the opportunity to implement security best practices, it produces less and more accurate SAST results for the AppSec team.

How to get it

Real time insights are available in a freemium model. Users can get real time insights within a command line interface (CLI) executable available for free.

Additional features and real-time in-IDE scanning are available for customers with the “AI Security“ package. If you’re an existing customer, contact your account manager for more details. Not yet a customer?  Get a free demo.

The Future of AppSec

The million-dollar question: what’s next?

2023 saw the rise in AI, with excitement and a rush to release AI-driven solutions. Consequently, AI experienced substantial adoption in a short time, with over 50% of respondents saying that they use it.

Applications mean something quite different than what they did even just a few years ago. Applications used to be simply made up of proprietary source code. Today, even source code may come from multiple sources, such as open-source code or be AI-generated, which introduces both security and legal risks. Developers can’t keep up with all of this, hence the push into secure code training and DevSecOps.

Applications have also extended from a local system or closed on-premises data center into the cloud or even multiple cloud environments. We’ve been migrating to the cloud for years, but as more of our apps are in the cloud and cloud-native development goes mainstream, this pushes interests in API Security, AppSec Posture Management (ASPM), and Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP).

It’s also important for all stakeholders to be able to unify and consolidate on a single platform that has something for everyone. CISOs need executive, high-level dashboards, to provide a holistic view of the entire application security posture. Developers need tools that integrate seamlessly into their existing workflow, and don’t slow them down. 

Read the report to learn more.

The Importance of Developer Experience

Security must not impede development. 61% of developers are concerned about security getting in the way of development and 38% of AppSec managers claim “improving the developer experience” is a key reason for selecting their recent AppSec solution.  What does developer experience really mean?  Ultimately, it means that developers can spend their time focusing on developing innovative applications rather than getting bogged down by security minutia – developers are software experts, not security experts. This means making it easy for them to know exactly what to fix first – prioritizing for the greatest business impact, seamlessly integrating into their workflow and existing toolchain, not interrupting the development workflow – meeting developers where they live and providing them the education and training needed to write secure applications – equipping developers with the tools and knowledge to fix critical vulnerabilities.

How does this work? Automation so scans happen automatically through integration with Source Code Management (SCM) and CI/CD tools. It means providing security findings back into the IDE and development tools, so developers don’t have to use different tools. 

Read the report to see the full list of what developers are looking for.

Start Planning For 2025

It’s a cliché but true: application security is constantly changing. It’s important to slow down and look at the current state of application security, understand where you stand compared to your peers, and consider whether you are considering the roles and responsibilities of all your core stakeholders: AppSec managers, CISOs, and developers.

The result is The Future of AppSec. Get it now and see where you stack up.

The Checkmarx AppSec Program Methodology and Assessment (APMA) framework helps enterprises adopt a risk-based scanning and remediation strategy. It integrates an understanding of the risk surface, through the creation of a business application inventory with suitable risk ratings, coupled with effective preset management and application onboarding.  

After conducting more than 100 assessments of enterprises around the world, we have come up with five tips to build an impactful AppSec program.  

1. Risk Rank Your Business Application Inventory 

One of the pillars of effective application security is understanding your risk profile. Not all applications are created equal. A risk-rated inventory is targeted and efficient way to allocate security resources to an application proportionate to its criticality. 

Organizations must keep a detailed inventory that takes into consideration factors like whether it’s internal- or external-facing, data sensitivity, and application criticality. This becomes the backbone for informed decision-making, allowing development teams to prioritize their effort on the most critical applications. Organizations that do not have a business application inventory tend to have with poor tool deployment, affecting the overall developer experience. 

How do organizations stack up? 

• 72% of assessed organizations don’t have a risk rated inventory  
• 65% of those assessed organizations that didn’t have a risk rated inventory either did not have their scan results reviewed or did not have developers execute a remediation process.  
• 75% of assessed organizations that have a low business application inventory maturity also have only rolled out AppSec testing tools for less than 50% of business applications. 

2. Optimize Presets for Targeted Scanning 

Organizations have different goals — compliance, focusing on high-risk vulnerabilities or taking a comprehensive look at all potential risks. AppSec solutions should be tailored to the goals to improve result fidelity and developer experience. 

50% of assessed customers have not taken the first step to select the preset that aligns with their security strategy. 

Applying a risk-based security strategy involves preset optimization. While default presets are comprehensive, a “boil the ocean” approach can overwhelm development teams and lead to too much noise. The result may lead to developers fixing non-exploitable vulnerabilities, rather than the critical vulnerabilities that pose a significant security risk. The volume of security testing results, coupled with existing workloads, may lead to frustration and resistance.  

Organizations should adapt their scanning strategies according to their risk tolerance and business goals. Checkmarx advocates a three-step preset reset plan to mitigate result fatigue and enhance developer adoption: 

• Step 1 – Narrow the preset: Introduce narrow aperture presets. 
• Step 2 – Identify and tune outlier queries: Iteratively search for outlier query results, customizing them for best results. 
• Step 3 – Focus on critical applications: Channel efforts towards critical applications, deepening SAST scanning, and query customization. 

A measured approach to preset customization significantly affects the long-term satisfaction and experience of development teams. 

3. Onboard Applications in a Structured Manner to Create a Baseline 

Developing a mature application onboarding process is critical to consistently review and remediate results. The onboarding process, encompassing initial scanning, result review, and SDLC integration, sets the stage for application security testing. It ensures that development teams are familiar with security testing processes. 

This process includes tuning checks, rules, and queries, optimizing them for the specific application’s architecture. A security architecture assessment adds another layer of refinement. Regular reviews ensure continuous alignment with evolving application architectures. 

Why is this important? Here’s some real-world data: 

• Only 21% of assessed customers have a structured process to onboard applications. 
• 75% of assessed customers with mature triage and optimization process review results on a consistent basis. 20% of them even break builds when processes are violated. 
• Customers who have a mature triage and optimization process have a 10x better policy enforcement rate. 

4.  Take Advantage of Automation and Integration for Continuous Security Testing 

Automation is key. Integrating automated security testing tools into the development workflow streamlines processes, reduces manual efforts, and ensures consistent results. Organizations with more mature AppSec programs automate security testing to enable more successful review and remediation processes. 

Automated tools offer real-time feedback, enabling issues to be resolved early in the development process. This prevents vulnerabilities from escalating. Developers receive immediate feedback when they commit changes, addressing security issues when they are most attuned to the code, fostering a more agile and secure development process. 

Organizations that automate the testing process reduce friction within their SDLC process, therefore improving their developer experience. 

Lack of automation has a direct impact on result review and remediation. 

• 64% of assessed customers with a high level of scan automation were more likely to have development teams that reviewed results and remediated vulnerabilities. 
• 77% of assessed customers that didn’t have scan automation also had had development teams that didn’t review results or remediate vulnerabilities. 

5. Educate Stakeholders about AppSec  

The success of any AppSec program is tied to the education given to stakeholders. Developer training programs that emphasize secure coding practices, coupled with comprehensive documentation  and code samples, improve the maturity of AppSec practices. Yet, 39% of assessed customers have no education and guidance strategy and only 32% of assessed customers have implemented higher maturity education and guidance strategy. 

Education should be tailored to four key roles: 

• AppSec management 
• AppSec experts/champions 
• Developers 
• Operations 

Organizations that have a comprehensive education and guidance component see a 25x-30x higher rate of results review and remediation process execution by development teams. 

The APMA Framework: A Roadmap to Enhance Developer Experience 

When the speed of development is non-negotiable, integrating robust application security measures is a must. The APMA framework, distilled from real-world assessments, provides a roadmap for organizations to not only secure their applications but also enhance the developer experience. As organizations embark on this journey, they not only fortify their defenses but also foster a culture of security that resonates throughout DevOps and the SDLC. 

Organizations can get started with APMA by taking the free digital assessment. In just a few minutes, they can obtain actionable recommendations to get started on their AppSec journey. Larger  enterprises can contact us for the full assessment. 

Navigating the Security Landscape with Security Champions 

Security Champions don’t just advocate for best security practices within their engineering teams; they become catalysts for fostering a greater security culture. How? They bridge the gap between security and development teams by facilitating communication, encouraging best practices, and bolstering security awareness. It’s important to note that their role is not to become new security experts, but instead, to act as liaisons and advocates of a more security-focused process. 

Introducing the Checkmarx Security Champion Program 

Checkmarx has developed an updated and dedicated program to help you build, nurture and empower your Security Champions. Our program aims to develop a network of security-conscious developers that are primed to help elevate their team’s security posture. 

This immersive learning experience, built on the bedrock of our Codebashing platform, presents developers with an interactive, game-like environment. Developers can now learn about application security at their own pace, while also being equipped with the essential skills and knowledge they need in order to champion security within their teams. 

A Holistic Approach to Security Education 

The Checkmarx Security Champion Program contains useful information for the entire range of engineering roles, including back-end, front-end, DevOps, and QA. The program, developed by our application security researchers, includes more than 80 lessons focusing on secure code writing. When participants complete the training, they are awarded a Security Champion Program certificate that is issued by Checkmarx. Security Champion Program certificates are issued at various levels, ranging from 1 to 3.  

Within the program, your developers will: 

1. Learn To Stay Ahead of Threats: Developers will learn how to remain ahead of security threats by continuously learning about the latest security vulnerabilities and best practices, through regularly updated content. 

2. Think Like a Hacker: Our lessons are curated from an attacker’s perspective, making the learning process both practical and relatable. 

3. Action-Oriented Learning: With hands-on exercises, developers can instantly apply their newfound knowledge and quickly observe the impact of their actions in real-world scenarios. 

A Culture Shift in Security Advocacy 

At Checkmarx, we understand that the goal of cultivating Security Champions goes well beyond just training— it’s nurturing an overarching security-conscious culture. Our program’s influence extends beyond the Codebashing platform, because it also containing: 

1. Continuous Learning: The program provides bite-sized learning modules and personalized learning paths, that can assist in fostering an environment of ongoing security education. That kind of environment keeps developers well-versed in evolving threats and secure coding practices. 

2. Enhanced Engagement: Gamification helps keep developers engaged throughout their learning journey. This helps create a proactive security culture where secure coding education seamlessly blends into developers’ daily routines. 

3. Codebashing Learning Paths: Tailored learning paths ensure that each developer acquires the appropriate skills that are aligned with their specific responsibilities, and helps promote accountability while empowering them to support security. 

Elevating Communication and Closing the Gap 

By directly linking lessons to vulnerabilities within developers’ integrated development environments (IDEs), Codebashing facilitates communication between AppSec teams and developers. This helps unite two pivotal groups in a collaborative effort.  

Boost your security posture with Checkmarx Security Champion Program 

Application security education must be an integrated part of the development process. Checkmarx is committed to empowering your developers with the knowledge, tools, and support to become true Security Champions. Through the Checkmarx Security Champion Program, we lead the charge in transforming development teams into CISOs and App Sec extensions. 

The Checkmarx Approach to Developer Experience 

DevEx considers all the tools, processes, and systems developers use during software development. A well-designed DevEx translates to more efficient developers, which could even lead to expedited releases with reduced bug rates. At Checkmarx, we recognize the importance of a comprehensive, developer-oriented approach to AppSec. We aim to seamlessly blend security into the developer’s existing workflow, allowing developers to concentrate on their main goal – developing exceptional applications.

In Application Security, TRUST is not just a word; it’s a vital element. It’s the bond that aligns CISOs, AppSec teams, security champions, and developers – shaping a security program’s framework, methodology, goals, and progress. Trust emphasizes the significance of an effective DevEx program, where developers can confidently navigate the security landscape while maintaining productivity. 

At Checkmarx, we believe that an effective DevEx program requires specific elements to thrive: 

1. Improved accuracy and heightened alert fidelity: Providing developers accurate security insight is essential. By enhancing alert fidelity, organizations empower their teams to take immediate action, focusing efforts on high-impact vulnerabilities that pose the most significant risk to applications.
2. Knowing where to start to make the greatest impact: Knowing where to begin can be daunting, especially with countless potential vulnerabilities to address. Effective DevEx programs provide clear visibility into an application’s security posture, offering prioritization mechanisms to identify and address vulnerabilities based on severity, and potential impact. This can allow for effective resource allocation, which can maximize the impact on application security. 
3. Seamless integration within the developers’ ecosystem: AppSec should seamlessly integrate into the developers’ existing workflow. This integration ensures that security is an intrinsic part of the development process that empowers developers to identify, and remediate, vulnerabilities in real time. Organizations that encourage secure coding practices may find they have a faster time-to-market. by embedding security checks into their ecosystems. 
4. Giving every developer the knowledge to write secure code faster: Developer education plays a fundamental role in a successful DevEx program. Equipping developers with the knowledge and tools to write secure code can save valuable time and resources. Comprehensive security education platforms, like Codebashing, provide interactive and gamified learning experiences that proactively enable developers to address security concerns during the early stages of development. 

By embracing these elements, organizations can create a strong DevEx program that nurtures collaboration, productivity, and security. Trust, accuracy, targeted prioritization, seamless integration, and developer education form the pillars of an effective DevEx strategy that enables organizations to unlock the true potential in their development teams.

The Integral Role of Security Education in Developer Experience 

Security education is a fundamental component of an effective DevEx strategy. When equipped with strong security skills, developers can identify and resolve vulnerabilities during the initial stages of software development. This proactive approach can minimize potential security incidents, while also saving time and resources that can be spent fixing issues later in the development cycle. 

Codebashing 2.0 is a revolutionary tool that provides developers with an interactive security education. It is designed to empower developers and give them the knowledge they need to write secure code from the first line. With tailored training paths, security champion programs, and an engaging, gamified learning environment, Codebashing has quickly become a trusted tool for developer-centric security education. 

“It becomes part of everybody’s

workday, identifying potential problems before they

start — and how to avoid them,” said Stearns. “The

learning is continuous and organic, with lessons and

best practices delivered to developers right when

they are needed. That is a powerful proposition.”

Joel Godbout

Cybersecurity and Networking Manager, PCL Construction

What’s New in Codebashing 2.0? 

We are excited to announce the launch of Codebashing 2.0, the next generation of our interactive secure code learning platform. Codebashing 2.0 brings a range of exciting new features and enhancements, including: 

• Personalized Learning Paths: To ensure relevant learning, developers can now access learning paths tailored to their specific skill level and needs. 
• Security Champion Program: This feature will help organizations nurture a culture of leadership and responsibility. This allows each department to have a dedicated security expert – building trust across your organization and facilitating effective communication between developers and security teams. 
• Engine Integrations: Codebashing can be seamlessly integrated with Checkmarx One, which allows for a familiar ecosystem for users.
• Revamped UX/UI: Codebashing 2.0 offers a more intuitive, user-friendly design, making secure code learning accessible for developers of all levels. 
• Expanded Content: Our new library extends beyond the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) 2023 Top 10, covering a broader range of vulnerability classes for more comprehensive security learning. 

Ready to See It in Action?

Investing in Developer Experience is no longer optional for today’s software development lifecycle. Upgrade your DevEx to empower your team with secure code skills.  

To learn more about Codebashing 2.0, visit our page and schedule a demo today. Take the first step towards secure code and a better Developer Experience today.

IaC allows organizations to define and manage their infrastructure using machine-readable configuration files, which are typically version-controlled and treated as code. IaC misconfigurations are mistakes, or oversights, in the configuration of infrastructure resources and environments that happen when using IaC tools and frameworks.   

Misconfigurations in IaC can lead to security vulnerabilities, operational issues, and even potential breaches.  

Common types of misconfigurations 

Common misconfigurations include weak access controls, improperly exposed ports, insecure network configurations, or mismanaged encryption settings. Some of the most common types of IaC Security misconfigurations are: 

1. Access Controls: Misconfigurations related to access controls can result in unauthorized access to resources. This includes issues such as overly permissive access permissions, misconfigured role-based access control (RBAC), or incorrect security group rules. Attackers can exploit these misconfigurations to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, or systems. 

2. Network Configuration: Misconfigurations in network settings can expose services or applications to unnecessary risks. For example, improperly configured firewall rules, open ports, or lack of network segmentation can lead to unauthorized access, network attacks, or data exfiltration. 

3. Encryption and Data Protection: Failure to implement proper encryption and data protection measures can result in data breaches. Misconfigurations may include not encrypting data at rest or in transit, using weak encryption algorithms or keys, or storing sensitive data in insecure locations. 

4. Logging and Monitoring: Misconfigurations related to logging and monitoring can hinder the ability to detect and respond to security incidents. This includes improper configuration of log collection, aggregation, and retention, or misconfigured monitoring rules, leading to missed alerts and delayed incident response. 

5. Secret Management: IaC misconfigurations can expose sensitive credentials or secrets, such as API keys, database passwords, or encryption keys. Storing secrets in plaintext, checking them into version control systems, or including them in IaC templates can lead to unauthorized access or misuse. 

6. Resource Permissions: Misconfigurations in resource permissions can result in excessive or insufficient privileges. Overly permissive permissions may allow unauthorized actions, while overly restrictive permissions can impede proper functionality or lead to operational disruptions. 

7. Cloud Provider-specific Misconfigurations: IaC misconfigurations can vary depending on the cloud provider being used. Each provider has its own set of services, configuration options, and security controls. Misconfigurations may involve misusing or misconfiguring specific services, not following best practices, or overlooking provider-specific security recommendations. 

8. Compliance and Governance: Misconfigurations can result in non-compliance with industry regulations, data protection laws, or internal governance requirements. Failure to configure resources in accordance with these guidelines can lead to legal and regulatory consequences. 

IaC misconfigurations can, of course, lead to security vulnerabilities, but they can also make infrastructure management and maintenance more challenging for AppSec managers and development teams. When misconfigurations are pervasive, it becomes harder to identify and rectify them during updates, scaling, or changing infrastructure requirements. This can result in longer deployment cycles, increased risk of errors during updates, and higher operational complexity.  

Beyond the challenges faced by the organization when misconfigurations are present, misconfigurations are often complicated for developers to troubleshoot. Identifying the root cause of misconfigurations can become increasingly time-consuming and complex if not addressed directly, and developers don’t always know exactly how to resolve misconfigurations, which can leave a development team frustrated and overwhelmed as they try to resolve the issue.  

Introducing AI Guided Remediation for IaC / KICS 

To make it easier for development teams to address the various types of IaC misconfigurations, Checkmarx is pleased to introduce AI Guided Remediation for IaC Security and KICS.

Security Platform, with KICS (Keeping Infrastructure as Code Secure) is a free, open source solution for static analysis of IaC files. KICS automatically parses common IaC files of any type to detect insecure configurations that could expose your applications, data, or services to attack.analysis of IaC files. KICS automatically parses common IaC files of any type to detect insecure configurations that could expose your applications, data, or services to attack.files. KICS automatically parses common IaC files of any type to detect insecure configurations that could expose your applications, data, or services to attack.files. KICS automatically parses common IaC files of any type to detect insecure configurations that could expose your applications, data, or services to attack. 

Powered by GPT4, AI Guided Remediation provides actionable remediation steps and advice to guide teams through the process of remediating IaC misconfigurations identified by Checkmarx IaC Security and KICS. This helps organizations address issues in their IaC files and deploy their applications faster and safer.  

IaC Security and AI Guided Remediation is a powerful combination that makes it faster and easier for developers to more deeply understand and quickly remediate misconfigurations.   

How it works  

Continuing the Checkmarx promise to make application security as easy and efficient as possible for developers and AppSec teams, the new AI Guided Remediation functionality is straightforward and easy-to-use, all within the integrated development environments (IDEs) where development teams are spending their time.   

When a given vulnerability is identified by Checkmarx IaC Security / KICS, an “Ask KICS” option is displayed on screen. Developers can simply click on the button to open a panel, where they have a couple of options.  

Developers can first select from common questions, with out-of-the-box prompts displayed on-screen.   

Alternatively, users can use the free-text field to ask specific questions.  

The tool will then deliver an AI-generated response, giving developers and AppSec managers actionable steps to remediate the misconfiguration.  

Providing actionable steps, AI Guided Remediation helps developers better understand IaC and API misconfigurations without additional resources. Developers do not need to know the details of exactly how to remediate all of the various types of misconfigurations; instead, they can lean on the power of AI to quickly harvest the plethora of resources, documentation, and community knowledge helps development teams identify actionable steps to quickly and easily remediate misconfigurations. 

With AI Guided Remediation, organizations can address issues in their IaC templates faster, reduce management overhead, boost developer adoption, and deliver more secure applications faster. 

Organizations wanting to leverage this functionality can rest assured knowing that their proprietary code is secure. Importantly, the organization’s code is not shared with AI tooling. 

Additionally, AI Guided Remediation detects and removes secrets before sending the code to the chat. Secrets, such as API keys, database passwords, or encryption keys, are sensitive pieces of information that should never be exposed or shared inadvertently. By integrating secret detection and removal into AI Guided Remediation, organizations can significantly enhance the security of their infrastructure as code (IaC) and protect against unauthorized access or misuse 

For Checkmarx users that would like to explore Checkmarx IaC Security / KICS, the addition of AI Guided remediation provides an exciting new opportunity to easily review and action vulnerabilities identified by Checkmarx IaC Security / KICS, all within the Checkmarx One Application Security Platform.  

It’s easy to get started  

For existing Checkmarx IaC / KICS users who want to explore the power of AI Guided Remediation, especially to see how it can create a better developer experience, the Checkmarx AI early access program is now available.  

Sign up now to be among the first to leverage AI Guided Remediation for IaC Security / KICS.  

Checkmarx Early Access program

Not already using Checkmarx IaC or KICS? Existing Checkmarx SAST users who want to explore the power of leveraging Checkmarx IaC / KICS and the AI Guided remediation are encouraged to learn more about all of the powerfully simple AI-driven features available within the Checkmarx One Application Security Platform, the industry’s most comprehensive platform for reducing risk within today’s complex, cloud-native applications.  

Contact your Checkmarx account manager, or contact Checkmarx today.  

In response, more companies are purchasing more tools to place security controls at multiple points across the software development lifecycle (SDLC). However, the number of tools in places doesn’t necessarily equate to a decrease in development time or efficiencies in other resources. More tools often just mean more vulnerabilities, and AppSec teams are notoriously understaffed and under-resourced to manage risks effectively.  

Risk management: No pain, no gain? 

AppSec teams do not always know where to start when assessing and managing risk. Most teams have multiple tools that provide different outputs in different formats. Orchestrating diverse data sets such as these can be a daunting task; but identifying, assessing, and mitigating the biggest risks is essential to protecting your business.  

How do organizations begin assessing their risk? The first step is usually to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment. Once the risks are identified, they need to be evaluated based on their likelihood of being exploited and potential impact of that exploitation. This evaluation is often a highly manual process, but it allows organizations to prioritize risks and allocate resources accordingly to create a risk mitigation strategy. 

The process often involves implementing new controls and safeguards, transferring risks through insurance, or accepting certain risks within predefined tolerance levels. Selecting an appropriate risk mitigation strategy depends on the specific risk and the organization’s risk appetite. 

This process can be tedious, and since it’s not just a one-time process, it is often a significant pain point for AppSec managers, developers, and organizations. It requires many moving parts, and if there is no centralized place to keep and share the findings, risks can go “detected,” but unnoticed.

Don’t Forget to Optimize the “Developer Experience” 

In addition to their risk management responsibilities, AppSec teams need to maintain a strong relationship with one of their most important internal customers and partners: development teams. To build a successful AppSec program, the developers must be brought onboard. 

Developers are pressured to prioritize time to market. While creating secure code is becoming a more important part of their responsibilities, it is not their primary focus. According to our recent Pulse Survey, 35% of developers are experiencing increasing demands and shorter timelines to release new software, and 86% of respondents have released known-vulnerable code to meet launches.  

We all know that developers don’t necessarily want to use additional security tools, and certainly don’t want to use the individual dashboards in those security tools. Supporting developers through strong developer experience is essential not just to the success of application security programs, but also to the overall processes and tools that allow organizations to shift security everywhere.  

For AppSec teams, the “developer experience” means providing developers the opportunity to have a better security experience. When working with AppSec tools, developers often become overwhelmed with the constant “noise versus signal” decision making that is often put on their plate because it is unclear what risks they need to prioritize. Sorting through the noise and attempting to prioritize quickly can become a huge waste of time for each individual developer – leading to large drops in productivity. This in turn can cause a rift between developers and AppSec teams that could take extra time and resources to attempt to fix. When working with security tools, developers need to trust the results they get and see the most important things for them to fix first. 

At Checkmarx, we’ve specifically developed tools to help: 

Introducing: Application Risk Management as part of Fusion 2.0 

Last year we introduced Fusion, which correlated and prioritized vulnerabilities across every AST engine on Checkmarx One. Now, Fusion 2.0 adds Application Risk Management – a module that will allow you to view the application security posture of your entire application portfolio and footprint.  

Users will be able to start with a comprehensive risk score for all their applications, so AppSec managers can see quickly what needs to be addressed first. With this solution, AppSec managers can efficiently manage and prioritize vulnerabilities by providing a centralized and consolidated view of security risks. This instantly removes the complexity that a disorganized risk management process can carry with it. Once AppSec managers can zero in on the riskiest applications, teams can point developers to critical vulnerabilities that need remediation (like you could in Fusion 1.0). 

This new feature allows AppSec teams to truly prioritize and triage the most critical vulnerabilities on the riskiest applications. It allows us to create a better developer experience, since we now are giving clear signals as to where the highest impact areas are, instead of having them waste their time wading through the noise.  

Successful risk management requires constant vigilance. Regular monitoring allows organizations to identify changes in the risk landscape, while also allowing for timely remediation against emerging critical risks. Unnoticed and unmediated vulnerabilities can open a proverbial Pandora’s box when it comes to exploits – the longer a critical risk remains unaddressed, the greater the potential for malicious users to take advantage of it. We all know that time is money, and no one knows this better than bad actors. Our risk management feature also includes an unaddressed critical risk timer, which will let AppSec managers and developers know the time elapsed on unaddressed critical risks. 

Most important though, is that a robust risk management system can help create a culture of resilience within organizations and AppSec teams. When businesses are aware of what risks they are facing, they can proactively make better decisions in a regard to how they can navigate certain challenges and capitalize on other opportunities. Application risk management is a fundamental part of a robust risk management practice since it helps your AppSec teams do it better.  

Ready to learn more? Check out the new Application Risk Management module for Checkmarx One!