7 DevSecOps tools to secure each step of the SDLC

IriusRisk

Threat modeling is increasingly critical in modern software development. IriusRisk is an automated threat modeling platform that helps teams identify and mitigate security risks early in the SDLC based on system architecture diagrams and questionnaires. The platform stands out for its ability to scale threat modeling across large organizations while maintaining consistency and reducing the manual effort traditionally required for security assessment.

Additional IriusRisk features include the following:

• Built-in security standards. Incorporates major security standards, such as OWASP, NIST and Mitre, helping ensure compliance with industry best practices.
• Integration capabilities. Integrates with popular development tools, such as Jira, GitHub and Jenkins.
• Reusable components library. Maintains a comprehensive library of threat patterns and countermeasures that can be quickly applied to new projects.
• Risk visualization. Provides clear visual representations of security risks and their potential impact on the system.
• Collaborative features. Enables security and development teams to work together effectively on threat assessment and mitigation strategies.

IriusRisk offers a free Community edition and paid Enterprise edition. The Community edition, available as SaaS, includes the creation of up to three threat models, as well as access to its AI assistant. The Enterprise edition, available as SaaS or on-premises, includes unlimited users and a purchasable amount of threat models. Contact IriusRisk for pricing.

Semgrep

For comprehensive static application security testing, organizations can use Semgrep, which combines powerful code analysis with dependency and secrets scanning capabilities. A standout feature is its intuitive approach to custom rule creation. Developers can copy and paste code patterns they want to find and add placeholders for variables, and Semgrep semantically matches similar patterns across the codebase. This feature makes it useful for enforcing company-specific coding standards and finding business logic flaws.

Devs can also use Semgrep to analyze individual API specifications and scan hundreds of repositories simultaneously at the enterprise level.

Additional Semgrep features include the following:

• Reduced false positives. Context-aware scanning understands code structure rather than just pattern matching, leading to more accurate and actionable results.
• Custom standards enforcement. Create and maintain organization-specific coding standards and security rules through intuitive pattern matching.
• Continuous integration/continuous delivery integration. Provides existing CI/CD workflows with support for major CI platforms and API access for custom integrations.

The free version of Semgrep provides access to open source rules, custom rule creation and CI integration, making it suitable for individual developers and small teams.

Semgrep offers paid enterprise options: Semgrep Code at $40 per contributor per month, Semgrep Supply Chain at $40 per contributor per month and Semgrep Secrets at $20 per contributor per month, as well as customized pricing. The first 10 contributors for Semgrep Code and Semgrep Supply Chain are free. Paid features, which might not be available in all, include advanced secrets scanning to detect hardcoded credentials and tokens, software composition analysis to identify vulnerable dependencies, role-based access control and priority support. The dependency scanner identifies outdated or vulnerable packages and provides actionable upgrade paths. The paid options also include supply chain security features, compliance reporting and API access for custom integrations.

ZAP and StackHawk

Zed Attack Proxy, or ZAP, is one of the world's most widely used open source web application security scanners. Created by OWASP and now supported by Checkmarx, it acts as a man-in-the-middle proxy to intercept and inspect messages between client and web application. Key features include automated vulnerability scanning, passive scanning while browsing, web crawling and a REST API.

ZAP is known for its extensive community support, active development and integration capabilities with CI/CD pipelines. It's used by organizations of all sizes, from small teams to major enterprises.

StackHawk is built on ZAP's core engine, modernizing and streamlining security testing for DevSecOps workflows. It enhances ZAP's capabilities with the following:

• Native CI/CD integration, especially with GitHub Actions.
• Modern API security testing features.
• Simplified configuration and setup.
• Team collaboration features.
• Enhanced reporting and dashboard functionality.
• Better handling of modern authentication methods.

While ZAP remains the go-to free option for web security testing, StackHawk has gained traction among organizations looking for a more polished, enterprise-ready product with dedicated support. StackHawk's focus on developer-first security testing and API scanning has made it particularly popular among teams adopting DevSecOps best practices.

Both tools maintain strong reputations in the security community, with ZAP being especially popular for its reliability and extensive feature set.

StackHawk offers paid tiers. Pro, at $42 per code contributor per month, has a five-contributor minimum. Enterprise, at $59 per code contributor per month, has a 20-contributor minimum. Organizations with teams of more than 50 code contributors can contact StackHawk for a custom quote.

GitGuardian

GitGuardian helps organizations prevent costly data breaches by automatically detecting and securing sensitive information, including API keys, credentials and other secrets, across their entire SDLC. Its powerful scanning engine integrates with existing workflows and tools, monitoring repositories, commits and pull requests in real time without disrupting developer productivity.

GitGuardian enables teams to maintain strong security practices while keeping development velocity high by providing immediate alerts and detailed remediation guidance when secrets are exposed. It also helps prevent developers from accidentally committing critical secrets to public repositories.

GitGuardian offers a free Starter tier for up to 25 developers and Teams tier at $220 per developer per year for up to 200 developers. Organizations with more than 200 developers can contact GitGuardian for a custom quote.

Trivy

Security scanning across the entire software supply chain is critical in today's cloud-native landscape. Trivy, an open source security scanner maintained by software vendor Aqua Security, provides comprehensive vulnerability detection and security analysis for containers, applications and infrastructure code across major Linux distributions.

Additional Trivy features include the following:

• Kubernetes security. Identifies misconfigurations and risky settings in Kubernetes workloads to ensure compliance with security best practices.
• Multilayer detection. Scans for vulnerabilities in OS packages, application dependencies, exposed secrets and license violations.
• Infrastructure as code coverage. Examines security configurations in IaC files, including Terraform and Kubernetes manifests.
• DevSecOps integration. Offers fast scanning with low false positives, designed for easier integration into CI/CD pipelines.

The key differentiator for Trivy is its combination of broad feature coverage -- containers, IaC and dependencies -- with simplicity and speed, making it appealing for teams that want a single, straightforward tool for multiple security scanning needs.

CycloneDX

CycloneDX is a lightweight software bill of materials (SBOM) specification that tracks and documents components in software applications, enabling better security and compliance management. It stands out for its broad industry adoption and backing by OWASP, making it an ideal SBOM specification for organizations that need to understand and manage their software dependencies and supply chain risks.

CycloneDX integrates well with the other tools featured here and works with XML, JSON and protocol buffer data formats. Organizations can create SaaSBOMs, hardware BOMs and vulnerability disclosure reports using CycloneDX.

Colin Domoney is a software security consultant who evangelizes DevSecOps and helps developers secure their software. He has previously worked for Veracode and 42Crunch and authored a book on API security. He is currently a CTO and co-founder, and an independent security consultant.