DevSecOps definition
DevSecOps is the practice of integrating security into every stage of the DevOps software lifecycle, from design and coding through build, deployment and operation, instead of treating it as a final gate before release. Automated security checks run in the pipeline, developers share responsibility for security, and vulnerabilities are found and fixed earlier and more cheaply.
How DevSecOps works
Traditional security reviews happened at the end of a project, when fixing issues was slow and expensive and releases were delayed. With teams deploying many times a week, a manual review before every release is impossible. DevSecOps shifts security left: threat modeling during design, secure coding guidance and automated scanning as code is written, and policy checks in the pipeline, with security specialists building guardrails rather than acting as the final gate.
High-profile incidents made the case urgent. The SolarWinds compromise in 2020 showed that attackers could tamper with a build system, and the Log4Shell vulnerability in late 2021 forced organizations to discover, quickly, where one open-source library was used across thousands of applications. Both are pipeline and inventory problems as much as code problems.
Security checks in a DevSecOps pipeline
- Secret scanning before commits and in CI, with tools such as gitleaks.
- Static application security testing (SAST) with Semgrep, CodeQL or SonarQube.
- Software composition analysis of dependencies with Dependabot, Snyk or OWASP Dependency-Check.
- Infrastructure as code scanning with Checkov or Trivy.
- Container image scanning with Trivy or Grype.
- Dynamic testing (DAST) against running apps with ZAP.
- SBOM generation and artifact signing, for example with Syft and Sigstore.
- Runtime detection with tools such as Falco and cloud security posture management.
- License compliance checks for open-source dependencies.
- Policy as code with Open Policy Agent to enforce deployment rules.
Software supply chain security
Modern applications are mostly third-party code, so knowing what you ship is essential. A software bill of materials (SBOM), in formats such as CycloneDX or SPDX, lists every component and version in a release. The SLSA framework defines levels of build integrity, from scripted builds to hardened, verifiable ones. In the US, Executive Order 14028 in 2021 pushed federal software suppliers toward SBOMs and secure development practices, influencing the wider industry. The OWASP Top 10:2025 also added Software Supply Chain Failures as a top-level category.
Common DevSecOps challenges
The most common failure is noise. Scanners produce thousands of findings, many irrelevant, and developers learn to ignore them. Prioritize by real risk: whether a vulnerable function is reachable, whether exploits exist, such as those listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and whether the service is internet-facing. Block builds only for high-confidence, high-severity issues and track the rest.
Ownership is the other challenge. Every finding needs a clear owner and a deadline based on severity, and security champions inside product teams help translate policy into everyday practice. Without them, security findings pile up quietly between audits and major releases.
How to get started with DevSecOps
Start with the checks that give the most value for the least friction: secret scanning, dependency scanning with automatic update pull requests, and container image scanning. Add SAST tuned to your languages, then IaC and runtime checks. Measure time to fix critical vulnerabilities rather than the number of findings. Nexzem builds these checks into client pipelines from the first sprint, tuned to keep developers moving while blocking genuinely risky changes.