Summary for CISSP Domain 8: Software Development Security

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I just posted domains 7 SecOps, and here is the Summary for CISSP Domain 8: Software Development Security (last domain)

CISSP Domain 8: Software Development Security – Comprehensive Review

1. Overview of Software Development Security

Software security involves integrating security best practices throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) to prevent vulnerabilities, reduce risk, and ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA).

2. Security in the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

Security must be integrated into each phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

2.1 SDLC Phases and Security Considerations

Requirements Gathering – Identify security needs, regulatory compliance, threat modeling.
Design – Secure architecture, data flow diagrams, threat modeling.
Development – Secure coding practices, code reviews, static analysis.
Testing – Dynamic analysis, fuzz testing, security testing.
Deployment – Secure configurations, patching, hardening.
Maintenance – Monitoring, vulnerability management, incident response.

2.2 Secure SDLC Models

Waterfall – Sequential, limited flexibility for security adjustments.
Agile – Iterative, integrates security testing in development.
DevSecOps – Security is embedded continuously in the DevOps pipeline.

3. Application Security Controls

3.1 Secure Coding Practices

Input Validation – Prevents injection attacks.
Output Encoding – Mitigates XSS (Cross-Site Scripting).
Least Privilege – Minimize permissions granted to code.
Error Handling – Avoid exposing sensitive information.
Secure Dependencies – Use trusted third-party libraries.

3.2 OWASP Top 10 Security Risks

Injection Attacks – SQL, OS, and LDAP injection.
Broken Authentication – Weak passwords, session hijacking.
Sensitive Data Exposure – Insecure cryptographic storage.
XML External Entities (XXE) – Exploits XML parsers.
Broken Access Control – Unauthorized access to resources.
Security Misconfiguration – Default credentials, unpatched software.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) – Injecting malicious scripts.
Insecure Deserialization – Remote code execution risks.
Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities – Outdated libraries.
Insufficient Logging & Monitoring – Delayed detection of attacks.

4. Secure Software Architecture and Design

Secure architecture ensures resilience against attacks.

4.1 Security Design Principles

Fail-Secure Defaults – Systems should fail into a secure state.
Defense in Depth – Multiple layers of security controls.
Least Privilege – Minimize access rights.
Separation of Duties – Prevent conflicts of interest.
Security by Design – Proactive, not reactive, security measures.

4.2 Threat Modeling

Identifying and mitigating security risks early in development.

STRIDE (Microsoft Model): Spoofing – Impersonation attacks. Tampering – Unauthorized data modification. Repudiation – Denying an action occurred. Information Disclosure – Leaking sensitive data. Denial of Service (DoS) – Overloading a system. Elevation of Privilege – Gaining unauthorized access.
DREAD (Risk Assessment Model): Damage, Reproducibility, Exploitability, Affected Users, Discoverability.

5. Secure Software Development Practices

5.1 Secure Coding Standards

OWASP Secure Coding Practices – Guidelines to prevent vulnerabilities.
SANS/CWE Top 25 – Most dangerous software errors.
CERT Secure Coding Standards – Language-specific security guidelines.

5.2 Code Review and Analysis

Static Code Analysis (SAST) – Examines code without execution.
Dynamic Analysis (DAST) – Runs tests in a real environment.
Fuzz Testing – Inputs random data to find crashes.
Manual Code Reviews – Human-driven analysis for security flaws.

6. Software Security Testing

6.1 Security Testing Types

Unit Testing – Testing individual functions for security flaws.
Integration Testing – Checking security between software components.
Regression Testing – Ensuring updates do not introduce vulnerabilities.
Penetration Testing – Simulating real-world attacks.

6.2 Application Security Testing Tools

Web Application Firewalls (WAF) – Protects against web attacks.
Static and Dynamic Analysis Tools – Fortify, Veracode, Burp Suite.
Software Composition Analysis (SCA) – Identifies insecure third-party components.

7. Identity and Access Management (IAM) in Software

7.1 Authentication and Authorization

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Requires multiple forms of identity verification.
OAuth & OpenID Connect (OIDC) – Secure authentication protocols.
SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) – Used for SSO (Single Sign-On).

7.2 Secure Session Management

Tokenization – Replaces sensitive data with tokens.
Secure Cookies – HttpOnly, Secure flags.
Session Expiry – Limits session duration.

8. Software Development Methodologies and Controls

8.1 DevSecOps and CI/CD Security

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) – Automates software updates.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) – Secure automation of cloud and IT infrastructure.
Automated Security Testing – Incorporates security tools in CI/CD.

8.2 Software Deployment Security

Blue-Green Deployments – Parallel environments to minimize downtime.
Feature Flags – Gradual feature rollouts with security toggles.
Rollback Procedures – Rapid restoration in case of security failures.

9. Security of Mobile and Web Applications

9.1 Mobile App Security

OWASP Mobile Top 10 – Common vulnerabilities in mobile apps.
Secure Storage of API Keys – Use keychain or secure enclaves.
App Sandboxing – Isolates applications from each other.

9.2 Web Security Best Practices

Content Security Policy (CSP) – Prevents XSS.
Same-Origin Policy – Prevents unauthorized cross-site requests.
HTTP Security Headers – HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options.

10. Software Licensing and Legal Considerations

10.1 Software Licensing Types

Proprietary Software – Vendor-controlled, closed source.
Open Source Software (OSS) – Community-driven, may have licensing risks.
GNU General Public License (GPL) – Requires derived works to be open source.

10.2 Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) – User data protection.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) – Healthcare data security.
PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) – Secure payment transactions.

11. Database Security

11.1 Database Threats