Originally published Security as Code – Powering Federal Agility with AI-Ready Protection on by https://www.hstoday.us/featured/security-as-code-powering-federal-agility-with-ai-ready-protection/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=security-as-code-powering-federal-agility-with-ai-ready-protection at Homeland Security
As the White House continues to prioritize making government more efficient through automation, it will be critical that these efforts build in cybersecurity as an important consideration from the onset. Security-as-code (SaC), a subset of the SecDevOps software development approach, should be an essential component of the government’s efficiency program and a tool for government agencies to establish strong security practices throughout their software initiatives while boosting regulatory compliance and preventing disruption.
SaC refers to the practice of integrating security measures directly into the software development process by treating security configurations, policies and controls as code. By integrating this practice with artificial intelligence (AI), agencies can amplify capabilities by using machine learning, predictive analytics and automated decision-making to enhance the detection, prevention and response to security threats.
With adversaries increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to probe vulnerabilities, traditional security methods struggle to keep pace. SaC integrates security practices directly into the software development lifecycle, enabling proactive risk management, continuous monitoring and automated compliance.
This approach is critical now as it aligns with initiatives like President Trump’s recent executive order to sustain U.S. AI leadership while reducing barriers to innovation. The benefits are clear: stronger defenses through early vulnerability detection; cost savings from streamlined processes; faster delivery of secure applications; and better alignment with mission goals.
By some estimates, 40% of AI-generated code has some type of vulnerability. As the new administration promotes AI to increase efficiency and cut costs, agencies must prevent those vulnerabilities from becoming issues. SaC can significantly mitigate AI-generated code vulnerabilities by embedding security practices directly into the development pipeline. Leveraging AI-powered automated code scanning tools to audit AI-generated code enables agencies to identify vulnerabilities such as prompt injection, insecure application program interfaces (APIs) or model bias – at scale and with greater accuracy.
When combined with policy-as-code frameworks, continuous validation and targeted developer training on AI-specific threats, this approach embeds security throughout the development lifecycle. In essence, using AI to secure AI creates a resilient feedback loop that proactively prevents risks before they impact operations.
To complicate things further, agencies often apply security controls as an add-on after completing their initial software development. This results in added costs down the road when the programs become operational and security issues are identified. AI-enabled SaC automates and enforces security practices by using code that is version-controlled, testable and repeatable. It can help by baking in security compliance to policies such as zero trust into the code from the beginning of the development process.
Despite its benefits, SaC isn’t widely adopted by companies or federal agencies due to several entrenched barriers. Many organizations maintain a traditional divide between development, security, and operations teams. Developers prioritize speed and functionality, while security teams focus on compliance and risk, leading to friction when integrating security into the coding process. Federal agencies, with their hierarchical structures and legacy workflows, often amplify this resistance. In addition, federal agencies rely heavily on outdated infrastructure that wasn’t designed for modern DevSecOps practices like SaC. Retrofitting these systems is costly, time-consuming and risks disrupting mission-critical operations. Also, many agencies lack staff trained in secure coding practices or automation tools, and leadership may not fully grasp SaC’s value.
Perhaps most importantly, implementing SaC demands up-front investments in tools, training and process redesign. Budget-constrained federal agencies and profit-driven companies often prioritize short-term goals over long-term security gains.
How to Do SaC Successfully
To adopt SaC effectively and address these challenges, organizations must follow these strategies:
- Foster a DevSecOps culture. Project leaders must break down silos by training developers, security pros and ops teams on SaC principles, emphasizing shared responsibility for security.
- Counter resistance with executive buy-in. Leadership must champion SaC as a mission-critical priority, not a burden. To secure budget and buy-in from leadership and teams, highlight SaC’s ROI by documenting how it can cut costs in the long run by reducing expensive fixes later in the life cycle as well as result in fewer breaches and faster mission delivery.
- Start small and scale. Agencies should pilot SaC on a single project or team, integrating security tools into existing automated software delivery processes. Once deployed, they can then gradually expand to other workflows. Teams should first focus on incremental wins. For example, they could start by focusing on fixing one class of vulnerabilities, such as SQL injections, to build momentum and confidence.
- Leverage automation. Automated testing, dependency scanning and infrastructure-as-code tools can help to embed security checks into development without slowing progress.
- Invest in training and talent. It is important to upskill staff through relevant certifications and hiring hybrid developer-security experts. Partnering with vendors or consultants for initial expertise can be crucial.
In light of the clear benefits of security-as-code, the government must begin to view it as a “pay now or pay more later” issue. If agencies wait to bolt security on at the end of the development process, it will end up costing more when security issues come to the fore.
To fully realize the benefits of SaC, agencies must not only adopt it early but also align it with existing mandates and clearly communicate its value. By mapping SaC practices to secure software development frameworks created by National Institute of Standards and Technology frameworks while tracking outcomes such as mean time to remediation, agencies can shift compliance from a check-the-box exercise to a proactive security posture that exceeds baseline requirements.
At the same time, articulating SaC’s return on investment – through fewer breaches, reduced remediation costs, and accelerated mission delivery – can help overcome internal skepticism and secure critical leadership support. Real-world examples of SaC catching vulnerabilities early or avoiding costly rework reinforce its alignment with agency goals like resilience, innovation and long-term cost savings.
By integrating security into the development process, government organizations can more efficiently address vulnerabilities while avoiding security issues that are likely to present themselves later. This approach aligns perfectly with the new administration’s demands for efficiency and transparency in public sector projects, while also saving money and reducing risk.
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Originally published Security as Code – Powering Federal Agility with AI-Ready Protection on by https://www.hstoday.us/featured/security-as-code-powering-federal-agility-with-ai-ready-protection/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=security-as-code-powering-federal-agility-with-ai-ready-protection at Homeland Security
Originally published Homeland Security
