xcPEP Code Deployment and Secure Development Policy

xcPEP Code Deployment and Secure Development Policy

 

1. Purpose and Scope

This Code Deployment and Secure Development Policy establishes the guidelines and procedures for the secure design, development, testing, and deployment of all software and configurations related to the xcPEP SaaS platform. The policy aims to embed security into every stage of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), minimize vulnerabilities, and ensure the integrity and reliability of our services.

2. Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) Principles

Security is a fundamental consideration throughout the entire SDLC, adhering to the following principles:

  • Security by Design: Integrating security controls and considerations from the initial design and architecture phases.
  • Defense in Depth: Implementing multiple layers of security controls to protect against various attack vectors.
  • Least Privilege: Ensuring that developed components and services operate with the minimum necessary permissions.
  • Input Validation: Robust validation of all user inputs to prevent injection attacks and other vulnerabilities.
  • Error Handling: Implementing secure and informative error handling mechanisms to prevent information leakage.
  • Secure Coding Practices: Adhering to established secure coding guidelines and standards.

3. Development Environment Security

  • Separation: Development, testing, and production environments are strictly separated.
  • Access Control: Access to development environments and source code repositories is tightly controlled based on the xcPEP Access Management Policy.
  • Configuration Management: Development tools and environments are securely configured and regularly patched.

4. Secure Development Practices

  • Threat Modeling: Conducting threat modeling for new features and significant architectural changes to identify potential security risks early in the design phase.
  • Secure Coding Guidelines: Developers adhere to internal secure coding guidelines based on industry best practices (e.g., OWASP Secure Coding Practices).
  • Use of Approved Libraries/Frameworks: Developers are encouraged to use approved and regularly updated libraries and frameworks to reduce reliance on insecure components.
  • Secrets Management: Sensitive information (e.g., API keys, database credentials) is managed securely using dedicated secrets management tools and not hardcoded into applications.

5. Code Security and Quality Assurance

  • Peer Code Reviews: All code changes, especially those affecting security-sensitive areas, undergo mandatory peer code reviews by at least one other qualified developer to identify security flaws and ensure adherence to coding standards.
  • Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Automated SAST tools are integrated into the CI/CD pipeline to analyze source code for common security vulnerabilities (e.g., SQL injection, cross-site scripting) during development.
  • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Automated DAST tools are used to scan running applications in non-production environments to identify vulnerabilities that manifest during execution.
  • Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT): Regular VAPT is conducted by independent third parties on the xcPEP platform, as per the xcPEP Information Security Policy. Findings are promptly addressed.
  • Unit and Integration Testing: Comprehensive testing includes security-specific test cases to validate the effectiveness of security controls.

6. Code Deployment and Release Management

  • Version Control: All source code is managed in secure version control systems (e.g., Git) with appropriate access controls and audit trails.
  • Automated Builds and Deployments (CI/CD):
    • Automated Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines are used to minimize manual intervention and reduce the risk of human error during deployment.
    • CI/CD pipelines incorporate security gates, including static analysis, dependency scanning, and automated security tests.
  • Change Management: All code deployments follow the formal xcPEP Change Management Policy, requiring appropriate approvals, rollback plans, and documentation.
  • Deployment Authorization: Deployment to production environments requires explicit authorization from relevant stakeholders (e.g., lead developer, QA lead, operations manager).
  • Rollback Procedures: Detailed rollback procedures are in place for all deployments to revert to a stable state in case of unexpected issues.

7. Patch Management

  • Software dependencies, operating systems, and third-party libraries are regularly monitored for security vulnerabilities.
  • A robust patch management process is implemented to apply security patches in a timely manner, prioritizing critical vulnerabilities.

8. Roles and Responsibilities

  • Development Teams: Responsible for implementing secure coding practices, conducting code reviews, and addressing security findings.
  • QA Teams: Responsible for incorporating security testing into their test plans.
  • Security Team: Provides secure coding guidelines, conducts security assessments, and oversees the overall SSDLC process.
  • Operations/DevOps Teams: Responsible for secure configuration of deployment pipelines and production environments.

9. Policy Review and Updates

This xcPEP Code Deployment and Secure Development Policy is reviewed at least annually and updated as necessary to reflect changes in development practices, security technologies, and the threat landscape.