DevOps and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions converge when no human element is required while deploying applications or detecting the threat and executing preventive measures. In this article, I am evaluating how the DevOps process integrates EDR solutions for securing services operations at various endpoints in the network.
What is DevOps?
DevOps has an impact on the mindset and technology landscape of software development companies to build cloud compatible services in a highly competitive market environment. Unification of development and operations is streamlined in DevOps that results in more innovation in technology domain driven by software. With DevOps, automation has become a more critical element than software development cycles. Now, updates, fixes and patches to software application services become easy with DevOps.
DevOps Challenges
Over time, it is realized that security is overlooked while moving to DevOps culture. Here are some of the challenges the DevOps approach might have:
Absence of Security Knowledge: It is a known fact that a lack of knowledge of secure coding and ignorance of robust security practices by developers can cause a long development cycle. It can happen due to training to developers for following security methods and guidelines while writing code and committing for the build. It has to be addressed at the development level by companies.
Open-Source Software Security: Use of open source frameworks has increased over time in a DevOps approach. With open-source projects, DevOps teams get pre-made code snippets to enhance the functionality of applications. But a striking fact is that 41% of cyber-security applications found high-risk open source vulnerabilities. To encounter this challenge, the DevOps team should be literate to track updates to open source frameworks used in DevOps toolchain, apply fixes to vulnerabilities as it becomes available. Also, to integrate open source, only use the trusted repositories.
Inverse Speed for Security Testing: DevOps introduces automation with agility in developing and releasing software applications. The speed at which developers commit code and build an executable does not allow the testing team to deep dive into code efficiently. In the traditional model, testers used to get a fair amount of time before applications go live. With the new agile approach, the duration for testing becomes much lower. To tackle this, automation in testing needs to be in line with development.
What is EDR?
EDR solutions offer a new approach to continuously monitor network endpoint devices for malicious activity and prevention of the attack and trigger a further course of action based on the pattern of attack. These solutions analyze endpoint data actively to provide detection and prevention in real-time. EDR solutions analyze the behavior of endpoints users and/or devices for suspicious activity and send alerts to the system.
EDR replaces the use of digital signatures to detect threats and provide behavior-based solutions for proactive security threat intelligence. All the processes of EDR solutions are based on activities, events and interactions on endpoints or with endpoints.
In the realm of CyberSecurity, EDR security offered to enterprises has the topmost priority due to its nature of being proactive and automated.
How Does EDR Solve DevOps Challenges?
DevSecOps is all about introducing and utilizing tools/solutions to secure continuous integration, development and delivery of applications. These applications made for services run at either server-side or endpoint devices. EDR solutions work actively in systems where endpoints have participated. EDR solutions can be integrated within the DevOps cycle so malicious activity can be tracked and hunted down by developers. This can be the quickest and automated way to tackle security threats.
The public cloud provides an environment for developers for the development, testing and execution of applications. The DevOps approach is mostly consumed by public cloud vendors with their set of supporting tools. But the cloud has its security concerns—such as any misconfiguration or code glitch in the application resulting in a huge attack. Also, cloud resources are mostly accessed by various types of devices which may or may not be secure. Some developers use their own devices for the development and monitoring of the application. EDR solutions can help in both cases by applying itself at endpoints as well as at public cloud infrastructure end.
Conclusion
EDR solutions are based on machine learning technologies that generate actions based on analytics information provided by sources/endpoints. EDR tools integration with the DevOps toolchain takes automation in process execution at much further level to track security breaches in run time and hunt down vulnerabilities within code before the application goes live. Additionally, it has seen that endpoint devices are more significantly emerged in generating security incidences. It has become imperative for DevOps teams to look after endpoint protection.
