ISO 27001: 2022 A.8.25 Secure development life cycle

This article provides additional information on how you can meet the requirement for the ISO 27001: 2022 control A.8.25 Secure development life cycle.

Rules for the secure development of software and systems shall be established and applied.

To ensure that information security is embedded throughout the development life cycle of software and systems.

To build secure services, architecture, software, and systems, the following aspects should be considered:

Separate Environments:
Keep development, testing, and production environments separate to prevent unintended changes and ensure security.
Security in Development Life Cycle:
- Methodology: Integrate security into the software development process.
- Secure Coding Guidelines: Provide specific secure coding practices for each programming language used.
Security in Specification and Design:
Include security requirements from the very beginning, during the specification and design phases.
Security Checkpoints:
Implement security checkpoints at key stages of development projects to ensure ongoing compliance with security requirements.
Testing:
Conduct thorough system and security testing, including regression testing, code scanning, and penetration testing, to identify and address vulnerabilities.
Secure Repositories:
Use secure repositories for storing source code and configuration files to protect them from unauthorized access or tampering.
Version Control Security:
Ensure security is maintained in version control systems to prevent accidental or malicious changes.
Training and Knowledge:
Ensure developers have the necessary knowledge and training to prevent, identify, and fix security vulnerabilities.
Licensing Considerations:
Consider licensing requirements and alternatives to ensure that solutions are cost-effective and avoid potential future licensing issues.

If development work is outsourced, ensure that the supplier follows your organisation’s secure development practices and standards.