Setting Up a Security Champions Program

Setting up a Security Champions program is a strategic move to weave cybersecurity into the very fabric of your organization’s culture and processes. This initiative involves identifying and empowering select individuals within your teams – our Security Champions – who will carry the torch of security practices within their respective domains. These Champions will be the frontrunners, advocating for secure coding practices, raising awareness of security threats, and ensuring that security is not just a checkbox in the development life cycle but an ongoing commitment.

The program is more than just a set of tasks; it’s a transformative process that requires careful planning, clear communication, and continuous education. By embedding these advocates into the heart of your technical teams, you encourage a proactive stance on security issues, driving the organization’s DevSecOps program to new heights. The Security...

The Security Champions program

A Security Champions program is essentially an initiative within an organization that aims to identify and train individuals from various development teams to take on the role of a Security Champion

Think of these Champions as the superheroes of cybersecurity within their respective teams. They have a special interest in and knowledge of security, but they are also skilled developers, able to understand and speak the language of coding and application development.

Their role in the organization involves doing the following:

• Acting as the main point of contact for security-related questions or issues within their team
• Spreading security awareness and good practices among their team members
• Helping integrate secure coding practices into the software development life cycle (SDLC)
• Liaising between their team and the dedicated security team of the organization, helping both sides understand each other’s needs and constraints...

Who should be a Security Champion?

A Security Champion does not need to start as a security expert. The most important thing is their interest and willingness to learn. Security specifics can be taught and learned over time, with support from the broader security team and the Security Champions network.

First and foremost, a Security Champion needs to have a genuine interest in cybersecurity. They need to be enthusiastic about learning and sharing knowledge in this area.

Development teams are on the frontlines, designing and building the organization’s applications. As such, their primary motivation to participate in a Security Champions program might revolve around the following:

• Knowledge enhancement: The program can serve as a rich platform for developers to enhance their understanding of security principles and secure coding practices. It’s an opportunity to upskill and grow their careers.
• Reduced issues: With better understanding comes the ability...

The top benefits of starting a Security Champions program

A Security Champions program can offer a wide range of benefits for an organization:

• Enhanced communication: Security Champions serve as a bridge between the security team and other parts of the organization, improving communication and understanding.
• Increased security awareness: Champions help raise awareness about security threats and best practices throughout the organization. This helps create a culture of security.
• Improved secure development practices: By promoting security from the beginning of the SDLC, champions can help reduce vulnerabilities in the end product.
• Better response to security incidents: With a champion in each team, your organization can identify and respond to security issues more quickly and effectively.
• Cost-effective: By catching and fixing potential security issues early in the development process, the champions can help save money on expensive fixes later on.
• Scalability...

What does a Security Champion do?

A Security Champion plays several crucial roles within an organization:

• Security liaison: They act as the primary point of contact for any security issues within their team, coordinating with the central security team when necessary
• Security advocate: They promote security awareness within their team, highlighting the importance of secure coding practices and the potential risks of neglecting security
• Security mentor: They educate and guide their team members on security best practices and standards, ensuring everyone is equipped to contribute to a secure development environment
• Security analyst: They contribute to risk assessments, threat modeling, and security testing efforts within their team, identifying potential vulnerabilities and solutions
• Security integrator: They work to integrate security into the SDLC, from design to deployment, ensuring security is not just an afterthought
• Security innovator: They stay updated...

Security Champions program – why do you need it?

A Security Champions program is beneficial for several reasons:

• Improved security culture: By having designated individuals promoting good security practices within their teams, the organization can foster a more robust security culture. This increased awareness and knowledge can reduce vulnerabilities.
• Better communication: Security Champions can act as a bridge between the security team and the rest of the organization, improving the understanding and communication of security-related matters.
• Efficient security integration: Champions help integrate security into every stage of the development process, reducing the potential for costly fixes later on due to security oversights.
• Proactive threat management: With trained individuals looking out for security risks in their respective teams, organizations can identify and address threats earlier and more effectively.
• Employee development: For individuals...

Shared responsibility models

In the context of a Security Champion program, a shared responsibility model refers to how security tasks and responsibilities are divided between the security team, the champions themselves, and the rest of the development team. It’s about ensuring that everyone has a role to play in maintaining and enhancing security:

• Security team responsibilities: The central security team provides training and guidance to Security Champions and oversees the overall security strategy. They also handle more complex security issues and keep up with the latest threat intelligence.
• Security Champion responsibilities: Security Champions act as the bridge between the security team and the development team. They raise security awareness within their team, provide advice on security-related matters, help incorporate security practices into the development process, and act as the first point of contact for security concerns within their team.
• Development...

The roles of different teams

The Security Champions program involves different roles from various teams in an organization, each playing a crucial part in its success. Here’s a general idea of how different teams might be involved:

• Sec team: The Sec team provides the necessary training, tools, and guidance to the Security Champions. They also handle advanced security threats and complex issues that require deep expertise. The Sec team works closely with the champions, answering their queries and supporting them in their role.
• Dev teams: Members of these teams are the primary audience for the Security Champions. They’re responsible for implementing secure coding practices and integrating security measures into the SDLC. Devs should be open to learning from the Champions and should apply the knowledge shared about security best practices in their day-to-day work.
• Security Champions: Champions themselves are part of the development teams, but they have an...

Buy-in from the executive

Securing buy-in from executives is a critical part of establishing a successful Security Champions program. Let’s look at a few reasons why executive support is necessary and how it can be secured.

The importance of executive buy-in

• Resource allocation: Executive buy-in often translates into allocating necessary resources – such as time, training materials, and perhaps even software or hardware tools – to support the Security Champions program.
• Culture shift: For a Security Champions program to be effective, there often needs to be a shift in organizational culture toward prioritizing security. This kind of cultural change typically requires leadership from the top.
• Reward and recognition: Executive support can also facilitate the recognition and reward of Security Champions, encouraging their continued efforts and motivating others to participate.

How to secure executive buy-in

• Clearly articulate the...

Measuring the effect of the Security Champions program

Certain metrics and indicators can be used to evaluate the program’s impact. The key to successful measurement is to identify which metrics are most meaningful for your organization, and then to track them consistently over time. Keep in mind that the true value of a Security Champions program lies in its ability to create a more security-conscious culture, which ultimately leads to safer software development practices.

Technical aspects to check the effectiveness of the Security Champions program

Evaluating the effectiveness of a Security Champions program involves examining both quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback. Here’s how this can be done in layperson’s terms:

• Reduce security issues: Think of it like you’re trying to lose weight. If you’re seeing the numbers on the scale go down over time, you know your fitness program is working. Similarly, if the number of security...

Summary

In conclusion, a Security Champions program is a highly effective strategy for enhancing an organization’s security posture. It empowers developers and other team members to play a vital role in the organization’s security efforts, fosters a culture of shared responsibility, and creates a community of individuals committed to and educated about security.

When implemented correctly, the program bridges the gap between Dev and Sec teams, ensuring that security is integrated seamlessly into the SDLC rather than being an afterthought or a roadblock. It also facilitates continuous learning and development, providing participants with the knowledge and skills to keep up with evolving threats and security best practices.

However, creating and maintaining a successful Security Champions program requires strategic planning, executive buy-in, regular training, clear communication, and consistent recognition of participants’ contributions. It’s not a...