Modern software development moves fast, and security needs to keep up. Waiting until the end of the process to address security gaps only leads to delays, costly fixes, and increased risk. DevSecOps integrates security at every stage, making it a seamless part of development rather than an afterthought.
The key to making this work is embedding security without disrupting workflows. Automated scans, policy-as-code, and real-time insights help developers catch and fix issues early—before they become roadblocks. At the same time, security teams gain the visibility they need to enforce policies without slowing down releases. When security aligns with development, teams can move fast without sacrificing protection.
DevSecOps: A refresher
Building secure software isn’t about tacking on security checks at the last minute. If you want software that stands up to real-world threats, security must be part of the process from day one. That’s where DevSecOps comes in.
If you're just getting started, focus on small, tactical wins. Add automated security scans to your CI/CD pipeline and set up pre-commit hooks to catch issues before code is pushed. These early steps create a strong foundation for a mature DevSecOps practice.
DevSecOps brings development, security, and operations together, making security a seamless part of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). When teams embed security from planning to deployment, they catch vulnerabilities before they turn into costly problems in production.
The goal is simple: deliver secure software faster while ensuring applications are resilient, reliable, and cost-effective. By making security a core part of development, DevSecOps helps teams:
Prevent vulnerabilities by catching and fixing security risks early
Improve software quality by ensuring that applications are stable and trustworthy
Increase efficiency through automation to reduce manual security tasks
Cut costs by addressing security issues before they turn into expensive breaches
When security becomes a natural part of development, teams can innovate without compromising protection.
Top open-source DevSecOps tools
If you're looking to secure your development and operations pipeline, open-source DevSecOps tools are game-changers. They cover everything from vulnerability scanning to automated runtime security, helping teams build secure applications without slowing down development.
Here are some of the top DevSecOps tools for categories like IaC scanning, dependency scanning, container security, runtime security, and static application security testing:
IaC scanning
Infrastructure as code (IaC) scanning helps you detect security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance issues early in the development process. Here are two top tools:
1. Terrascan
With Terrascan, teams can enforce security and compliance across their IaC configurations. Designed to support Terraform, it integrates directly into CI/CD pipelines, applying policy as code to catch security risks before deployment. Its multi-cloud capabilities extend across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, giving teams a consistent way to scan and secure infrastructure regardless of provider. These are some key features and limitations to know:
Key features:
Multi-cloud support: Scanning IaC configurations across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, Terrascan ensures consistent security policies across different environments.
Policy as code: It enforces security best practices by applying predefined and customizable policies to detect misconfigurations before deployment.
CI/CD integration: It integrates with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Jenkins, allowing automated security checks within existing development workflows.
Limitations:
Limited non-Terraform support: While it supports Kubernetes and other IaC formats, its strongest capabilities are focused on Terraform.
False positives: Some security policies may flag issues that require manual verification, leading to extra review time.
2. Checkov
Checkov helps teams secure their infrastructure as code (IaC) by analyzing scripts for misconfigurations and security risks. It scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Helm charts, and Dockerfiles, ensuring configurations align with best practices. Beyond that, it supports software composition analysis, detecting vulnerabilities in open-source packages and container images. Since Checkov powers Prisma Cloud Application Security, it’s a strong choice for teams looking to strengthen cloud security. Let’s dive into its key features and limitations:
Key features:
Broad IaC support: It scans Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and Dockerfiles to identify security misconfigurations early.
CI/CD integration: When integrated with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, or Jenkins, it automatically scans code for security issues before deployment.
Software composition analysis: It detects vulnerabilities in open-source dependencies and container images, helping teams address risks before they reach production.
Limitations:
No runtime protection: Checkov focuses on scanning code before deployment but doesn’t provide real-time monitoring for live environments.
Terraform-centric detections: While it supports multiple IaC formats, Checkov’s strongest detection capabilities are for Terraform, making coverage less comprehensive for other formats.
Dependency scanning
Using third-party libraries and frameworks can introduce security risks if vulnerabilities go unnoticed. Dependency scanning helps teams identify and mitigate these risks before they impact applications. Here are two reliable tools for securing dependencies:
1. Dependency-Check
Dependency-Check scans project dependencies to uncover known vulnerabilities. By leveraging Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) identifiers, it matches detected risks to Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) entries, ensuring teams stay informed about potential threats.
To streamline security workflows, teams can integrate OWASP Dependency-Check as a Maven or Gradle plugin during the build process and configure alerts for CVSS 7+ issues in Slack via webhook. Let’s explore its key features and limitations:
Key features:
Vulnerability scanning: Vulnerabilities are identified in project dependencies by referencing CVE entries.
CI/CD integration: Dependency-Check integrates with Maven, Gradle, and Jenkins to automatically scan dependencies during the build process.
Software composition analysis: This tool detects open-source vulnerabilities and gives teams detailed reports on identified risks, including severity levels and remediation steps.
Limitations:
Tendency of producing false positives: Sometimes, Dependency-Check can flag a dependency as vulnerable when it’s not, requiring manual review.
No runtime monitoring: Dependency-Check focuses on vulnerabilities at the build stage and doesn’t offer runtime security scanning.
2. Vuls
For Linux systems and container images, Vuls automates vulnerability detection using sources like the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). It performs regular scans, assigns severity levels to detected risks, and provides remediation steps. This automation reduces manual effort and keeps systems consistently monitored for security threats. Take a look at its key features and limitations:
Key features:
Automated scanning: It scans Linux systems and container images regularly to identify vulnerabilities.
Severity-based risk assessment: Vuls assigns severity levels to detected vulnerabilities, helping teams prioritize remediation efforts.
Remediation guidance: It provides actionable steps for fixing vulnerabilities, simplifying the patching process.
Limitations:
Limited to Linux systems: Vuls primarily supports Linux, so it may not be suitable for teams working in Windows or other environments.
Requires root access: To get comprehensive vulnerability data, Vuls requires root access to the systems being scanned, which can be a security risk in certain environments.
Container scanning and vulnerability management
Securing containerized applications requires proactive scanning to detect vulnerabilities before deployment. These three tools help maintain the integrity of container images by identifying security risks early and ensuring compliance with best practices.
1. Grype
Grype scans container images and filesystems for vulnerabilities, helping teams identify security risks before deployment. It integrates seamlessly with Syft (covered later) to enhance software composition analysis and supports multiple image formats, including Docker, OCI, and Singularity. This broad compatibility ensures security checks across different container environments without disrupting workflows. Here are Grype’s key features and limitations:
Key features:
Comprehensive image scanning: Grype scans container images and filesystems for known vulnerabilities across multiple image formats (Docker, OCI, Singularity).
Seamless integration with Syft: By integrating with Syft, Grype enhances software composition analysis, offering a detailed view of vulnerabilities in software dependencies.
Regular vulnerability database updates: Grype leverages a regularly updated vulnerability database to detect the latest known risks in images.
Limitations:
Limited to container images and filesystems: Grype is designed specifically for container environments and may not be suitable for non-containerized systems.
Resource-intensive scans: Depending on the size of the container images, scans can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting build times.
2. Clair
Clair provides static analysis for container images, detecting vulnerabilities by parsing image contents and flagging security risks. It helps organizations secure containerized applications at scale by continuously monitoring known vulnerabilities and integrating with container registries for automated scanning. These are its key features:
Key features:
Integration with container registries: It integrates with container registries for automated and continuous scanning, ensuring vulnerabilities are flagged as soon as new images are pushed.
Scalable security: Clair helps organizations secure containerized applications at scale by consistently monitoring known vulnerabilities across multiple images.
Limitations:
Limited to container images: Clair is designed specifically for container image analysis, so it doesn’t scan other aspects of the infrastructure or application.
Requires configuration: Clair can require additional configuration and setup, which might be complex for teams new to security tools.
3. Trivy
Trivy extends security beyond container images, scanning Git repositories, virtual machines, Kubernetes clusters, and local filesystems. It detects vulnerabilities in OS packages, IaC configurations, and sensitive data leaks. Consider some key Trivy features:
Key features:
Comprehensive scanning: Trivy scans container images, Git repositories, virtual machines, Kubernetes clusters, and local filesystems, providing broad coverage across environments.
Multi-layer vulnerability detection: It identifies vulnerabilities in OS packages, IaC configurations, and sensitive data leaks, offering a deep scan across multiple layers.
Simplified security processes: By consolidating multiple scanning functions into one tool, Trivy reduces operational overhead and simplifies workflows for teams.
Limitations:
Limited to detection: Trivy focuses on vulnerability detection and doesn’t provide built-in remediation or automatic fixes.
Performance impact with large repositories: When scanning large Git repositories or massive container images, Trivy can experience performance degradation.
Kubernetes and container runtime security
Protecting Kubernetes and container runtimes requires real-time monitoring to detect and mitigate threats before they compromise workloads. These tools provide deep visibility into container environments:
1. Falco
Falco monitors Linux-based container environments for suspicious behavior, making it a critical tool for runtime security. It leverages eBPF to analyze system calls, detect anomalies, and trigger alerts when unauthorized activities occur. Below are the key features and limitations of Falco:
Key features:
Real-time monitoring: Falco provides real-time threat detection by continuously monitoring Linux-based container environments.
eBPF-powered analysis: It leverages eBPF to analyze system calls and detect anomalies, enhancing monitoring efficiency without compromising performance.
Proactive alerting: When unauthorized activities occur, Falco triggers alerts, allowing teams to respond to potential incidents quickly.
Limitations:
Linux-focused: Currently, Falco only supports Linux-based environments, limiting its use in mixed or non-Linux setups.
Complex configuration: While powerful, setting up Falco for custom container environments may require a steep learning curve.
2. Tetragon
Cilium built Tetragon to enhance security observability by monitoring process execution, system calls, and I/O operations. It enforces runtime security policies at the kernel level and integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes environments. Here are the key features and limitations to know:
Key features:
Runtime security enforcement: Tetragon enforces security policies at the kernel level, providing strong protection for containerized environments.
eBPF-powered monitoring: By leveraging eBPF, it monitors process execution, system calls, and I/O operations in real time without impacting system performance.
Seamless Kubernetes integration: Tetragon integrates effortlessly with Kubernetes environments, making it ideal for modern cloud-native applications.
Limitations:
Kernel-level complexity: Due to its reliance on eBPF, Tetragon requires deeper knowledge of the kernel and may be challenging to configure in complex environments.
Linux-only support: Like Falco, Tetragon currently only supports Linux-based environments, limiting its applicability in multi-OS ecosystems.
Software supply chain security
A secure software supply chain prevents tampering, ensures compliance, and strengthens trust in the software development process. These tools safeguard container images and their dependencies:
1. Cosign
Cosign simplifies the digital signing and verification of container images, preventing unauthorized modifications and supply chain attacks. Supporting OCI and Docker image formats, it provides cryptographic key management and automated key rotation. To help secure your software supply chain, here are the key features and limitations of Cosign:
Key features:
Digital signing and verification: Cosign enables the cryptographic signing of container images, ensuring only authorized images are deployed.
Automated key rotation: It supports automated key rotation, making key management seamless and reducing the risk of key compromise.
OCI and Docker support: Cosign works with both OCI and Docker image formats, providing flexibility across different container environments.
Limitations:
Initial setup complexity: Setting up Cosign for digital signing and key management can be challenging for teams unfamiliar with cryptographic tools.
Limited to container images: While effective for container images, Cosign is focused on container supply chains and doesn't extend to other aspects of software development or broader software supply chains.
2. Syft
Syft generates software bills of materials (SBOMs) for container images and filesystems. When paired with Grype, it helps teams detect vulnerabilities early. Supporting multiple SBOM formats, including CycloneDX and SPDX, Syft enables compliance tracking and enhances visibility into software components. Some important features and limitations of Syft include the following:
Key features:
Generates SBOMs: Syft creates detailed SBOMs for container images and filesystems, providing a comprehensive inventory of dependencies.
Multiple SBOM formats supported: It supports widely used formats like CycloneDX and SPDX, ensuring flexibility for different compliance and security needs.
Integration with Grype: When used with Grype, Syft enables teams to detect vulnerabilities quickly by analyzing the software components listed in the SBOM.
Limitations:
Focused on SBOMs: While powerful for creating SBOMs, Syft doesn't address runtime security or other aspects of vulnerability detection outside of dependency tracking.
Limited to container images and filesystems: Its primary focus is on container environments, which may limit its applicability to non-containerized systems.
Solving DevSecOps challenges with the right tools
Integrating security into every stage of development sounds great in theory. In practice, it comes with challenges. Teams often struggle with tool compatibility, scalability, and measuring success. Failing to address these challenges makes DevSecOps efforts inefficient, creating bottlenecks and security gaps.
Here’s how to tackle them effectively:
Ensure tool compatibility and scalability
DevSecOps thrives on automation, but that only works if your tools integrate smoothly. Many security tools don’t naturally fit into existing development workflows, which causes friction.
To avoid this, focus on the following:
Interoperability: Prioritize solutions that support open standards and APIs, making it easier to integrate with CI/CD pipelines and cloud environments. Tools like Trivy, Checkov, and Falco work seamlessly with Kubernetes and Terraform, ensuring security enhances rather than disrupts workflows.
Automation-first approach: Use tools that support automated scanning, remediation, and reporting. Manual processes introduce inconsistencies and slow down DevSecOps, while automation keeps security checks efficient and reliable.
Scalability considerations: Use tools with distributed scanning capabilities and cloud-native support to handle expanding environments. Falco, for example, leverages eBPF to monitor Kubernetes clusters efficiently without adding unnecessary overhead.
Minimal performance impact: Run lightweight security checks that don’t slow down builds or deployments. Tools like Tetragon use eBPF instead of traditional agents, reducing latency and system overhead while providing real-time runtime security. However, the actual performance impact may vary depending on the specific use case and implementation.
Choose the right DevSecOps tools
With so many security tools available, picking the right ones can be overwhelming. To make informed choices, consider the following:
Assess your tech stack: Don't just check for Kubernetes support—ensure the tool fits your exact setup. If you're using Terraform 1.5+, confirm that the scanner supports your HCL version. For container security, verify whether it accurately detects vulnerabilities in your base image, whether it's Alpine, Debian, or another distribution. When working with Kubernetes, choose a tool that can scan Helm charts directly and handle values from
--setflags orvalues.yaml. Also, consider whether it includes static application security testing (SAST) to catch vulnerabilities early in the development cycle.Prioritize automation: Choose tools that integrate directly into your CI/CD pipeline. For example, Grype runs as a CLI job in GitHub Actions with a simple
run: grype <image>. Checkov connects seamlessly with Terraform Cloud workspaces, ensuring security checks happen automatically before deployment. A tool with continuous integration support helps your development team catch issues early without disrupting workflows.Check for community support: Open-source tools with active communities receive frequent updates, making them more reliable. Falco, maintained by CNCF, and Checkov, developed by Bridgecrew, both have strong backing and regular improvements. A well-supported tool stays up to date with the latest security threats. If you're securing a web application, look for tools that provide dynamic application security testing (DAST) to detect vulnerabilities in real-world scenarios.
Look for shift-left capabilities: Security should start early in development, not as an afterthought. IaC scanning tools like Terrascan help developers catch misconfigurations before they become security risks. Embedding these checks into the development process reduces vulnerabilities without slowing down releases. A good security solution will integrate with your IDE to provide real-time feedback as you write code.
Evaluate cost vs. benefit: Free security tools offer strong capabilities, but enterprise versions often provide additional features like compliance reporting and integration with SIEM tools. If you need deeper insights or regulatory compliance, consider whether upgrading provides enough value for your team’s needs. Some tools also offer access control features, ensuring only authorized users can change your production environment.
Measure success in DevSecOps
Security without measurable outcomes is just guesswork. To ensure that your DevSecOps implementation is effective, track the following:
Time to detect and remediate vulnerabilities: The faster your team identifies and fixes security issues, the better. Set benchmarks for how long it takes to resolve critical vulnerabilities.
False positive rates: Too many false positives slow down development and create alert fatigue. Regularly fine-tune your security tools to reduce unnecessary alerts.
Security coverage: Comprehensive scanning protects your system from vulnerabilities. Cover all critical components, including infrastructure, dependencies, and container runtime environments. Any gaps in coverage create security risks.
Compliance adherence: If your organization follows standards like NIST, ISO 27001, or SOC 2, track how well your DevSecOps tools help you maintain compliance.
Incident response efficiency: Fast and effective incident response minimizes damage. Track how quickly your team detects threats and follows predefined playbooks to resolve security issues. A well-practiced response plan improves overall resilience.
Current trends in DevSecOps
DevSecOps is constantly evolving, and organizations are finding new ways to build security into development. Here are three key trends that are currently shaping the future of DevSecOps:
1. Policy as code and automated compliance
Manual compliance checks are time-consuming and prone to errors. That’s why more organizations are turning to policy as code (PaC). With PaC, security policies are written as code, which allows for automated enforcement and real-time validation within the DevSecOps pipeline. This ensures that applications meet security and regulatory standards without extra manual effort. Automated compliance tools can also help organizations maintain consistency, reduce human error, and streamline security audits.
2. AI and machine learning for security
AI and machine learning are transforming DevSecOps by making security smarter and faster. These technologies detect threats, analyze anomalies, and automate responses, reducing the burden on security teams.
AI-powered tools like Wiz use machine learning to identify patterns that signal potential attacks, such as unauthorized access attempts or sudden spikes in resource usage. By analyzing large datasets, these tools enable faster, more precise threat mitigation. As cloud environments scale, integrating AI into security strategies becomes essential for staying ahead of evolving threats.
3. Emphasizing developer security training
Developers are on the front lines of application security, but without proper training, even the best security tools won’t be enough. Organizations must go beyond just providing tools—they need to equip developers with the skills to write secure code, recognize vulnerabilities, and follow best practices.
To make security training effective, companies should integrate it into their development workflows. Hosting regular workshops or gamified exercises, like Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges, helps developers identify vulnerabilities hands-on. Platforms like Secure Code Warrior and HackEDU offer interactive training tailored to real-world threats, reinforcing security awareness while keeping learning engaging. By making security education a continuous effort, organizations build a security-first mindset that strengthens their defenses from within.
Wiz's approach to DevSecOps
Keeping security and development in sync isn’t always easy. Dev teams move fast, and security teams often struggle to keep up without slowing things down.
That’s where Wiz steps in. As a cloud security platform, Wiz makes it easier to integrate security into the development process without adding unnecessary friction. It also gives teams the tools they need to detect risks early, collaborate effectively, and maintain security across the entire software lifecycle.
Here’s how Wiz helps teams embed security into development without disruption:
Shifting security left
Security works best when it starts early. A well-implemented shift-left strategy makes security a proactive process rather than an afterthought, strengthening applications without slowing development. Instead of waiting until the last minute to scan for vulnerabilities, Wiz helps teams catch and fix security issues before deployment.
Wiz streamlines early security integration with these features:
Early detection in CI/CD pipelines: Wiz integrates into CI/CD workflows to scan IaC, container images, and VM images. This ensures that misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and exposed secrets don’t slip through the cracks before production.
End-to-end visibility: Security extends beyond deployment. Wiz provides a unified view of security risks, from development to runtime, so teams can track and address threats throughout the entire lifecycle.
Developer-focused insights: Wiz gives developers actionable insights that make it easier to build securely without waiting on separate security teams for every check.
Breaking down silos
Security isn’t just a security team problem—it’s a shared responsibility. Wiz makes collaboration easier by providing a single platform where development, security, and operations teams can work together. This is how it helps teams stay aligned:
One platform for dev and security teams: Wiz removes the back-and-forth by offering a shared view of security risks. This makes it easier to align on priorities and fixes.
Frictionless security operations: With its agentless architecture and easy-to-use interface, Wiz simplifies security management so teams can focus on what matters most: fixing issues, not fighting with tools.
Highlighting key DevSecOps features
Wiz covers every stage of the development lifecycle so security stays in lockstep with development. Below are some key features that make security seamless across different stages.
IaC scanning: This feature identifies vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and exposed secrets in Terraform, CloudFormation, and other IaC templates.
Container and VM image scanning: Detecting security risks before deployment, scanning ensures that cloud-native applications remain secure without disrupting development workflows.
Runtime security and threat detection: Continuous monitoring of cloud environments helps identify threats and unusual activity, providing real-time alerts to enable quick response.
Compliance and regulatory support: By automating audits and reporting, Wiz helps organizations stay compliant with industry standards and security frameworks.
Policy enforcement: Teams can define and enforce security policies across the entire development lifecycle, reducing risk and ensuring consistency from code to deployment.
Wiz takes the complexity out of cloud security so teams can move fast without compromising security.
Want to unlock full cloud visibility? Schedule a demo today to see how Wiz can transform your cloud security posture.
