Software Security Assurance (SSA) is a transparent process that integrates security into software design, addressing security needs at every stage. Developers evaluate security needs, screen vulnerabilities, and incorporate security features during coding. SSA requires specialized services and aims to balance security without creating nuisances. Companies provide information to customers about the process.
Software Security Assurance (SSA) is a process for integrating security into software design with the goal of addressing security needs from the ground up. It is highly transparent in nature, assuring software buyers of a developer’s commitment to security, and involves consideration of security at every stage of the software design, build, and implementation process. It also addresses ongoing and evolving security issues as the software is used in the wild.
When developers start discussing new software or a significant update, they evaluate the security needs. They consider the types of businesses the software is designed for, along with the type of data it will handle. These features are carefully screened to see what kind of security vulnerabilities may be present. For example, a company designing photo management software that interfaces with the Internet should consider the obvious vulnerabilities in the software and computer system involved in establishing an Internet connection.
When developers start coding software, they can incorporate security features into it. Addressing security organically throughout the development process is considered by some to be a more stable and reliable method of managing security needs, as opposed to patching at the end. As the software is tested, the developer pushes the boundaries of security to identify weaknesses with the goal of fixing them before the software is released. In the ongoing process of creating software patches and updates, the company also evaluates changing security needs to keep customers safe and confident.
Ensuring software security may require specialized services from software engineers who are trained in security issues and can work with the rest of the team to design and implement security measures. In software security assurance, the goal is to strike a balance, providing enough security to make the software secure without creating nuisances such as overly aggressive security. Excessive measures can lead to user frustration, leading people to turn off, disable or ignore the security aspects of the software.
Every developer has a different approach to ensuring software security. Companies usually provide information to their customers about certain steps in the process to make people feel comfortable without revealing important security secrets to hackers and others who might exploit them. A software safety assurance statement can often be found on a developer’s website and in promotional literature about a company and the products it offers.
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