Developing secure software means building security into the work from requirements through design, coding, testing, release and maintenance—not relying on a final security test. NIST’s Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) offers adaptable practices that organizations can add to their existing software development lifecycle (SDLC).
What is a secure software development lifecycle?
A secure SDLC is an organization’s normal development lifecycle with security requirements, risk decisions and protective practices integrated throughout it. It is not a separate model that every team must adopt, nor a single tool or test that can guarantee a secure product.
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NIST’s SP 800-218, Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) Version 1.1, published February 3, 2022, describes practices intended to fit different SDLC implementations. NIST identifies three aims: reduce vulnerabilities in released software, mitigate the impact of vulnerabilities that escape detection or remain unaddressed, and address root causes so they are less likely to recur. The SSDF project page provides the framework context.
That flexibility matters because development models vary, and many do not spell out software security in detail. Teams can keep their chosen lifecycle while using SSDF as a common vocabulary and a way to identify where security work belongs.
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How do you develop secure software?
Start by defining what the software must protect and the risks that matter. Then carry those requirements into design, implementation, review, testing, release and maintenance. The activities below describe a useful lifecycle view, not a mandatory sequence; teams may perform them iteratively.
1. Establish security requirements and risk context
Identify the software’s security requirements and relevant risks early enough to influence architecture and planned work. Use that context to decide where to allocate effort: threats, vulnerabilities and defects should inform design choices and the checks needed later. Without this foundation, teams can perform reviews and scans without knowing which risks or requirements they are meant to address.
2. Design and build with security in mind
Review the software design against its security requirements and risk information. Keep development environments protected as well: secure development is about more than application code, because the systems and tools used to create software are part of the process.
As implementation proceeds, maintain security practices within the team’s existing workflow. NIST’s mapping of SSDF to a DevSecOps notional reference model illustrates how activities such as planning, code review and testing can fit into continuous delivery. It is an example of mapping practices to a workflow, not a requirement to adopt one delivery model.
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3. Review changes and test staged builds
Analyze relevant development artifacts and review code before changes are merged. These checks can find issues while a change is still being evaluated. Testing staged builds adds another opportunity to discover weaknesses that earlier review or analysis did not catch.
Record findings and remediation as part of the delivery process so the team can act on issues and understand how they were addressed. Review and testing complement one another; neither should be treated as proof that software is free of vulnerabilities.
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4. Manage components and delivery integrity
Account for third-party software components, their provenance, development tooling and the integrity of software as it moves through the supply chain. A secure application can still be affected by weaknesses in its dependencies or by risks in the systems and processes used to build and deliver it.
NIST’s software supply chain security guidance discusses supplier communications and conformity attestations in the context of federal acquisition. That procurement context should not be mistaken for a universal requirement for every organization; the broader lesson is to consider suppliers and delivery integrity as part of the security problem.
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5. Maintain the software and address causes
Use vulnerability information and development findings to fix issues after release and during ongoing maintenance. Where possible, address the underlying causes as well as the individual defects, reducing the chance that the same kind of problem will recur.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should an organization adapt SSDF?
Use the framework to examine where security belongs in the lifecycle the organization already follows. The appropriate practices and level of effort depend on the organization’s risks and context; SSDF is a high-level framework, not a prescribed replacement lifecycle.
- Map security requirements and risk decisions to the stages where they shape design and implementation.
- Build artifact analysis and code review into change workflows, then use testing to check staged builds for issues earlier checks missed.
- Include development environments, third-party components, suppliers and delivery integrity in scope—not only application code.
- Connect findings to remediation and consider root causes so fixes can inform future work.
These practices work together across development and maintenance. A scanner, review gate or framework alone cannot secure a project; the value comes from integrating appropriate practices into the way software is planned, built, checked, delivered and maintained.
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