DevOps is all about making software development simpler and faster. But the larger and more complex your system becomes, the more security challenges most teams will inevitably face. In particular, lack of visibility into the security coverage of new system components, lack of tool interoperability, and over privileged accounts can create new security gaps that not only slow deployments down, but introduce serious vulnerabilities. 

Only 36% of security teams are fully leveraging DevSecOps, integrating security into their existing DevOps processes. With security threats becoming more dangerous and sophisticated, your organizations need to be a part of these 36%. And it all starts with understanding the types of tools you need, as well as the best solutions available on the market. 

What are DevOps Security Tools? 

DevOps security tools integrate security measures throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC), addressing vulnerabilities early in the development process rather than treating security as a separate or final step.

There are various types of DevOps security tools, as we will find below. Generally, they offer functionalities like automated static and dynamic security testing, CI/CD pipeline security, infrastructure as code (IaC) security checks, secrets management, monitoring and logging, or container security. Security checks are automated and embedded into day-to-day workflows, making it easier to follow through with security plans.

Dev teams can leverage DevOps security tools to conduct automated testing across stages and collaborate with security teams to remediate any vulnerabilities they spot. In addition to security scanning, these tools improve communication between teams, ensuring a balance between rapid software releases and continuous security. 

These tools are central to the DevSecOps approach, helping to implement a product security plan that closes the longstanding divide between IT operations and security.

Types of DevOps Security Tools

Using a mix of DevOps Security tools is essential to protect your entire CI/CD pipeline and effectively shift security left. Essential DevOps Security tools include: 

DevOps security toolchain

DevOps security toolchain tools are software that unifies various security tools, providing a centralized system to manage and automate multiple security policies and scans. This integration capability ensures a consistent and streamlined application of protective measures across the software lifecycle, helping dev teams shift security left and integrate security seamlessly into their DevOps processes.

SAST (Static Application Security Testing)

SAST tools use a white-box testing method, directly assessing the application's code to discover vulnerabilities in the development phases. They scan source, byte, or binary codes for patterns that suggest potential security vulnerabilities without executing the program. This allows developers to detect flaws such as SQL injection, buffer overflows, and other common vulnerabilities early in the SDLC.

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)

Unlike SAST, DAST tools use a black-box testing method and don't access the application's source code. Instead, they simulate external attacks on running applications, helping to discover security issues in real-time operational environments. DAST tools identify vulnerabilities such as misconfigurations, lack of authentication and authorization, and runtime errors. These vulnerabilities can lead to attacks like SQL injections, Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).

SCA (Software Composition Analysis)

SCA tools scan component dependencies against known vulnerability databases such as Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). They also scan third-party components for licensing issues, outdated libraries, and policy gaps, identifying third-party security risks that could lead to threats like data breaches, malicious code execution, or Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

SCA tools can be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline for automated scanning. They can also be used in conjunction with other tools, including supply chain security tools, to ensure comprehensive coverage of third-party risk and continuous security. 

Container security

Container security tools safeguard containerized environments by scanning images for vulnerabilities, enforcing runtime protections, and ensuring compliance with security standards from build through deployment. Some container security tools may offer threat detection and response capabilities, enabling dev teams to immediately push the proper mitigation workflows when new vulnerabilities are found.

IaC (Infrastructure as Code) security

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools automate the provisioning and management of infrastructure through code, allowing for consistent and repeatable setups across development, staging, and production environments.

Benefits of DevOps Security Tools

• Vulnerability management: DevOps security tools redefine the software security landscape by incorporating proactive vulnerability checks directly into your CI/CD pipeline. 
• Early issue resolution: This integration enables teams to identify and rectify security gaps early on, significantly reducing the attack surface by managing dependencies and minimizing risks before they escalate.

• Faster deployments: Based on DevSecOps principles, security issues are resolved quickly, avoiding the post-development bottlenecks common with traditional security testing and speeding up deployments.

• Enhanced compliance: These tools enhance compliance by directly enforcing regulatory standards and security policies into the development workflow. Security configurations become part of the codebase, guaranteeing consistency and protocol adherence at every stage. 

• Collaboration: DevOps security tools foster collaboration across development, operations, and security teams, creating a unified front where security is everyone's business.

Top 11 DevOps Security Tools

DevOps Security Toolchain

1. Jit

Jit is an open ASPM platform that automates security checks across the SDLC, enabling devs to spot and mitigate vulnerabilities in minutes, before the app hits production. It integrates with a panoply of security controls and open source scanning tools to cover each stage of the SDLC, embedding security testing into developers' routines. Its Security Plans are tailored to each enterprise's needs and goals so they can meet security and compliance requirements. 

Its all-in-one platform also offers enriched findings and immediate feedback on every code change, with suggested code fixes for even faster vulnerability remediation workflows. Lastly, Jit supports various dev environments like GitHub, AWS, and GCP.

Best For

Organizations seeking an all-in-one, quickly implementable security solution streamlining DevOps workflows with out-of-the-box security plans.

Review

"With Jit, we no longer need to understand and manage a lot of disparate tools -- and this is huge! Getting it all in one console is a game changer."

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

2. Semgrep

Semgrep's static analysis features a comprehensive rule library and intuitive rule syntax that can detect security vulnerabilities and coding errors in over 17 languages. It extends beyond SAST to include SCA, offering functionalities like SBOM generation and enforcing open-source licensing requirements.

Best For

Organizations that require easy-to-use multi-language code analysis and security assessments.

Review

"What's cool about Semgrep is how it feels like a tool designed with developers in mind. The pre-built rules are incredibly comprehensive and cover many potential issues. But if you need to customize them for your project, it's easy. And if you ever get stuck, the community is always there to help you."

3. Spectral

Spectral uses AI-backed technology with over 2000 detectors to continuously scan and monitor for visible and hidden assets. Aside from ensuring comprehensive asset visibility, it integrates seamlessly with all major CI systems and offers unique pre-commit hooks and custom plugins for real-time security checks.

Best For

Organizations that need real-time security scanning across multiple CI environments and codebases.

Review

"Integrates easily into ADO, allowing us to track down exposures we previously did not know about."

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

4. ZAP

ZAP allows for a proxy server setup that routes website traffic through it, enabling real-time traffic analysis and vulnerability detection. ZAP supports a range of automated scans, including active scanning and AJAX spidering, enabling detailed and focused security assessments of web applications at any stage of development.

Best For

Organizations of any size that are looking for a web application penetration testing tool. 

Review

"The most appealing feature of OWASP ZAP is its ability to be used as a stand-alone application and as a plugin for other systems. This makes it very versatile and easy to use in various situations."

5. Legitify

Legitify scans code repositories and infrastructure configurations to spot security vulnerabilities. It integrates with various version control systems, such as Git, GitHub, and BitBucket. It also offers automated scanning and reporting so that dev teams can quickly find and remediate vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in their CI/CD pipelines. 

Best For

Teams looking to strengthen their application security posture from end to end. 

Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

6. npm-Audit

npm-audit scans package dependencies for security vulnerabilities directly within the npm environment. It automates checking all dependencies, including direct, dev, bundled, and optional. It provides detailed reports and suggests fixes to quickly patch vulnerabilities without leaving their development workflows. 

Best For

Organizations that develop Node.js applications and prioritize maintaining secure dependencies.

7. Nancy

Nancy checks for vulnerabilities in Golang dependencies, leveraging the Sonatype OSS Index to ensure comprehensive security coverage. In addition to pull request scans, you can schedule daily scans via Travis-CI or GitHub Actions.

Best For

Organizations that develop in Golang and require a lightweight, effective SCA solution.

Container Security

8. Trivy

Trivy's security scanning supports environments like Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform. It applies a set of security best practices to Kubernetes YAML files so you can optimize Kubernetes workloads. It also analyzes Dockerfiles and Terraform scripts to mitigate vulnerabilities such as inappropriate permission settings or insecure configurations. 

Best For

Organizations that deploy cloud-native applications using Docker, Kubernetes, or Terraform.

Review

"Trivy takes container image scanning to higher levels of usability and performance. With frequent feature and vulnerability database updates and comprehensive vulnerability scanning, it perfectly complements Harbor."

9. Anchore

Anchore automates container image scanning in development, CI/CD pipelines, and runtime environments with a sophisticated policy engine and optimized vulnerability feeds. Actionable insights and automated workflows minimize false positives and streamline the remediation process.

Best For

Organizations looking for automated container scanning with automated remediation help.

Review

"Very powerful, policy capabilities are a key differentiator that enables it to support real-world CI/CD workflows."

Infrastructure as Code Security

10. KICS

KICS automatically parses and scans standard IaC files for insecure configurations that could expose applications, data, or services to risks. It supports all major IaC platforms, such as Terraform, CloudFormation, and Ansible. KICS also assesses API designs to identify misconfigurations and enforce best practices in API security.

Best For

Organizations that need tooling for their configurations and APIs. 

11. Prowler

Prowler offers customizable and automated assessments tailored to specific cloud environments like AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes. It monitors cloud infrastructure for potential misconfigurations and vulnerabilities and verifies compliance with crucial security frameworks such as CIS, NIST, and PCI-DSS. This includes visualizations and proactive remediation recommendations.

Best For

Organizations seeking customizable security assessments and compliance verification.

Integrating Strength and Speed with Jit

Fortifying your DevOps pipeline is more than dodging security threats -- it's also about embedding security into the DNA of your development and deployment stages. When you embrace a DevSecOps approach, you elevate security to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with development and operations, boosting both the velocity and safety of your software deliveries.

Jit streamlines DevOps security by centralizing 17 robust tools, such as Prowler, Kics, Nancy, npm-audit, Trivy, and ZAP, into a single toolchain. Combined with Jit's ready-to-deploy security plans, these tools seamlessly integrate into your development pipeline to automate and enhance security protocols from the very start of development. Book a demo to see how our unified security solution works.