Application security must evolve alongside faster development cycles and increasing threats, requiring integrated, automated solutions and cross-functional collaboration.
Why Application Security Must Shift Left
Organizations are knowingly releasing vulnerable applications, underscoring the urgency of secure development by design.
Modern application development is faster and more complex, but security practices haven’t kept up. Despite having tools to detect vulnerabilities, 92% of companies experienced breaches due to known issues in their own applications. The problem isn’t technology — it’s how and when it’s applied.
Key Takeaways:
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Organizations often fail to act on known vulnerabilities.
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Security should start at the design phase, not post-deployment.
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Customers expect secure products out of the box, not as an afterthought.
Building a Security-First Culture
Collaboration between development and security teams is essential to prevent siloed workflows and improve security outcomes.
Lack of communication between development and AppSec teams remains a top barrier. Developers and security professionals often use different tools and metrics, hindering effective collaboration.
Ways to Align Teams:
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Use shared tools across SDLC stages.
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Automate remediation and prioritization with runtime and business context.
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Empower developers by involving them in tool selection and design decisions.
Understanding the Key Personas in Application Security
CISOs, AppSec professionals, and developers each have distinct goals, and building trust between them is critical.
Each role plays a unique part in application security. Bridging the gap requires aligning on objectives and providing tools tailored to each persona.
| Persona | Primary Focus | KPIs/Concerns |
|---|---|---|
| CISO | Business risk, compliance, and adoption | Risk scores, ROI, and adoption rates |
| AppSec | Tactical risk management, vulnerability response | MTTD, MTTR, vulnerability density |
| Developer | Feature delivery, performance, and security integration | Code quality, delivery speed, and secure code |
How Checkmarx and SD Elements Address Security Holistically
Together, Checkmarx and SD Elements integrate security from design through deployment with automation and visibility.
By combining proactive design-based threat modeling from SD Elements with Checkmarx’s runtime and code scanning capabilities, organizations achieve full lifecycle security coverage.
Checkmarx One Highlights:
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Static and dynamic code analysis
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Open source and API vulnerability scanning
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Container and IaC security
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Developer IDE integrations and just-in-time training
SD Elements Highlights:
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Automated threat modeling with surveys and diagrams
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Security requirement generation based on project profiles
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Integration with issue trackers like Jira
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Project classification and policy-based task prioritization
How the Integration Works
SD Elements consumes scan results from Checkmarx to automatically verify if security requirements were met.
The integration creates a feedback loop:
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SD Elements generates countermeasures based on threat models.
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Developers implement features.
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Checkmarx scans validate implementations.
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SD Elements updates task statuses automatically (pass, fail, partial).
This alignment ensures that design-time security measures are validated in real-time, promoting accuracy and reducing manual effort.
Adapting to the Evolving Threat Landscape
To stay secure, organizations need agile partnerships, continuous feedback, and automation across the SDLC.
Threats evolve rapidly with new vectors introduced by AI, supply chain vulnerabilities, and expanding attack surfaces. Companies must work with vendors that prioritize research, integration, and responsiveness.
Recommendations:
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Choose vendors committed to ongoing security research.
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Invest in platforms that span from design to deployment.
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Align application security with business goals to drive ROI.
Why AppSec is a Competitive Advantage
Security is not just compliance — it’s a business enabler and differentiator.
A secure product opens new markets, reduces the risk of fines, and builds customer trust. In fact, a recent Forrester study showed a 177% ROI in the first year for Checkmarx customers.