Not quite, but they share a principle. Secure by design means products are built so security is a core requirement and the safe state is the default. A paved road applies that thinking to how your own developers build, so the safe path is the one they get without effort.
What CISA says
CISA describes Secure by Design as products designed to prioritize the security of customers as a core business requirement, rather than treating it as a technical feature. It says companies should apply the principles during the design phase, to significantly decrease the number of exploitable flaws before products reach the market. It adds that products should be secure out of the box, with security features such as multi factor authentication, logging and single sign on available at no extra cost.
CISA also frames the problem as one of who carries the burden: it argues that the cybersecurity burden has fallen disproportionately on consumers and small organizations, away from the producers of technology, and that producers must take ownership at the executive level.
The parallel inside a company
Replace "consumers" with "developers" and "producer" with "platform team" and the idea carries over:
| Secure by design says | The internal equivalent |
|---|---|
| Secure out of the box | A new service starts with checks, review rules and safe defaults |
| The producer carries the burden | The platform team builds the safe path so developers do not have to |
| Security features not behind a paywall | Scanning and policy available to every team, not just the careful ones |
| Executive level ownership | A named sponsor who funds and defends the road |
| Measurable commitments | Published targets for coverage and time to a secured pipeline |
Where the analogy stops
A paved road is not the same as a secure product. An internal road helps you build safely, but the result still needs design review, threat modeling and testing. The road reduces repeated mistakes, not novel design flaws.
There is also a difference in audience. Secure by design is guidance for software manufacturers about their customers. A paved road is an internal tool for your own teams. Do not claim one satisfies the other.
Using the idea well
- Make the default safe. If a setting can be safe by default, make it so, and make unsafe options explicit.
- Do not charge for safety. Keep core checks free to teams, as CISA suggests for products.
- Own the outcome. When something goes wrong on the road, fix the road, not just the incident.
- Publish your commitments. Targets that people can see are harder to quietly drop.
- Check your claims. If you tell buyers your platform is built secure by design, be ready to show how.
Answering a buyer
Buyers sometimes ask whether you follow secure by design. A plain answer describes your defaults, your review rules and your checks, with evidence, rather than a slogan. Our post on CISA secure by default guidance covers related ground.
Where Safeguard fits
Safeguard provides policies, gates, guardrails and compliance evidence automation, which can help you show how defaults are enforced across your repositories. You can try a free scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan.
Quick check
Does having a paved road mean we are secure by design?
No. It is one practice that supports the idea. Secure by design also covers product design, threat modeling and how you handle customers' security needs.
Is secure by design a certification?
No. It is guidance and a voluntary pledge, not a certification. Do not describe it as one.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
