secure-development
Safeguard articles tagged "secure-development" — guides, analysis, and best practices for software supply chain and application security.
25 articles
Application Security for Beginners: Where to Start Without Feeling Overwhelmed
Application security sounds intimidating, but the fundamentals are learnable in an afternoon. Here is a warm, practical introduction with a first hands-on step you can try today.
NIST SP 800-218A: Operationalizing AI Secure Development in 2026
NIST SP 800-218A turned the SSDF into an AI community profile in July 2024. Eighteen months later, what does real adoption look like for AI software teams?
NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) explained
NIST SP 800-218's 42 practices now back federal attestation law. Here's what SSDF actually requires, who must comply, and how it differs from SLSA and SOC 2.
NIST SSDF 1.2 Draft: What the Comment Period Revealed
NIST opened public comment on SP 800-218r1 SSDF v1.2 on December 17, 2025. The draft adds AI development practices, refines supply-chain controls, and aligns with EO 14306.
What is the NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF)
NIST SSDF (SP 800-218) explained: its four practice groups, the EO 14028 origin, federal attestation deadlines, and how it differs from SLSA and SP 800-53.
NIST SSDF Audit: What Auditors Actually Check
A practical walkthrough of what NIST Secure Software Development Framework audits look like in 2026, where evidence gaps show up, and how to prepare without burning out engineering.
The Secure Software Development Lifecycle in 2025: What Actually Changed
A practical look at how SSDLC practices evolved in 2025, what worked, what failed, and why most organizations are still getting the basics wrong.
NIST SSDF PW.4: Reusing Well-Secured Software, Explained
PW.4 is the SSDF practice that governs how you consume third-party and open-source components. Here is what its tasks actually ask for and how to satisfy them with evidence, not policy documents.
MITRE ATT&CK Meets SSDF: A Mapping
ATT&CK describes how adversaries operate; SSDF describes how to build software that resists them. Here's how to map adversary techniques to secure-development tasks so your threat model drives real engineering change.
SOC 2 Meets SSDF: A Practical Mapping
SOC 2 auditors are starting to ask about secure development practices. Here's how to map NIST SSDF tasks onto SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria without duplicating work.
CISA Secure Software Development Attestation: What Vendors Must Know
CISA now requires software vendors selling to the US government to attest to secure development practices. Here's what the form demands and how to prepare.
NIST SP 800-218 (SSDF) Final Publication: What It Means for Your Organization
NIST finalized the Secure Software Development Framework in February 2022. If you sell software to the US government — or plan to — compliance is no longer optional.