The state of app sec with Chris Romeo: The year of the application is near

The discipline of application security has been around for decades, but major advancements in how software is built and distributed are shifting the ground underneath application security teams — increasing opportunities for attackers to take advantage of security lapses in application development and deployment.

That has led to attacks on software supply chains like the recent 3CX compromise, and a dawning realization that traditional tooling, such as static and dynamic application security testing (SAST/DAST), while vital, do not cover the various risks that threaten the security of software supply chains.

What is needed is a rethink of how we approach application security and the place it occupies in enterprise security programs, according to the guest of our latest ConversingLabs podcast: Chris Romeo, the CEO at Kerr Ventures, who presented The Application Security State of the Union at RSA Conference 2023.

Listen and learn: The year of the application?

ConversingLabs host Paul Roberts met up at RSA Conference with Romeo, who spent years leading Cisco's efforts to remake its application security program. He led Cisco's Common Criteria and FIPS 140 certifications before joining the company's Secure Development Lifecycle (CSDL) group, where he introduced concepts like threat modeling to the Cisco's legions of software engineers. Romeo went on to hold the title of Cisco "Security Ninja" and Chief Security Advocate, helping to promote application security concepts and ideas within the company and outside it.

In this RSA Café edition of ConversingLab, Romeo gives Roberts an overview of the state of app sec, and shares his opinions on how security leaders can tackle the threats posed to software applications and their supply chains.

Romeo talks a bit of history with app sec, predicts that "the year of the application" is coming, and explains why organizations should invest in developer security training.

Other topics covered in this ConversingLabs interview with Chris Romeo:

• The role software bills of materials (SBOMs) might play in improving application security.
• Insights on recent incidents that have rocked the app sec industry, like the recent cascading software supply chain attack on 3CX.

Watch below, or listen wherever you get your podcasts: