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Outsourcing application development – what is missing?
I have been reading a few articles on outsourcing application development. Many of them have good information on what to look for and how to work with the companies doing the development. However, I have yet to see any of these articles talk about security and how to handle that in the outsourcing process.
In any development process, either in-sourced or out-sourced, security needs to be considered. The developers need to be trained in secure coding techniques, and the architects have to have some training and experience on implementing security throughout the software development life cycle. In fact, these should never be excluded or glossed over. The development company you are considering needs to prove this and these requirements must be written into the contract. Have them show you the classes that these people have taken, and make sure they are up-to-date on the latest security vulnerabilities. You cannot have a developer take a course five years ago and consider their skills current.
What about after the code is completed? Do your contracts specify a security review? Both an application penetration test and code review must be done before the release of the application. The contract must also specify that any security vulnerabilities must be mitigated. It must also specify that the test will repeat until all high and medium level vulnerabilities are mitigated. Also, have the security testing done by your own company or a third party. It does not matter where the developers are from; it could be India, China, or the United States, there are bad or malicious programmers out there and you must trust them but verify their work.
