DevSecOps- short for Development, Security, and Operations- is a software development approach that embeds security practices throughout every phase of the software development lifecycle. DevSecOps teams strive to integrate these security measures seamlessly within the development process, following practices such as CI/CD (continuous integration and continuous delivery), which automates building, testing, and deploying code changes.
Fundamentally, any effective DevSecOps team wants to make integrations into the pipeline as seamless and invisible as possible, minimising disruption to workflows and preventing unnecessary expansion of an organisation’s attack surface.
By embedding security controls alongside automation and collaboration, organisations can accelerate software delivery without compromising protection. This approach encourages an organisational culture where security becomes everyone’s responsibility, not an afterthought.
This blog will explore the role of penetration testing in modern CI/CD pipelines, providing useful insights into how to minimise disruption to your organisation’s workflow while achieving robust security.
The Role of Penetration Testing in Modern Developer Pipelines
The role of penetration testing in modern CI/CD pipelines has changed significantly in the past few years. Development and operations teams are no longer looking for static, periodic testing, which can stunt the software development process. Instead, they are transitioning to more continuous security testing.
But why is continuous and automated testing so beneficial to DevSecOps teams, and how does it streamline workflows?
Traditional vs. Automated Penetration Testing: Which is best for CI/CD?
Traditional penetration testing relies on periodic, structured testing cycles to provide insights into your business’s security posture. In the earlier ages of the IoT, this approach was reliable and provided useful insights. However, with the emergence of complex new threats, including high-speed AI attacks and the increasing capabilities of cybercrime gangs, periodic testing a couple of times a year is simply no longer effective.
Automated testing tools, such as OnSecurity’s Scan, offer rapid and continuous evaluations of your business’s external vulnerability posture, delivering constant monitoring of potential threats around the clock. This scanning tool requires minimal manual human intervention and fits seamlessly into modern CI/CD pipelines by flagging common vulnerabilities as soon as code changes are deployed.
However, automation alone cannot fully replicate the skills and experience of an experienced penetration tester. Blending automated scanning with manual pentesting provides the best of both worlds: efficiency, speed, and coverage from automation, coupled with human expertise to uncover complex, business-logic flaws and real-world attack scenarios that tools often miss.
This hybrid approach ensures a stronger, more resilient security posture throughout the software development lifecycle.
Where to Integrate Penetration Testing in the CI/CD Pipeline
Determining where exactly to integrate penetrating testing in the CI/CD pipeline can feel challenging to determine. Here are our expert recommendations for how and where penesting can most seamlessly complement your CI/CD pipeline with minimal disruption to your typical operational processes.
Pre-Commit and Build Stages
Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Scan source code for common vulnerabilities (e.g., SQL injection, insecure APIs) before code is committed.
Dependency/Library Scanning: Identify vulnerabilities in third-party packages and frameworks during the build process.
Automated Unit-Level Security Checks: Run lightweight penetration test scripts against critical functions to catch flaws early on in the process.
Testing During Deploy Phases
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Run automated penetration tests against the staging environment to detect runtime vulnerabilities.
Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) Scans: Validate cloud configurations, container images, and Kubernetes manifests for misconfigurations before deployment.
Secrets/Key Exposure Checks: Ensure no hardcoded credentials or tokens are pushed into the environment.
Post-Deployment Monitoring and Validation
Penetration Testing: Simulate real-world attacks against the live environment to validate security resilience.
Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) / WAF Validation: Ensure deployed defence mechanisms can detect and block malicious activity.
Ongoing Security Monitoring: Integrate penetration testing findings into SIEM tools for continuous threat detection and response.
Approaches to Penetration Testing in CI/CD
How you approach pentesting as part of your CI/CD process can be critical to its efficacy and seamlessness. Each business- and its development teams- will have unique requirements, and making decisions based on these will ensure your experience is smooth. Here are a few things to consider:
Manual vs. Automated Testing
Manual Testing:
- Ideal for complex business logic, privilege escalation paths, and chained attack scenarios.
- Provides deeper insights into context-specific vulnerabilities that automated scanners may miss.
Automated Testing:
- Faster and more consistent for routine checks (e.g., SQL injection, XSS, open ports).
- Scales easily within CI/CD pipelines for every build or deployment.
Leveraging Open-Source vs. Commercial Tools
Open-Source Tools:
- Cost-effective and flexible (e.g., OWASP ZAP, Nikto, Metasploit).
- Best for teams with strong security expertise who can fine-tune and maintain tools.
Commercial Tools:
- Offer enterprise support, advanced reporting, and integration with CI/CD platforms.
- Often include compliance-focused testing and risk prioritisation features.
Risk-Based Testing Strategies
Critical Asset Prioritisation:
- Focus testing on high-value systems and sensitive data flows first.
- Adjust penetration depth based on business impact and threat likelihood.
Adaptive Testing Cadence:
- Run lightweight automated scans for code releases, and schedule deeper manual tests on major updates.
- Tailor test intensity based on code changes, new dependencies, or emerging vulnerabilities.
Best Practices for Effective Implementation
Shifting Security Left
Shift left security is a process that integrates security practices earlier into the software development cycle, enforcing a proactive approach to business security. By shifting security left through continuous testing and integrations, businesses can secure the development and production environment more effectively and minimise their attack surface.
Creating Repeatable and Scalable Tests
Creating repeatable and scalable tests ensures pentesting in CI/CD is consistent, automated, and reliable. By embedding tests into pipelines, vulnerabilities are detected early, reducing the risk of a breach. Standardised and regular testing alongside automated scanners enforces best practices, eliminates human error, and scales security coverage across environments, accelerating secure software delivery.
Collaborating Across Development, Security, and Operations Teams
Collaborating across development, security, and operations ensures pentesting is seamlessly integrated into the CI/CD pipeline. By aligning DevOps teams early, vulnerabilities are identified before deployment, reducing risks and delays. Embedding security testing into the release process enforces best practices, delivering faster, safer, and more reliable software releases.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Balancing Speed and Security
The pressure of continuous deployment and delivery of new features means that security can fall to the wayside in favour of speed for many development teams. Automated processes and multiple developers do ensure that code releases happen faster, but also leave your organisation vulnerable to exploitation through human errors such as rushed production or insufficient integration tests.
Avoiding False Positives
While continuous scanning and monitoring tools can be a great addition to your security strategy, they can occasionally flag false positives. As scanning tools largely operate through static code analysis, they’re great at identifying low-level vulnerabilities or common issues, however lack the business logic or experience of human testers. This means occasionally non-issues can be flagged as threats due to the AI’s lack of ability to apply context.
To reduce the risk of false positives, it is important to schedule manual testing alongside automated tools- ensuring more comprehensive security that blends the rapidity of automated tooling with human business logic and expertise.
Managing Tool Overhead
Managing tool overhead can be a major pain point for many DevSecOps teams. While integrations are the backbone of swift and efficient software development, too many tools and automations can lead to a larger attack surface and increased costs. It’s important to be selective in decisive about the tools your DevSecOps team chooses to use in order to sustain the efficacy of the development process.
How can OnSecurity’s pentesting platform help streamline my continuous integration / continuous delivery pipeline?
OnSecurity’s AI-augmented pentesting platform transforms your CI/CD pipeline by delivering increased efficiency through automated vulnerability detection integrated directly into your development workflow.
The platform seamlessly integrates with existing DevOps tools, eliminating bottlenecks while maintaining development velocity. Real-time reporting capabilities enable continuous communication with expert testers, providing immediate feedback on security issues as they emerge.
This approach allows teams to identify and remediate vulnerabilities faster, ensuring secure deployments without sacrificing speed. Ready to enhance your pipeline security? Get your personalised pentest quote today.
