Monday 31 October 2016

If you don't have a Security Champion, get a mug

If your developer team doesn't have an assigned security team champion, get one of these mugs.

That 'Security Expert' mug represents the fact that, without a securit champion, when a developer has an application security question, he might as well ask the dude on that mug for help.

I also like the fact that the mug reinforces the idea that for most developer teams, just having somebody assigned to application security is already a massive step forward!!

Basically, we have such a skill shortage in our industry for application security developers that 'if you have a heart-beat you qualify'

How to create the SC Mug

Get a mug with lots of white space on the front and back
write Security Champion at the front in large letters (but not so big that the text can't be read from a distance)
Alternatively, at the back write: It's me, or Google, or Stack Overflow
Or, if you have a small company stuffed animal or object, put it inside the mug
Put the mug in a central location, visible place to the team. It is important that the mug is a neutral place, and not 'assigned' to anybody.

In some teams, I've seen the ritual that when a Security Champion is appointed, he/she gets the mug to put on his/her desk.


(from SecDevOps Risk Workflow book, please provide feedback as an GitHub issue)