Integrating Cybersecurity Standards into Software Quality Assurance Frameworks: A Holistic Approach

Abstract

The growing severity and frequency of cyberattacks have placed emphasis on the dire necessity of protection of software development practices. Conventional quality assurance (QA) systems are functionality-driven, performance-driven, and reliability-driven but tend to view cybersecurity as distinct or peripheral to the quality assurance process. In this paper, a holistic approach, namely implementing cybersecurity standards into software quality assurance frameworks (e.g., ISO/IEC 25010, CMMI) is suggested, which incorporates cybersecurity standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and OWASP guidelines) directly. The integration focuses on proactive risk management, secure coding and ongoing security validation during software development lifecycle (SDLC). With the ability to match quality measures with the security conditions, organizations can gain a twofold advantage of both high-quality software and cyber resilience. An integrational model of concepts is introduced, which shows the way that security testing, compliance validation, and vulnerability assessment can be integrated into QA without affecting the agility of development. The strategy will be designed to minimize vulnerabilities, maximize compliance and increase confidence of the stakeholders in software systems. The results indicate that the integration of security at QA gates can greatly reduce post release incidents, simplify regulatory compliance and minimize the costs of maintenance in the long run. The study adds to the further development of DevSecOps and offers a roadmap to the organizations that want to harmonize the goals of quality and security.