OPSEC + Agile = Security that works

Recently I have been reading on OPSEC (operations security).  OPSEC, among many things, is a process for security critical information and reducing risk.  The 5 steps in the OPSEC process read as follows:

1. Identify Critical Information
2. Analyze the Threat
3. Analyze the Vulnerabilities
4. Assess the Risk
5. Apply the countermeasures

It really isn’t rocket science, but it is the sheer simplicity of the process that is alluring.  It has traditionally been applied in the military and has been used as a meta-discipline in security.  It assumes that other parties are watching, sort of like the aircraft watchers that park near the military base to see what is flying in and out, or the Domino’s near the Pentagon that reportedly sees a spike in deliveries to the Pentagon before a big military strike.  Observers are gathering critical information on your organization in new ways that you weren’t able to predict.  This is where OPSEC comes in.

Since there is no way to predict what data will be leaking from your organization in the future and it is equally impossible to enumerate all possible future risk scenarios, then it becomes necessary to perform this assessment regularly.  Instead of using an annual review process with huge overhead and little impact (I am looking at you, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance auditors), you can create a process to continue to identify risks in an ever-changing organization while lessening risk.  This is why you have a security team, right?  Lessening the risk to the organization is the main reason to have a security team.  Achieving PCI or HIPPA compliance is not.

Using OPSEC as a security process poses huge benefits when aligned with Agile software development principles.  The following weekly assessment cycle is promoted by SANS in their security training course.  See if you can see Agile in it.

The weekly OPSEC assessment cycle:

1. Identify Critical Information
2. Assess threats and threat sources including: employees, contractors, competitors, prospects…
3. Assess vulnerabilities of critical information to the threat
4. Conduct risk vs. benefit analysis
5. Implement appropriate countermeasures
6. Do it again next week.

A weekly OPSEC process is a different paradigm from the annual compliance ritual.  The key of the security is just that: lessen risk to the organization.   Iterating through the OPSEC assessment cycle weeklymeans that you are taking frequent and concrete steps to facilitate that end.