Software development security
The foundation for this post is in the post below.
- Jacco Meijer
- |
- Oct 17, 2025
Software development security
About the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and how this relates to security controls and assessing software risks
Risk analysis for software development
In the world of software development risk is inevitable. Whether it's shifting project requirements, security vulnerabilities or integration challenges, identifying and managing these uncertainties early can mean the difference between success and failure.
Risk assessments provide a structured approach to uncover potential issues before they escalate, helping teams make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively and maintain project momentum.
This post explores all steps of risk analysis of the SDLC. From the identification of risk to mitigate the risk by implementing controls.
Identify Risk
The first step in risk analysis is to identify potential risk events. These events are specific situations or conditions that could negatively affect the SDLC.
A productive starting point is to conduct brainstorming sessions with stakeholders, team members and subject matter experts. This collaborative approach helps surface a wide range of risks based on diverse perspectives and experience.
To organize the process and ensure comprehensive coverage, it’s helpful to group risks into categories. The table below contains few examples.
| Risk event category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Technical | Unfamiliar technology, scalability issues, integration difficulties, legacy system constraints, performance bottlenecks, technology stack limitations |
| Project Management | Poor planning, scope creep, unrealistic timelines, inadequate risk management, changing requirements, lack of project visibility |
| People (Team) | Inexperienced staff, lack of communication, key person dependency, high turnover, insufficient training, low team morale |
| External | Vendor delays, regulatory changes, third-party API failures, geopolitical instability, supply chain disruptions, changes in market conditions |
| Organizational | Budget cuts, shifting priorities, lack of stakeholder support, internal politics, organizational restructuring, resource reallocation |
| Security & Compliance | Data breaches, non-compliance with GDPR, weak authentication, insecure data storage, lack of encryption, inadequate audit trails |
| Code | Poor code quality, lack of automated tests, high technical debt, inconsistent coding standards, low test coverage, fragile legacy code |
| Data | Inaccurate data, data loss, poor data migration, inconsistent data formats, lack of data governance, stale or outdated datasets |
To enhance this step, AI can assist by generating context specific risk categories and scenarios.
Identifying and categorizing risks is the foundation for assessing how likely these event will occur and how serious their consequences can be.
Assess likelihood
This step focuses on the probability that risk will materialize. The likelihood of risk gives a clearer picture of the exposure and where attention is most needed.
With clarity on likelihood, the next step is to consider how serious each risk is.
Assess impact
Serious risk is risk with a high potential impact. Impact can be measured in:
- quantitative terms, such as financial cost;
- qualitative terms, such as delays, reduced quality or customer dissatisfaction.
The product of likelihood and impact gives a good understanding of the severity of the risk. This is what is used in the next step to prioritize the risk.
Prioritize risk
The most important risk is the risk with both a high likelihood and a high impact. Prioritizing risks means ranking them by how serious the risk is.
High priority risk is the risk that needs the most attention.
Risk treatment
Risk without any action is taken is called inherent risk. Any risk remaining after treatment is known as residual risk.
For inherent risk this step applies an appropriate treatment strategy. The aim is to reduce or manage the risk to an acceptable level. The table below provides a high level overview of common risk treatments and how they are applied.
| Evaluation | Treatment | Example Action |
|---|---|---|
| Risk exceeds acceptable threshold | Avoid | Discontinue the activity, technology or process entirely |
| Risk can be reduced cost-effectively | Mitigate | Implement technical or procedural controls (see below) |
| Mitigation is not cost-effective | Transfer | Outsource, use insurance or shift risk to cloud service |
| Mitigation and transfer are not cost-effective or feasible | Accept | Document the risk, monitor it and proceed with awareness |
Avoiding, transferring and accepting risk is left out of the scope of this post. The next step for this post is to mitigate risk by implementing controls
Mitigate by implementing controls
In practice, selecting which controls to implement is guided by a cost benefit analysis. Evaluating the security improvements that each control offers to the SDLC compared to the resources required to implement them.
The post below outlines the common controls for a SDLC that is structured with the DevSecOps approach.
- Jacco Meijer
- |
- Oct 18, 2025
Security controls for software development
Exploring how security controls protect and improve every stage of the DevSecOps workflow.
Monitor and review
Risk management doesn’t stop at implementation but continues by monitoring risk throughout the SDLC. Because of the permanent nature, a risk register is useful for tracking all identified risks.
Conclusion
Risk analysis is a critical foundation for successful software development. By systematically identifying and assessing potential risks, teams can reduce uncertainty and prevent costly issues.
This proactive approach provides a strategic advantage, enabling the delivery of reliable, secure and high-quality software.
