The stakes for software security have never been higher. With cybersecurity spending projected to cost $212 billion annually by 2025, your business can't afford to ignore compliance standards. Whether you're running a small team or managing enterprise systems, a single data breach now costs companies more than $4.35 million. Plus, we’ve seen what happens when security fails.

The 2020 Treasury and Commerce departments breach showed just how vulnerable even the most protected systems can be. But here's the good news: 91% of companies are taking action, planning to implement continuous compliance within five years.

Ready to protect your software and meet compliance standards? We'll show you exactly what you need to know for 2025. From core requirements to practical implementation steps, we've got you covered.

Security Compliance Essentials

Federal authorities have clear expectations for software providers, and regulators expect to see three core components:

• Secure development to stop vulnerabilities before they start
• Clear documentation that proves you're doing things right
• Regular security checks to stay ahead of threats

Getting your software updates out to the public regularly matters just as much as building it securely. The Federal Government knows this - they've made it clear that basic security practices won't cut it against today's cyber threats. We’ll start with secure development.

Build Your Security Framework Right

The NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF). We've broken it down into four key parts you need to know:

• Prepare the Organization (PO): Line up your people, processes, and tech.
• Protect Your Software (PS): Keep the bad guys out of every component.
• Produce Well-Secured Software (PW): Release software that stands up to threats.
• Respond to Vulnerabilities (RV): Spot and fix issues before they grow.

PO

Your security starts at the top. Get your board and leadership team on board - they set the tone for everyone else. Next, train your employees. Teach them the SOPs you’ve developed and give them the tools they need to do their jobs. Also, be flexible and prepared to constantly change your approach. Regulations change, and you need a team that keeps pushing for better security amidst this ever-growing cyber scape.

PS

Next, lockdown your software. When building your framework, think about what works for you. Consider your risks, budget, and what's actually doable. Automation becomes your friend here - especially when you're scaling up. Just remember, some pieces need to be in place before others can work. Using an Agile approach is one of the best ways to accomplish this.

PW

As each section develops, you’ll be sandboxing and testing it for security issues, bugs, etc. Find a problem? Fix it before the next round. The goal here, according to NIST, is to “produce well-secured software with minimal security vulnerabilities in its releases.“

RV

Zero-day vulnerabilities are a real thing, and no matter how much testing and preparation you do, no matter how secure your software is on release, there’s always the potential to miss something. So when a security issue is identified, patch it as quickly as possible.

Clear Documentation

Make sure to document everything: every development, every test, every problem, every change. Latest test revealed a directory traversal vulnerability? Document it, and then fix it. After it’s fixed, test again.

Clear documentation allows you to keep track of potential threats, yes but it also allows you to see where you went wrong. Maybe you thought you fixed the directory traversal vulnerability, but a pentest reveals it is still present. Now, you can go back and see what you and your team did, and where you went wrong. Your documentation allows for a training opportunity.

Also, be sure to keep your documentation organized and neat. Clear documentation lets the auditors know that you’re on top of things, and it makes their job easier. And, while we would all love to pretend that audits never have personal feelings attached, the fact is, they do. An auditor who watches you struggle to find a requested report will take a closer look at that report. Why? Because he or she will assume if you’re sloppy in one area, you’re probably sloppy in others.

By contrast, an auditor who is impressed with your organizational skills is less likely to scrutinize and nitpick. He or she will still spot larger issues - which is a good thing - but smaller, less-important things may slide unmentioned.

Regular Checks

This is related to the entire Agile development approach, but running regular security checks is a vital part of software development, and a large part of the scrum framework.

This is because regular checks allow you to identify and correct small problems before they become large problems. Because, let’s be real, it’s much easier to fix a problem when there is 1,000 lines of code than when you’ve hit 1,000,000 lines of code.

The Bottom Line

Security threats never stand still, and neither should you. And as a software developer, it is vital that you produce secure software before it is released into the wild. These guidelines should help you in that.

But security compliance is more than just checking boxes. It's about developing secure software, sure, but it’s about building a team that is passionate about a top product. It’s about earning customer trust, and, ultimately, protecting what matters. Start with NIST basics, then tune your security to match your needs.

FAQs

Q1. What are the key elements of software security compliance for 2025? Software security compliance in 2025 focuses on three main elements: implementing secure development practices to reduce vulnerabilities, maintaining proper documentation as evidence of compliance, and conducting regular security assessments and updates.

Q2. How can organizations build an effective compliance framework? Organizations can build an effective compliance framework by following the NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF), which includes preparing the organization, protecting the software, producing well-secured software, and responding to vulnerabilities. The framework should be flexible, outcome-focused, and regularly updated to adapt to emerging threats.

Q3. What are some essential steps for implementing compliance measures? Key steps for implementing compliance measures include setting up continuous monitoring systems, establishing automated security testing, creating structured documentation processes, implementing regular audit schedules, deploying vendor risk management, and maintaining employee training programs.

Q4. How important is automation in software security compliance? Automation plays a crucial role in software security compliance. Organizations using automation tools have improved their evidence delivery time by five days. Automated compliance tools can streamline operations, reduce human error, and help maintain continuous compliance.

Q5. What are the potential consequences of non-compliance with software security regulations? Non-compliance can result in significant financial penalties, such as fines up to €20 million or 4% of global annual revenue for GDPR violations. Beyond financial repercussions, non-compliance can damage customer confidence and compromise an organization's data protection efforts.