The Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM) is an open framework designed to help organizations formulate and implement a strategy for software security that is tailored to the specific risks facing the organization. SAMM provides a means for evaluating an organization's existing software security practices, building a balanced software security assurance program in well-defined iterations, and demonstrating concrete improvements to a security assurance program.

• Maturity Levels: SAMM defines three maturity levels for each security practice, representing the degree of sophistication and effectiveness of the practice.
• Security Practices: SAMM is organized into a set of security practices, each addressing a specific aspect of software security.
• Domains: Security practices are grouped into domains, which represent broader areas of focus within software security.

SAMM is divided into five business functions, each containing three security practices. The business functions and their respective security practices are:

1. Governance

   • Strategy & Metrics
   • Policy & Compliance
   • Education & Guidance

2. Design

   • Threat Assessment
   • Security Requirements
   • Secure Architecture

3. Implementation

   • Secure Build
   • Secure Deployment
   • Defect Management

4. Verification

   • Security Testing
   • Security Review
   • Security Operations

5. Operations

   • Incident Management
   • Environment Management
   • Operational Management

Each security practice in SAMM is assessed at three maturity levels:

• Level 1: Initial practices are ad-hoc and unstructured.
• Level 2: Practices are defined and repeatable.
• Level 3: Practices are well-defined, measured, and optimized.

• Level 1: Ad-hoc security testing is performed occasionally.
• Level 2: Security testing is integrated into the development lifecycle.
• Level 3: Security testing is automated and continuously improved based on metrics.

1. Identify the Security Practices: List all the security practices relevant to your organization.
2. Evaluate Current Practices: For each security practice, determine the current maturity level based on the criteria provided by SAMM.
3. Document Findings: Create a report summarizing the maturity levels for each security practice.

• Set Goals: Define clear, achievable goals for improving the maturity levels of each security practice.
• Develop a Roadmap: Create a roadmap outlining the steps needed to achieve the desired maturity levels.
• Monitor Progress: Regularly assess progress towards the goals and adjust the roadmap as necessary.

1. Current State: Secure build practices are at Level 1 (ad-hoc).
2. Goal: Achieve Level 2 (defined and repeatable practices).
3. Steps:
   • Define secure build processes and integrate them into the development lifecycle.
   • Train development teams on secure build practices.
   • Implement tools to automate secure build processes.

1. Select a Security Practice: Choose one security practice to focus on.
2. Define Goals: Set specific goals for improving the maturity level of the selected practice.
3. Create a Roadmap: Outline the steps needed to achieve the goals, including timelines and responsible parties.
4. Monitor and Adjust: Regularly review progress and make adjustments to the roadmap as needed.

In this section, we explored the OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM), including its key concepts, domains, and maturity levels. We also discussed how to assess and improve the maturity of security practices within an organization. By implementing SAMM, organizations can systematically enhance their software security assurance programs, leading to more secure software development and operations.

Next, we will delve into the practical aspects of using OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) for vulnerability scanning and automating security tests.