What security practices do 300,000 developers really do?
BSIMM 8 is out! Fantastic. The one and only large-scale study on what security practices large organizations put in place to produce secure software.
The study is carried out by application security professionals under the supervision of Gary McGraw, making sure the gathered data is consistent, accurate and gives an insight into what 300,000 developers do on a day-to-day basis.In my latest presentation, I reference BSIMM numbers where I mention that on average, there are 2 application security professional per 100 developers.
However, that hasn't been the case since BSIMM4. BSIMM8 reports that this number is even less, now at 1.6 per 100 developers. Hiring more application security professionals will simply not work as there is a shortage of talent. More than ever, we need to give the developers the tools and the training to write secure code that is hands-on, readily available and scalable for organisations.
The report also shows that the most common activity in the Training practice is providing an awareness training to all employees at 67%. I started mapping what we do at Secure Code Warrior (SCW) in the Training practice and realized that our solution can tick off all the 12 activities in the Training practice ranging from level 1 (most companies do it) to level 3 (very few companies do it).
One single solution that can be used to cover an entire practice!Out of the 12 training practices, the most interesting practices for the Secure Code Warrior solution are:
- Level 1: Provide awareness training
- Level 1: Deliver on-demand individual training
- Level 2: Enhance satellite through training (SCW metrics)
- Level 3: Reward progression through curriculum (SCW badges)
- Level 3: Provide training for vendors or outsourced workers (SCW Assessments)
- Level 3: Host external software security events (SCW Tournament mode)
- Level 3: Identify satellite through training (SCW metrics)
Are you confident that your current solution addresses these practices?
Almost 300,000 developers across approximately 95,000 applications use BSIMM8 to help plan, execute and measure their software security initiatives (SSIs).
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
Book a demo
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Matias is a researcher and developer with more than 15 years of hands-on software security experience. He has developed solutions for companies such as Fortify Software and his own company Sensei Security. Over his career, Matias has led multiple application security research projects which have led to commercial products and boasts over 10 patents under his belt. When he is away from his desk, Matias has served as an instructor for advanced application security training courses and regularly speaks at global conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DefCon, BSIMM, OWASP AppSec and BruCon.
Matias holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Ghent University, where he studied application security through program obfuscation to hide the inner workings of an application.
BSIMM 8 is out! Fantastic. The one and only large-scale study on what security practices large organizations put in place to produce secure software.
The study is carried out by application security professionals under the supervision of Gary McGraw, making sure the gathered data is consistent, accurate and gives an insight into what 300,000 developers do on a day-to-day basis.In my latest presentation, I reference BSIMM numbers where I mention that on average, there are 2 application security professional per 100 developers.
However, that hasn't been the case since BSIMM4. BSIMM8 reports that this number is even less, now at 1.6 per 100 developers. Hiring more application security professionals will simply not work as there is a shortage of talent. More than ever, we need to give the developers the tools and the training to write secure code that is hands-on, readily available and scalable for organisations.
The report also shows that the most common activity in the Training practice is providing an awareness training to all employees at 67%. I started mapping what we do at Secure Code Warrior (SCW) in the Training practice and realized that our solution can tick off all the 12 activities in the Training practice ranging from level 1 (most companies do it) to level 3 (very few companies do it).
One single solution that can be used to cover an entire practice!Out of the 12 training practices, the most interesting practices for the Secure Code Warrior solution are:
- Level 1: Provide awareness training
- Level 1: Deliver on-demand individual training
- Level 2: Enhance satellite through training (SCW metrics)
- Level 3: Reward progression through curriculum (SCW badges)
- Level 3: Provide training for vendors or outsourced workers (SCW Assessments)
- Level 3: Host external software security events (SCW Tournament mode)
- Level 3: Identify satellite through training (SCW metrics)
Are you confident that your current solution addresses these practices?
BSIMM 8 is out! Fantastic. The one and only large-scale study on what security practices large organizations put in place to produce secure software.
The study is carried out by application security professionals under the supervision of Gary McGraw, making sure the gathered data is consistent, accurate and gives an insight into what 300,000 developers do on a day-to-day basis.In my latest presentation, I reference BSIMM numbers where I mention that on average, there are 2 application security professional per 100 developers.
However, that hasn't been the case since BSIMM4. BSIMM8 reports that this number is even less, now at 1.6 per 100 developers. Hiring more application security professionals will simply not work as there is a shortage of talent. More than ever, we need to give the developers the tools and the training to write secure code that is hands-on, readily available and scalable for organisations.
The report also shows that the most common activity in the Training practice is providing an awareness training to all employees at 67%. I started mapping what we do at Secure Code Warrior (SCW) in the Training practice and realized that our solution can tick off all the 12 activities in the Training practice ranging from level 1 (most companies do it) to level 3 (very few companies do it).
One single solution that can be used to cover an entire practice!Out of the 12 training practices, the most interesting practices for the Secure Code Warrior solution are:
- Level 1: Provide awareness training
- Level 1: Deliver on-demand individual training
- Level 2: Enhance satellite through training (SCW metrics)
- Level 3: Reward progression through curriculum (SCW badges)
- Level 3: Provide training for vendors or outsourced workers (SCW Assessments)
- Level 3: Host external software security events (SCW Tournament mode)
- Level 3: Identify satellite through training (SCW metrics)
Are you confident that your current solution addresses these practices?
Click on the link below and download the PDF of this resource.
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
View reportBook a demo
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Matias is a researcher and developer with more than 15 years of hands-on software security experience. He has developed solutions for companies such as Fortify Software and his own company Sensei Security. Over his career, Matias has led multiple application security research projects which have led to commercial products and boasts over 10 patents under his belt. When he is away from his desk, Matias has served as an instructor for advanced application security training courses and regularly speaks at global conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DefCon, BSIMM, OWASP AppSec and BruCon.
Matias holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Ghent University, where he studied application security through program obfuscation to hide the inner workings of an application.
BSIMM 8 is out! Fantastic. The one and only large-scale study on what security practices large organizations put in place to produce secure software.
The study is carried out by application security professionals under the supervision of Gary McGraw, making sure the gathered data is consistent, accurate and gives an insight into what 300,000 developers do on a day-to-day basis.In my latest presentation, I reference BSIMM numbers where I mention that on average, there are 2 application security professional per 100 developers.
However, that hasn't been the case since BSIMM4. BSIMM8 reports that this number is even less, now at 1.6 per 100 developers. Hiring more application security professionals will simply not work as there is a shortage of talent. More than ever, we need to give the developers the tools and the training to write secure code that is hands-on, readily available and scalable for organisations.
The report also shows that the most common activity in the Training practice is providing an awareness training to all employees at 67%. I started mapping what we do at Secure Code Warrior (SCW) in the Training practice and realized that our solution can tick off all the 12 activities in the Training practice ranging from level 1 (most companies do it) to level 3 (very few companies do it).
One single solution that can be used to cover an entire practice!Out of the 12 training practices, the most interesting practices for the Secure Code Warrior solution are:
- Level 1: Provide awareness training
- Level 1: Deliver on-demand individual training
- Level 2: Enhance satellite through training (SCW metrics)
- Level 3: Reward progression through curriculum (SCW badges)
- Level 3: Provide training for vendors or outsourced workers (SCW Assessments)
- Level 3: Host external software security events (SCW Tournament mode)
- Level 3: Identify satellite through training (SCW metrics)
Are you confident that your current solution addresses these practices?
Table of contents
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
Book a demoDownloadResources to get you started
AI Coding Assistants: A Guide to Security-Safe Navigation for the Next Generation of Developers
Large language models deliver irresistible advantages in speed and productivity, but they also introduce undeniable risks to the enterprise. Traditional security guardrails aren’t enough to control the deluge. Developers require precise, verified security skills to identify and prevent security flaws at the outset of the software development lifecycle.
Secure by Design: Defining Best Practices, Enabling Developers and Benchmarking Preventative Security Outcomes
In this research paper, Secure Code Warrior co-founders, Pieter Danhieux and Dr. Matias Madou, Ph.D., along with expert contributors, Chris Inglis, Former US National Cyber Director (now Strategic Advisor to Paladin Capital Group), and Devin Lynch, Senior Director, Paladin Global Institute, will reveal key findings from over twenty in-depth interviews with enterprise security leaders including CISOs, a VP of Application Security, and software security professionals.
Resources to get you started
Setting the Standard: SCW Releases Free AI Coding Security Rules on GitHub
AI-assisted development is no longer on the horizon — it’s here, and it’s rapidly reshaping how software is written. Tools like GitHub Copilot, Cline, Roo, Cursor, Aider, and Windsurf are transforming developers into co-pilots of their own, enabling faster iteration and accelerating everything from prototyping to major refactoring projects.
Close the Loop on Vulnerabilities with Secure Code Warrior + HackerOne
Secure Code Warrior is excited to announce our new integration with HackerOne, a leader in offensive security solutions. Together, we're building a powerful, integrated ecosystem. HackerOne pinpoints where vulnerabilities are actually happening in real-world environments, exposing the "what" and "where" of security issues.
Revealed: How the Cyber Industry Defines Secure by Design
In our latest white paper, our Co-Founders, Pieter Danhieux and Dr. Matias Madou, Ph.D., sat down with over twenty enterprise security leaders, including CISOs, AppSec leaders and security professionals, to figure out the key pieces of this puzzle and uncover the reality behind the Secure by Design movement. It’s a shared ambition across the security teams, but no shared playbook.
Developer-driven coding.
Securely.
Contact us today and make software security an intrinsic part of your development process.
