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Security by Design in digital products
8 October 2025 · 6 min read
Security should not be a final-phase checkbox. Embedding AppSec, identity and compliance into your delivery cycle.
Security by Design starts at architecture: threat modelling, role separation, encryption, security logging and patch cadence. At Code One we pair this with code review, testing and compliance checklists (GDPR, NIS2).
Practical steps: CI/CD hardening, secrets management, CSP and HTTP security headers, rate limiting, backups and incident response. That prepares you for audits — not only demos.
Want to assess maturity? Let's discuss an architecture review and a remediation roadmap — from quick wins to structural changes.
Key takeaways
- Security by Design starts at architecture and contracts — not in the last sprint before go-live.
- Threat modelling (STRIDE) for new features reduces costly post-release fixes.
- AppSec in CI/CD: SAST, dependency scan, secrets outside the repo.
- HTTP headers, CSP and rate limiting are high-impact quick wins.
- Incident and backup plans tested — not only documented in Confluence.
In this article
Product lifecycle
Security requirements in the backlog, architecture review for major features, penetration tests before critical releases. For product teams — shared language with security (risk and mitigation, not “blockers”).
Identity and access
OAuth/OIDC, MFA for admin panels, least privilege in DB and APIs, key rotation. In Payload/Next.js — CMS roles, login audit, media upload restrictions.
Audit readiness
Evidence: configuration, logs, policies, test results. Mapping to OWASP ASVS and ISO 27001 Annex A helps with external auditors and enterprise clients.
Next steps
- Run threat modelling for one critical flow.
- Enable dependency and secret scanning in the pipeline.
- Verify security headers in production.
- Schedule an incident response tabletop exercise.