A security champion is a developer interested in security, which helps promote its importance within the team. The security team often needs help implementing security measures independently. Appointing a security champion effectively expands security measures and ensures that security is evenly distributed among development teams.

Today, we will explore what Security Champions mean, their roles and responsibilities, and the qualities that make a good security champion. We will also discuss how to start a security champion program in your organization and its benefits.

Let's get started!

What is a Security Champion?

Security Champions are individuals within the development team who serve as an extension of the security team. They are important in flexible and small teams. Champions connect different areas of security. These teams can include software engineers, QA specialists, architects, and sometimes even product managers.

By deepening their understanding of their teammates' code bases and culture, Security Champions are well-equipped to convey the importance of security effectively. The role of a security champion does not necessarily require a busy development lead or Scrum Master. The sole requirements are active participation in the day-to-day development process and a comprehensive understanding of the team's objectives, procedures, and values.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Security Champion

After gaining knowledge about how to start a Security Champion program, delve into the different roles and responsibilities linked to this role:

1. Technical Knowledge

This involves possessing coding skills, expertise in identifying and mitigating software bugs, and possibly even white-hat hacking abilities.

Security Champions also ensure the secure and prompt release of customer-facing applications, addressing internal security concerns. Their role extends beyond mere technicalities; they serve as key advocates for security throughout the organization.

Security Champions should possess deep knowledge and demonstrate a passionate dedication to security principles.

2. Raising Security Awareness

Raising awareness is a core responsibility of Security Champions. They disseminate security best practices and maintain continual security awareness within the organization.

Champions achieve this through various means, such as training sessions, workshops, and informal discussions, ensuring developers stay informed about security threats and effective mitigation strategies.

Additionally, Security Champions provide guidance and answer questions on security matters as accessible resources. Thus, they embed security considerations into developers' daily workflows and strengthen the organization's defense against evolving threats.

3. Maintaining Organizational Security

Security Champions conduct scans to detect security issues and escalate them for review by the security team, bridging the gap between development and security.

Additionally, Security Champions assist in QA and testing processes, ensuring that security considerations integrate into testing phases for robust software security.

Moreover, Security Champions leverage their expertise to evaluate potential risks to the organization's assets by actively contributing to risk and threat assessments. They identify opportunities for early remediation of security issues by participating in architectural and tooling reviews

4. Fostering Collaboration

Security Champions actively engage with peers in weekly meetings to share insights and assist in making critical security decisions, as collaboration is central to their role. Collaborating with fellow Security Champions and stakeholders creates a space for sharing and enhancing best practices, ultimately nurturing a culture focused on ongoing enhancement.

5. Encouraging Involvement Through Initiatives

Champions spark interest and foster collaboration among team members by initiating challenges, hackathons, and competitions. These interactive activities promote knowledge-sharing and offer practical value by incentivizing teams to actively identify and address vulnerabilities within their projects.

Security Champions cultivate a culture of continuous improvement and collective responsibility toward enhancing the organization's security posture through such initiatives.

Starting a Security Champion Program

To start a Security champion program, application security engineers need to carefully plan, communicate, and collaborate. Here are steps to initiate and implement such a program:

1. Evaluating Current Security

Assessing the current security status and pinpointing specific areas where champions can make a difference is crucial.

Security Champion may evaluate secure coding standards with teams, facilitate the communication of security requirements, serve as a co-lead in security reviews, or present the developer's inquiries to the security team.

In the future, it might also entail performing automated security scans for issues such as SQL injection and XSS or joining design reviews.

2. Review and Shortlist Teams

Start by identifying the teams to which you would like to add a Security Champion and describe their working methods. Consider the following criteria:

• Team Structure: Analyze the organizational structure to understand the teams and their respective members who will be involved in the program better.

• Current Security State: Review each team's current security status to establish a baseline for tracking changes/improvements. You may review any code or implement automated security tests.

• Identify Processes and Technologies Used: Evaluate the current communication channels and outline the process for reporting security issues and assigning them to team members. Additionally, identify the technologies employed by each team, including programming languages and frameworks.

3. Nominate Security Champions

Security Champions can take on various roles, such as developers, operations, or QA specialists. It is recommended that Security Champions are nominated, not simply assigned.

Here are the steps to follow:

• Begin by having leadership approve the precise duties and time dedication expected from a Security Champion.

• Security engineers should nominate Security Champions based on their respective technology platforms to leverage their specialized technical expertise. This includes areas such as frontend, backend, and mobile development.

• Next, talk to the team manager about potential candidates for the Security Champion role. Then, discuss with the candidates to evaluate their fit for the position and explain the benefits of gaining expertise in security for their career advancement.

• Inform the organization about the Security Champion program and its members after you have selected the champions.

4. Regular Training and Certification

Provide Security Champions with advanced secure coding training alongside the mandatory training for all developers. Participating in industry events can further enhance their skills.

Several organizations have established structured levels after implementing successful Security Champion programs. These efforts help validate individuals' expertise and ensure they stay current with technological advancements.

Benefits of a Security Champions Program

Implementing a security champions program yields several benefits:

1. Enhances Security Awareness: Dedicated individuals focused on security improve overall security awareness among development and security teams, leading to more secure coding practices. This proactive approach helps prevent security breaches and reduces the need for urgent fixes.

2. Improves Collaboration: Security champions facilitate better collaboration between development and security teams, breaking down and promoting shared objectives. They help ensure that security considerations are integrated seamlessly throughout the development lifecycle.

3. Integrates Security Faster: Integrating security considerations into the development process helps teams avoid the pitfalls of "bolting on" security at the end of the development cycle, which often leads to delays and increased costs.

4. Scales Security Efforts: Security champions enable organizations to scale their security efforts more effectively, especially in environments where security personnel are limited compared to development staff.

5. Develops Careers: For developers, taking on the role of a security champion enhances their skills and career prospects as they gain valuable knowledge in security practices. This role also provides opportunities for leadership and increased responsibility within the organization.

Qualities of a Good Security Champion

A good security champion blends technical skills, personal attributes, and a proactive mindset to effectively promote security practices within their development teams. Here are the key qualities that make an effective security champion:

1. Intrinsic Motivation

A strong security champion stays self-motivated and passionate about security. They genuinely want to improve security practices and willingly take the initiative to drive security efforts within their organization.

2. Technical Proficiency

Security champions possess a solid background in software development and understand security principles well. This technical expertise enables them to identify vulnerabilities and effectively communicate security issues to their peers.

3. Assertiveness

They assert themselves in their role, acting as the voice of security within their team. This involves influencing team members to adopt secure coding practices and advocating for necessary changes in processes to enhance security.

4. Team Orientation

A good security champion collaborates well within their team and fosters communication between development and security teams. They bridge gaps and facilitate communication to ensure that security remains a shared responsibility.

5. Continuous Learner

Since security continuously evolves, champions commit to ongoing education. They stay updated on the latest security trends, vulnerabilities, and best practices to effectively guide their teams. They also participate in relevant industry conferences and workshops to hone their skills.

6. Communication Skills

Effective communication is crucial. Security champions explain complex security concepts in an understandable way to developers, ensuring that security considerations integrate seamlessly into the development process.

Final Thoughts

Security Champions bridge the gap between development and security teams, fostering a culture of security awareness and collaboration. They engage proactively in training, decision-making, and initiatives like challenges and workshops to inspire teams to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities.

Security Champions fortify defenses and sustain a proactive security stance as organizations navigate evolving threats. To embark on the journey of enhancing security measures with Security Champions, explore Akto, which provides a comprehensive API security platform with built-in tests addressing logic vulnerabilities and the top 10 API security risks identified by OWASP and HackerOne. With Akto, you can continuously discover APIs, integrate security testing into your CI/CD pipelines, and customize tests to meet your specific needs, ensuring robust protection for your APIs.

Book a free demo right away!