Building a Culture of Secure Coding: Empowering Developers to Build Resilient Software

Speed and innovation rule in software development, which makes it easy to overlook one crucial aspect: security. As a Staff Solutions Engineer at Snyk, I’ve seen firsthand how a single overlooked vulnerability can spiral into a crisis, affecting businesses, customers, and trust. Secure coding isn’t just about writing better code—it’s about protecting what matters, which includes the credibility and reputation of individuals, teams, and the business.

Creating a culture of secure coding is more than implementing tools or ticking boxes on a checklist. It’s about empowering developers, fostering collaboration, and embedding security into the DNA of your teams. Often, organizations buy security tools but fail to build support and incentive structures for developers to write secure code whilst continuing to push for fast software releases. However, for any cultural shift to take place, the architecture must back the intention. Here, I’ll share lessons from the front lines of application security and how teams can take practical steps to build secure, resilient software without slowing down innovation.

Why secure coding is a team-wide priority

Let’s start with a story.

A few years ago, a colleague of mine at a fast-growing startup faced a critical situation. They were about to launch a new feature that had taken weeks of intense development. On the final security review, a major vulnerability was discovered: a potential SQL injection that could compromise their entire database.

Panic ensued. Launch dates were pushed. Developers scrambled to patch the issue. Customers had to wait, and the delay cost the team significant time and credibility. The takeaway? It wasn’t a lack of skill or intention. It was a lack of a culture that prioritized security from the beginning.

Stories like this aren’t uncommon. The problems were:

• Time constraints: Developers are often pressured to ship features fast, leaving little room for security considerations.

• Knowledge gaps: Secure coding is a muscle that needs to be cultivated and maintained, and training is how to exercise that muscle. Yet, not all developers are trained in secure coding and many lack visibility into how vulnerabilities affect the bigger picture.

• Siloed responsibilities: Security is often seen as “someone else’s job”—usually the security team’s. This lack of incentive to code securely from the start leads to missed opportunities to fix issues early and at the lowest cost, both in terms of time and money.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Security can be everyone’s job, and when teams adopt secure coding as a shared priority, they can prevent issues long before they hit production. All it takes is a couple simple steps.

Step 1: Empower developers through tools and training

Developers are the heart of secure coding. They’re writing the code, solving problems, and creating the software that powers the world. Yet, they can only do so much without the right support. That’s why empowering developers is the first step.

How to Support Developers

1. Hands-on training that resonates

   • Developers don’t need abstract lectures—they need real-world examples! Host workshops on common vulnerabilities like the OWASP Top 10, or gamify learning with Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions or a Live Bug Bash. Security leaders like Snyk have Developer Relations teams leading these efforts. 

   • Tools like Snyk Learn provide interactive, bite-sized lessons that fit into a developer’s busy day.

2. Real-time feedback

   • Imagine catching a bug while you’re still writing the code—it saves time, stress, and effort. That’s what tools like Snyk Code, Snyk Open Source, and Snyk Infrastructure as Code do. By flagging vulnerabilities in real time within developers’ IDEs, these tools enable developers to fix issues before they grow.

3. Foster curiosity and growth

   • Create an environment where developers have the headspace to ask and feel safe asking questions about security. Encouraging ongoing learning and experimentation turns security into a shared passion, not just a task.

Developers want to write great code. By giving them the resources, tools, and knowledge they need, you’re not just enabling them—you’re building their confidence and pride in their work.

Step 2: Build security into every process

Here’s a truth that teams often learn the hard way: security isn’t a phase; it’s a thread. When security is woven into every stage of development, it stops being a blocker and starts being an enabler.

What building security looks like:

1. Make developer security champions a thing

   • Every team has its advocates—the people who love to dive deep into new concepts. Identify those developers who are passionate about security and give them a platform to lead by example. They’ll become the go-to person for security questions, creating a ripple effect across the team.

2. Automate where it counts

   • Teams are busy, and no one wants to add manual checks to their workflow. Automating security scans with tools like Snyk CLI ensures vulnerabilities are caught without interrupting development. It’s like having an invisible safety net.

3. Create a security playbook

   • A central repository of best practices, coding standards, and example fixes goes a long way. Make it living, breathing documentation that teams actually want to use and that is actively maintained for currency.

4. Continuous integration of security

   • Security should be part of every pull request, every build, and every deployment. Integrating tools like Snyk into your CI/CD pipelines ensures issues are caught early, saving time and headaches down the line.

When security is part of the process, it stops being a painful, last-minute fire drill and becomes a natural part of the workflow.

Step 3: Motivate teams to make security a priority

Let’s face it: people won’t prioritize security if they don’t see its value. Developers are problem-solvers by nature, and they’re motivated by impact. The key is helping them connect the dots between secure coding and meaningful outcomes.

How to Inspire Ownership

1. Measure and celebrate success

   • Did a team reduce vulnerabilities by 50%? Did a developer fix a high-severity bug in record time? Measure your achievements (see below) and celebrate it. Recognizing achievements—no matter how small—builds pride and reinforces the importance of security.

2. Bring stories to life

   • Share real-world examples of breaches caused by simple mistakes, but balance them with success stories of teams who avoided disasters by prioritizing security. Personalizing the impact helps developers understand the “why.”

3. Make security accessible

   • Security shouldn’t feel like rocket science. Tools like Snyk Code simplify the process, providing actionable recommendations that developers can implement with confidence.

4. Set meaningful goals

   • Align security objectives with team goals. For example, aim to reduce dependency vulnerabilities by 30% in the next quarter. Clear, achievable metrics make progress tangible.

When developers feel empowered and valued, security stops being a chore and becomes part of their identity as creators.

Measuring success: How do you know it’s working?

Like any great initiative, building a secure coding culture requires feedback and iteration. Regularly track progress, measure results, and adjust as needed.

Metrics that matter:

• Reduction in vulnerabilities per release.

• Time-to-fix metrics for identified issues.

• Percentage of developers completing security training.

• Frequency of automated scans integrated into the pipeline.

Snyk Analytics can help

With tools like Snyk’s reporting suite, you can gain visibility into these metrics and share them with stakeholders, showcasing the value of your efforts. Snyk Analytics gives you a clear and easy way to understand how your AppSec program is performing and how you can take action to improve it. With dashboards built to highlight the metrics that matter most, you can easily focus on what’s important to you.

Issue Analytics helps you focus on critical, high-severity vulnerabilities. Teams can obtain insights into overall exposure, resolution trends, and detailed metrics when needed, ensuring the most pressing issues are addressed.

Application Analytics lets you spot risk trends, monitor Snyk coverage, and view important asset-based metrics.

Developer Analytics tracks security tool adoption across your teams. Monitor IDE plugin usage and CLI adoption to identify teams excelling in shift-left practices and use their success to guide others.

Snyk Analytics makes it easy to customize and integrate your data so you can access it wherever you need it. With extensibility options like CSV exports, Snyk platform APIs, and Snowflake data sharing, you can share and customize insights easily outside the Snyk platform. This flexibility helps improve your security strategies while showing clear progress and results to build trust with your team and stakeholders.

Final thoughts: Secure coding starts with developers

Creating a culture of secure coding isn’t just about protecting your software—it’s about empowering the people who build it. When developers feel supported, teams are aligned, and security becomes a shared responsibility, incredible things happen. Software becomes more resilient, launches are smoother, and customers trust your brand.

As someone who’s been in the trenches, I can say this with confidence: the journey to secure coding is worth it. It’s not just a technical shift—it’s a cultural one. And when you get it right, it’s transformative.

Are you ready to make security a cornerstone of your development culture? Let’s start the conversation and begin your journey with Snyk Code.