The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a new draft document, NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-218, Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) Version 1.1: Recommendations for Mitigating the Risk of Software Vulnerabilities. This document will replace the NIST Cybersecurity White Paper released in April 2020 which defined the original SSDF, and it includes a change log summarizing the major changes from the April 2020 version. NIST used inputs from the public and its June 2021 workshop to shape SSDF version 1.1 in support of NIST's responsibilities under Executive Order (EO) 14028. The new SSDF draft also includes mappings from EO 14028 clauses to the SSDF practices and tasks that help address each clause.

Few software development life cycle (SDLC) models explicitly address software security in detail, so secure software development practices usually need to be added to each SDLC model to ensure the software being developed is well secured. Draft SP 800-218 recommends a core set of high-level secure software development practices called the SSDF that can be integrated within each SDLC implementation. Following these practices should help software producers reduce the number of vulnerabilities in released software, mitigate the potential impact of the exploitation of undetected or unaddressed vulnerabilities, and address the root causes of vulnerabilities to prevent future recurrences. Also, because the framework provides a common vocabulary for secure software development, software purchasers and consumers can use it to foster communications with suppliers in acquisition processes and other management activities.

The public comment period for this draft is open through November 5, 2021. Submit your comments to us at ssdf@nist.gov.