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Synthetic Users – Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Policy ​

Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Policy ​

Version: 1.6

Effective Date: November 2025

Document Owner: CTO / Security Lead

Review Frequency: Annually or upon significant architectural or security change

Classification: Internal – Confidential

1. Purpose ​

This policy defines the Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) used by Synthetic Users to ensure that all software is designed, developed, tested, deployed, and maintained in a secure and controlled manner. The objective is to protect customer data, reduce security risk, and align with applicable security and privacy frameworks, including SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001 principles.

2. Scope ​

This policy applies to:

  • All Synthetic Users software, services, APIs, and infrastructure
  • All employees, contractors, and third parties involved in software design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance

3. SDLC Stages and Security Controls ​

3.1 Planning and Requirements ​

  • Security, privacy, and compliance requirements are defined for all new features and material changes.
  • Risk assessments and threat modeling are performed for new systems, integrations, or significant architectural changes.
  • Open-source and third-party components are evaluated for known vulnerabilities and license compliance prior to adoption.

3.2 Design ​

  • Security and privacy impact assessments (PIA/DPIA), where applicable, are conducted during design.
  • Architecture is reviewed to ensure appropriate:
    • Encryption of data in transit and at rest
    • Access control and least-privilege principles
    • Logical data segregation
  • Authentication and authorization requirements are validated, including support for SSO, RBAC, and MFA.

3.3 Development ​

  • Engineers follow secure coding standards aligned with OWASP Top 10.
  • All code changes require peer review through Git-based pull request (PR) workflows.
  • Automated static analysis and dependency scanning are enforced using tools such as GitHub Advanced Security and Dependabot.
  • Hardcoded secrets are prohibited. Secrets are managed via Heroku Config Vars or approved password managers (e.g. 1Password).
  • CI/CD pipelines enforce reviewed merges and controlled deployments.

3.4 Testing ​

  • Automated unit, integration, and regression tests are executed as part of CI/CD pipelines.
  • Dynamic application security testing (DAST) and vulnerability scanning are performed in non-production environments.
  • Production data is not used in testing; anonymized or synthetic data is required.
  • Deployments are blocked if critical or high-risk vulnerabilities are detected and not remediated.

3.5 Deployment ​

  • Deployments are performed through automated CI/CD pipelines (e.g. GitHub Actions, Heroku Pipelines).
  • Environments are segregated (development, staging, production).
  • Infrastructure is managed using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and version-controlled repositories.
  • All deployments are logged and auditable.

3.6 Monitoring and Maintenance ​

  • Continuous monitoring for vulnerabilities and dependency updates is maintained.
  • Operating systems and libraries are patched on a regular schedule or sooner for critical vulnerabilities.
  • Periodic third-party penetration testing is conducted.
  • Incident response, rollback, and recovery procedures are documented and tested.
  • Change management activities are tracked through GitHub and internal documentation systems.

3.7 Training and Documentation ​

  • Engineers receive periodic training on secure coding, data protection, and security best practices.
  • Developer standards, SOPs, and architectural guidance are maintained internally.
  • Evidence such as code reviews, deployment logs, and security findings is retained for audit and compliance purposes.

4. Supporting Tools and Technologies ​

Synthetic Users leverages the following tools to support the SDLC:

  • GitHub (version control, PR reviews, CI/CD integration)
  • GitHub Advanced Security (code scanning)
  • Dependabot (dependency vulnerability monitoring)
  • Heroku (application hosting and configuration management)
  • 1Password (credential management)
  • Monitoring and logging tools for observability and alerting
  • Automated testing frameworks for security and regression testing

5. Review and Compliance ​

This policy is reviewed at least annually by the CTO and Security Lead. Updates are approved through the change management process and communicated to relevant personnel. Compliance with this policy is mandatory and subject to periodic review and audit.

Released under the MIT License.

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