Developer-first Security sucks! Why is it essential to automate product security?

Cybercrime has surged significantly, with data breaches and cyberattacks escalating during the COVID-19 pandemic and costing an estimated $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Despite this, many development teams often bypass security measures due to time constraints and prioritize productivity over security, leading to vulnerabilities in their code. The disconnect between security teams and developers exacerbates this issue, as developers are typically left out of the security planning process, which results in a strained relationship. Emphasizing a "Shift Left Security" approach, which integrates security earlier in the development process, is seen as crucial for improving cybersecurity practices. Providing developers with appropriate security tools is essential, and while developer-first security tools are emerging, the ecosystem is still developing, with open-source communities playing a pivotal role in creating reliable solutions. Recent trends indicate a growing number of organizations are allowing development teams to manage the budget for application security tools, suggesting a shift towards empowering developers in the cybersecurity landscape.