The Secure Developer

Episode SummaryHow do we apply the battle-tested principles of authentication and authorization to the rapidly evolving world of AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)? In this episode, we're joined by Aaron Parecki, Director of Identity Standards at Okta, to explore the past, present, and future of OAuth.  We dive into the lessons learned from the evolution of OAuth 1.0 to 2.1, discuss the critical role of standards in securing new technologies, and unpack how identity frameworks can be extended to provide secure, manageable access for AI agents in enterprise environments.Show NotesIn this episode, host Danny Allan is joined by a very special guest, Aaron Parecki, the Director of Identity Standards at Okta, to discuss the critical intersection of identity, authorization, and the rise of artificial intelligence. Aaron begins by explaining the history of OAuth, which was created to solve the problem of third-party applications needing access to user data without the user having to share their actual credentials. This foundational concept of delegated access has become ubiquitous, but as technology evolves, so do the challenges.Aaron walks us through the evolution of the OAuth standard, from the limitations of OAuth 1 to the flexibility and challenges of OAuth 2, such as the introduction of bearer tokens. He explains how the protocol was intentionally designed to be extensible, allowing for later additions like OpenID Connect to handle identity and DPoP to enhance security by proving possession of a token. This modular design is why he is now working on OAuth 2.1—a consolidation of best practices—instead of a complete rewrite.The conversation then shifts to the most pressing modern challenge: securing AI agents and LLMs that need to interact with multiple services on a user's behalf. Aaron details the new "cross-app access" pattern he is working on, which places the enterprise Identity Provider (IDP) at the center of these interactions. This approach gives enterprise administrators crucial visibility and control over how data is shared between applications, solving a major security and management headache. For developers building in this space today, Aaron offers practical advice: leverage individual user permissions through standard OAuth flows rather than creating over-privileged service accounts.LinksOktaOpenID FoundationIETFThe House Files PDX (YouTube Channel)WIMSEAuthZEN Working Groupaaronpk on GitHubSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

Episode SummaryDive into the ever-evolving world of platform engineering with Cory O’Daniel, CEO and co-founder of Massdriver. This episode explores the journey of DevOps, the challenges of building and scaling infrastructure, and the crucial role of creating effective abstractions to empower developers. Cory shares his insights on the shift towards platform engineering as a means to build more secure and efficient software by default.Show NotesIn this episode of The Secure Developer, host Danny Allan sits down with Cory O’Daniel, CEO and co-founder of Massdriver, to discuss the dynamic landscape of platform engineering. Cory, a seasoned software engineer and first-time CEO, shares his extensive experience in the Infrastructure as Code (IaC) space, tracing his journey from early encounters with EC2 to founding Massdriver. He offers candid advice for developers aspiring to become CEOs, emphasizing the importance of passion and early customer engagement.  The conversation delves into the evolution of DevOps over the past two decades, highlighting the constant changes in how software is run, from mainframes to serverless containers and now AI. Cory argues that the true spirit of DevOps lies in operations teams producing products that developers can easily use. He points out the challenge of scaling operations expertise, suggesting that IT and Cloud practices need to mature in software development to create better abstractions for developers, rather than expecting developers to become infrastructure experts.  A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the current state of abstractions in IaC. Cory contends that existing public abstractions, like open-source Terraform modules, are often too generic and don't account for specific business logic, security, or compliance requirements. He advocates for operations teams building their own prescriptive modules that embed organizational standards, effectively shifting security left by design rather than by burdening developers. The episode also touches upon the potential and limitations of AI in the operations space, with Cory expressing skepticism about AI's current ability to handle the contextual complexities of infrastructure without significant, organization-specific training data. Finally, Cory shares his optimism for the future of platform engineering, viewing it as a return to the original intentions of DevOps, where operations teams ship software with ingrained security and compliance, leading to more secure systems by default.LinksMassDriverAnsibleChefTerraformDevOps is BullshitElephant in the CloudDockerPostgresOpenTofuHelmRedisElixirSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

Jeremy Snyder, Co-founder and CEO of FireTail, brings deep expertise in API and AI security. He discusses the challenges of GraphQL adoption, highlighting its vulnerabilities compared to the traditional REST framework. Snyder shares insights on critical security practices, emphasizing the difference between authentication and authorization. He uncovers common pitfalls like Broken Object-Level Authorization and the risks posed by microservices. The conversation also delves into the evolving landscape of security in the context of AI integration, hinting at a brighter future for API protection.

Episode Summary Is the traditional Silicon Valley startup model harming the security industry? In this episode of The Secure Developer, Danny Allan talks with Melanie Rieback, founder of Radically Open Security, about shaking up the industry with nonprofit business models. Tuning in, you’ll learn about the inner workings of Radically Open Security as a non-profit organization and the positive impact its donations have had on the open source ecosystem.We discuss the benefits of a steward-ownership business model, why it pairs so well with open source, and its power to reform venture capital and align incentives with long-term sustainability. For those interested in diving deeper, Melanie shares resources from her startup incubator, Nonprofit Ventures, and her free online Post Growth Entrepreneurship course. Tune in to learn why reforming our business models is vital for preserving and protecting our open source ecosystem and, by extension, security! Show NotesIn this episode, Snyk CTO Danny Allan chats with Dr. Melanie Rieback, founder of Radically Open Security, about her journey from academia and pen testing to founding a cybersecurity company with a radically different business model. Melanie shares the motivations behind creating a not-for-profit organization that donates 90% of its profits to the NLnet Foundation, supporting open source and digital rights initiatives. They discuss the discontent with traditional cybersecurity business practices, including lack of transparency and ethical concerns like selling zero-days.Melanie explains Radically Open Security's structure, operating as a collective primarily using contractors, and how this model has allowed them to grow to 50 people while serving major clients and offering pro-bono work for nonprofits and critical open source projects like the Tor Project and Tails. The conversation then broadens to discuss alternative business models like steward ownership, where profit rights are separated from voting rights, aiming to lock value within the company and prevent mission drift often caused by traditional VC funding.They explore the concept of "Post Growth Entrepreneurship," which Melanie teaches, focusing on non-extractive business models and reforming finance itself. The discussion touches upon whether the tech industry, particularly open source, is moving towards more sustainable and ethical models, citing examples like Signal, Proton, Mastodon, and Mozilla. Melanie emphasizes that the culture of open source developers is often inherently altruistic, not greedy, but can be compromised by traditional funding systems. Finally, Melanie offers resources for listeners interested in learning more about these alternative models.LinksRadically Open SecurityRadically Open Security on LinkedInNLnet FoundationNonprofit VenturesPost Growth Entrepreneurship CourseSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

Akira Brand, AVP of Application Security at PRA Group, shares her fascinating journey from opera to cybersecurity. She emphasizes how AppSec is fundamentally a customer service role, advocating for a seamless integration of security tools in developers' workflows. The conversation delves into the transformative impact of AI on security processes and the pressing need for adaptable compliance standards amidst rapid technological evolution. Akira’s unique insights inspire a collaborative approach to making security more approachable and effective for software engineers.

In this engaging discussion, Alex Salazar, founder and CEO of Arcade, shares his extensive experience in security from his time at Okta and Stormpath. He dives into the evolution of authentication and authorization in an AI-driven world. Discover how AI agents change security dynamics and why identity is the new perimeter. Alex also explores the risks of AI hallucinations and the importance of human oversight in automated processes. Don't miss insights on OAuth challenges and the transformative impact of AI on productivity.

Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Secure Developer, Danny Allan sits down with Mrinal Wadhwa, CTO at Ockam, to explore the evolving landscape of secure communication in distributed systems. They discuss the challenges of securing microservices, IoT networks, and Kubernetes environments and how traditional TLS-based security models may no longer be sufficient. Mrinal shares insights into Ockam’s approach to end-to-end encrypted, mutually authenticated channels and the impact of WebAssembly, passkeys, and modern cryptographic identity management on security. Tune in for a deep dive into how organizations can rethink security at runtime to minimize risks in today’s complex digital ecosystems.Show NotesSecurity in modern applications is more challenging than ever, with microservices architectures, IoT deployments, and distributed computing environments introducing new risks. In this episode, Danny Allan welcomes Mrinal Wadhwa, CTO at Ockam, to discuss how secure communication models need to evolve beyond traditional TLS and perimeter-based defenses.Topics covered include:The challenges of securing microservices and Kubernetes clustersHow end-to-end encryption and mutual authentication can minimize riskThe importance of cryptographic identities and key rotation at scaleHow Ockam enables secure channels across multiple transport layers (TCP, Bluetooth, Kafka, etc.)The role of WebAssembly and passkeys in rethinking security modelsShifting from perimeter-based security to secure-by-design communicationMrinal shares key insights on how organizations can rethink risk at runtime, considering the number of people and systems involved in data flow rather than just static build-time dependencies. Whether you're a security leader, developer, or architect, this episode provides actionable insights on building trust in your infrastructure without compromising performance or agility.LinksOckamPasskeys OverviewPrivate Compute Cloud by AppleSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

Episode SummaryIn this episode of The Secure Developer, Danny Allan, CTO of Snyk, sits down with Wayne Chang, Founder and CEO of SpruceID, to explore the evolving landscape of digital identity and security. From self-sovereign identity to the role of AI in authentication, they discuss the future of identity management, the risks of centralized systems, and the benefits of decentralized approaches. They also dive into how policy, compliance, and emerging technologies like passkeys and zero-knowledge proofs are shaping the security ecosystem.Show NotesThe world of digital identity is changing fast, and in this episode of The Secure Developer, we explore how security professionals and developers can navigate this evolving space. Host Danny Allan is joined by Wayne Chang, Founder and CEO of SpruceID, to discuss key trends and challenges in identity management.Topics Discussed:Wayne's Background: From health tech to digital identity, how Wayne’s early struggles with integrating health records led to his passion for self-sovereign identity.The Evolution of Digital Identity: Why usernames and passwords are no longer the gold standard, and how newer methods like passkeys and cryptographic credentials improve security.Decentralization vs. Centralization: The trade-offs between federated identity systems (like OAuth and SSO) and self-hosted identity wallets.The Role of AI in Identity Security: How AI is both a tool for improving security and a threat vector for identity fraud.Privacy and Compliance: How regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and emerging state-level laws influence digital identity strategies.The Future of Authentication: The move from multi-factor authentication to "myriad factor authentication," leveraging multiple signals for seamless and secure access.Wayne and Danny also discuss real-world use cases, including the development of mobile driver's licenses, emerging digital identity wallets, and the challenges of ensuring privacy and security while maintaining usability. The conversation highlights how organizations can stay ahead with better authentication practices and privacy-preserving architectures as fraud becomes more sophisticated.LinksSpruceID - Identity infrastructure for the digital worldNIST - The National Institute of Standards and TechnologyNIST SP 800-63 - Digital Identity GuidelinesACLU Digital ID State Legislative RecommendationsSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

Episode SummarySecurity is more than just a checklist—it’s a cultural movement. In this episode, Dustin Lehr, Co-founder of Katilyst, joins Danny Allan to explore the intersection of security, engineering, and culture. They discuss how to foster security champions, scale security programs, and build a culture where developers naturally integrate security into their workflows. Dustin shares insights from his extensive career, offering practical strategies for creating lasting change in security practices.Show NotesSecurity isn’t just about tools—it’s about people. In this episode of The Secure Developer, Dustin Lehr, Co-founder of Katilyst, joins Danny Allan to discuss the importance of building a strong security culture within engineering teams.Dustin shares his journey from software engineering to security leadership, emphasizing how security should be an extension of software quality. He highlights how security champions programs can empower developers to take ownership of security without disrupting their workflow.Key topics include:The evolution of software development and how security fits inBest practices for launching and sustaining a security champions programThe psychology of change and how to influence developer behaviorThe role of AI in security culture—what works and what doesn’tMetrics and strategies for measuring the success of security initiativesWith real-world insights and actionable advice, this episode is a must-listen for security and engineering leaders looking to scale security through culture, not just technology.LinksKatilyst – Dustin Lehr’s company focused on security cultureSecurity Champion Program Success Guide – A free resource for building effective security champion programsSnyk - The Developer Security Company Follow UsOur WebsiteOur LinkedIn

Jeremiah Grossman, an application security pioneer and former CEO of WhiteHat Security, shares insights from his extensive career, including his influence on OWASP. The discussion reveals the evolution of web application security, highlighting past vulnerabilities like SQL injection and the complexities of modern compliance. Jeremiah emphasizes the need to align developer incentives with security priorities, while also navigating the emerging challenges posed by AI-generated code. He draws fascinating parallels between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and cybersecurity, advocating for continuous learning and collaboration.