# What is Secure by Design?

> Secure by design means building products and systems with security as a design requirement from the start — rather than adding defenses after architecture and code already exist.

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## Content

The principle, formalized in initiatives like CISA’s Secure by Design and NIST’s Secure Software Development Framework, shifts responsibility toward manufacturers and builders: secure defaults, elimination of vulnerability classes, transparent patching, and evidence of security practice — instead of shipping risk for customers to mitigate.

### Key points

- **Process over slogan:** Threat modeling, secure defaults, memory-safe choices, dependency management, and security testing inside development — not a review at the end.
- **Procurement evidence:** Vendor evaluations should request secure-by-design evidence: SBOMs, vulnerability-disclosure policies, security roadmaps, and how the vendor handles its own defects.
- **Important limitation:** “Secure by design” describes intent and process, not outcome. A product designed securely can still ship exploitable defects, be misconfigured, or be operated unsafely — design quality reduces but does not remove operational risk.

### Related terms

[Shift-left security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/shift-left-security/>) · [DevSecOps](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/devsecops/>) · [Threat modeling](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/threat-modeling/>) · [Software supply-chain security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/software-supply-chain-security/>) · [Security architecture](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/security-architecture/>)

### Sources

[CISA, Secure by Design](https://www.cisa.gov/securebydesign) · [NIST SP 800-218, Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF)](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/218/final)

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