A Cybersecurity Tale Told in 3 Parts

Ali Naqvi

…and then also worked through some use-cases and showed how they could use the LockDown Labs solution to get SAST and SCA findings, do various modes of research, validate/test fixes and then, when necessary, re-factor code.  And she tried to show a new reality where much of the work that was really a time sink today, could be off-loaded.  Where the onslaught of vulnerabilities and the work that follows could be organized and condensed in a whole different way.

As the day progressed, something magical happened. The initial hostility between the teams began to fade. They were still far from best friends, but they were at least talking to each other—even without any intervention from Emma.  “Remember,” she said as she took up the front of the room, “Both teams are on the same side here. Security, your job is to protect the company, and developers, your job is to build it. You need each other, just like peanut butter needs jelly and right now, we’re making sure it’s not a sandwich filled with malware.”

At the closing of Emma’s visit to the company, she spoke to the room again, “I want to thank you all for participating today, I know it’s not easy to bridge the gap between your teams, but you’ve made some serious progress. Remember, the vulnerabilities aren’t just in the code—they’re in how you work together. If you can fix that, you can fix anything.” Over the next few weeks, while POCing LDL’s solution, the company saw a noticeable improvement in both its workflow and its application security. The development team wasn’t getting blindsided by last-minute vulnerability fixes, and the security team wasn’t feeling like they were being ignored. Sure, there were still disagreements, but now they were solved with calm discussions rather than heated arguments.

One day, Linda, the CEO, sent a thank-you note to LDL, which now sat framed in the company’s office.

“To LockDown Labs,

Thanks for saving both our security, code and our sanity. If you ever decide to branch out into actual marriage counseling, let us know. We might need it after our next product launch.

Sincerely, 

Linda, CEO – and now a member of your fan club”

And to this day, if you have a problem, if no one else can help and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the LDL-Team.

The End.

In walked Emma, a representative from LDL. With a confident stride and a gentle smile, she took her place at the front of the room. Clad in a bright-colored blazer and toting a clipboard that seemed too cheerful for the situation, she looked more like a therapist than a cybersecurity expert.

“Good morning, everyone! I’m Emma, and I’ll be helping you all work through some of your ermmmm… ‘differences,’” she began, making air quotes around the word “differences.”

The room was dead silent except for the faint sound of keyboards clacking from the developers’ laptops. The security team exchanged skeptical glances. Emma continued, unbothered by the tension…because this wasn’t her first rodeo.

“Now, I understand that communication has been a little, well… strained lately.  “Let me put it this way: I’m here because you two are like a couple that used to love each other but now can’t agree on who should take out the trash. One of you finds the mess, and the other one makes sure it gets cleaned up—sounds simple, right? But right now, you’re fighting over whether the trash should even exist.  So, I’m here to help you work through that.”

One of the developers, Alan, leaned back in his chair and smirked. “Yeah, except security just keeps dumping more garbage on us, telling us to fix everything without understanding our deadlines.”

Immediately, Patricia, the lead of the security team, shot back, “We wouldn’t have to dump garbage if you didn’t create it in the first place!”  Emma raised her hand in a gesture that screamed calm down. “See? Classic case of miscommunication. Let’s unpack that.”

Emma then pulled up a very quick presentation, we’re talking the 6-slide variety, not the 100+ death by PowerPoint version — IYKYK)…

Part 3 – The Marriage Counselor Cometh

Below is the final chapter of our, “A Turbulent Marriage,” trilogy, the story of trials and tribulations between the Security team and the Development team.  You’ve laughed, you’ve cried, teeth have been gnashing, sleepless nights have occurred.  We hope you enjoy the conclusion to our story.

If you haven’t read the previous chapters…

A Turbulent Marriage Part 1

A Turbulent Marriage Part 2

In the ongoing saga of our fabled company, the tension between the security team and the development team was palpable. For months, they had been at odds, each group blaming the other for every vulnerability, bug and last-minute panic that shook the company. It had gotten so bad that the two teams couldn’t even be in the same room without a heated argument. It was clear that something had to change for the good of all those involved.  It just so happened that the CEO and CISO received some requests to hear out a newer company that helped mend both Application Security and Security/Development relationships.  BOOM!

Enter LockDown Labs (LDL), the cybersecurity company specializing in Cloud Native AI Remediation — a quirky and unexpected marriage counselor for the company’s fractured teams. LDL wasn’t your typical cybersecurity firm. Sure, they helped remediate and validate applications and secured systems, but their unique method involved fostering better relationships between development and security teams. As they always said in their promotional brochures: “You can’t fix a broken app if your relationship is broken too.”

One crisp Wednesday morning, Linda, the CEO, called for an all-hands meeting. Both the development and security teams were present, reluctantly sitting on two opposite sides of the room like the crowd at a college football game.