40+ DevSecOps Interview Questions

Are you on the lookout for skilled DevSecOps professionals who can seamlessly integrate security practices within your development and operations teams? Ensuring that your candidates possess the right mix of technical expertise, security awareness, and collaborative skills is crucial for building a robust DevSecOps culture.

To assist you in this important selection process, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the top 46 DevSecOps interview questions. These questions will help you delve deeper into candidates’ knowledge of security tools, practices, and their ability to implement security at every stage of the software development lifecycle.

Additionally, we’ve included answers to the 10 most critical questions, empowering you to evaluate candidates' responses effectively, even if you’re not deeply versed in the specifics of DevSecOps.

But how do you streamline the process of selecting candidates for interviews? Our DevSecOps Assessment test makes it simple. Require candidates to complete this assessment alongside other relevant role-specific tests from our extensive library. This way, you can easily pinpoint the best talent, and then invite those standout candidates to an interview where you can utilize the provided questions to further gauge their qualifications.

Top 10 DevSecOps Interview Questions to Hire Skilled Professionals

Below, you’ll find 10 interview questions and answers that will help you assess applicants’ DevSecOps skills and knowledge. You can use them for various DevSecOps roles, from junior engineers to senior architects.

1. What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps is the integration of security practices within the DevOps process. It emphasizes the importance of security by implementing security controls and testing throughout the development and deployment lifecycle.

2. How does DevSecOps improve security in the software development lifecycle?

DevSecOps improves security by shifting security left in the development lifecycle, which means identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities during the coding and testing phases rather than waiting for deployment.

3. What are some common tools used in DevSecOps?

Common tools include:

• Security Scanning: Snyk, Aqua Security, Clair
• Configuration Management: Chef, Puppet, Ansible
• CI/CD Pipeline Tools: Jenkins, GitLab CI, CircleCI

4. Can you explain the concept of 'shifting left' in DevSecOps?

'Shifting left' refers to the practice of integrating security controls early in the software development process. This allows for early detection of vulnerabilities, reducing potential risks and costs associated with remediation later in the lifecycle.

5. What role does automation play in DevSecOps?

Automation plays a crucial role by:

• Streamlining security processes
• Ensuring consistent application of security policies
• Allowing for rapid security testing and compliance checks within CI/CD pipelines

6. What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and how does it relate to DevSecOps?

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the process of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable configuration files. IaC aligns with DevSecOps practices by:

• Ensuring consistent and repeatable infrastructure setups
• Enabling automated security checks within the deployment process

7. How do you perform security testing in a DevSecOps environment?

Security testing can be performed using:

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools during development
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools during testing
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tools to check for vulnerabilities in third-party libraries

8. What is continuous compliance in DevSecOps?

Continuous compliance involves continuously monitoring and ensuring that all configurations and deployments comply with regulatory frameworks and security policies throughout the software development lifecycle.

9. How do you handle secrets management in a DevSecOps workflow?

Secrets management can be handled using tools like:

• HashiCorp Vault
• AWS Secrets Manager
• Azure Key Vault

These tools securely store and manage sensitive information, making it accessible to only authorized services and users.

10. What metrics would you monitor in a DevSecOps pipeline?

Key metrics to monitor include:

• Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) vulnerabilities
• Mean Time to Remediate (MTTR) security incidents
• Number of security tests automated
• Frequency of security reviews during operations

Summary

36 Additional DevSecOps Interview Questions You Can Ask Candidates

If you're looking for more questions, we have you covered. Below, you'll find 36 additional interview questions specifically for DevSecOps roles.

1. What is the main goal of DevSecOps?
2. Describe a security best practice you follow during development.
3. How do you ensure compliance in cloud environments?
4. What is the difference between SAST and DAST?
5. Can you explain what threat modeling is and why it's important?
6. What are some challenges you face in implementing DevSecOps?
7. How would you prioritize security vulnerabilities found during testing?
8. What is the role of configuration management in DevSecOps?
9. How do you integrate security tools into a CI/CD pipeline?
10. What is the principle of least privilege, and how do you apply it?
11. Explain how you would assess third-party libraries for vulnerabilities.
12. How do you keep the development team informed about security policies?
13. What are container security best practices you follow?
14. How do you manage risks associated with legacy applications?
15. Can you discuss a time you faced a security incident and how you handled it?
16. How often should security assessments be performed?
17. What role does security awareness training play in DevSecOps?
18. How would you ensure that security requirements are met in agile sprints?
19. What is a security champion, and what role do they play in a DevSecOps initiative?
20. Describe your experience with compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, PCI-DSS).
21. How do you handle security incidents in production?
22. What are some common attack vectors for application security?
23. Can you explain what a risk assessment entails?
24. How would you approach logging and monitoring in a DevSecOps environment?
25. What tools do you use for code quality and security checks?
26. How do you keep up-to-date with the latest security threats?
27. Describe a DevSecOps cultural change you have implemented.
28. What is the role of API security in DevSecOps?
29. How do you approach vulnerability remediation in a production environment?
30. What strategies do you employ to shift left on security processes?
31. Explain how you would deal with insecure dependencies in a project.
32. What is security as code, and how is it implemented in DevSecOps?
33. Can you describe an incident where security testing prevented a potential breach?
34. How do you measure the effectiveness of your DevSecOps practices?
35. What are key principles of secure code development?
36. How do you collaborate with development and operations teams on security issues?

Find the Right DevSecOps Talent with Confidence

To secure the best candidates for your DevSecOps roles, adopt a skills-first approach that highlights technical assessments and structured interviews.

The comprehensive list of 46 DevSecOps interview questions provided above will equip you with the tools you need to navigate the interview process effectively. For further assistance, explore our test library to select the most relevant assessments tailored to your DevSecOps positions.

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