Type of Control Violation by Severity

1. Day in the Life of an AppSec Engineer Using This Chart

An Application Security (AppSec) Engineer would use this chart as part of their daily or weekly security risk management workflow:

1. Morning Security Review:

   • The engineer starts the day by reviewing security violations across different severity levels (Critical, High, Medium, Low).

   • Identifies key violation types (e.g., Data Leakage, Malware Infection, Unauthorized Access, etc.) that require urgent attention.

2. Prioritizing Security Fixes:

   • If there is a high number of "Critical" violations (e.g., Data Leakage), the engineer prioritizes fixes and escalates them to development or security operations teams.

   • If "High" and "Medium" severity violations are increasing, the engineer assesses whether security policies need updating.

3. Incident Response Planning:

   • If a new spike in violations (especially Critical ones) is observed, an investigation is launched.

   • The engineer collaborates with SOC (Security Operations Center) teams to determine if further threat detection or incident response is needed.

4. Stakeholder Reporting:

   • The engineer extracts insights from this dashboard to communicate risk posture to leadership, compliance teams, and developers.

   • Helps demonstrate the effectiveness of security controls over time.

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2. Impact on AppSec Operations

The impact of this chart on Application Security Operations includes:

• Risk-Based Prioritization:

  • Engineers can focus on high-impact security threats rather than reacting to random vulnerabilities.

• Data-Driven Security Policies:

  • Helps AppSec teams refine security controls based on violation trends.

• Collaboration Across Teams:

  • Guides discussions between AppSec, DevOps, and compliance teams about fixing issues and enhancing security governance.

• Improved Security Posture:

  • Tracking historical violation trends allows teams to measure security improvements over time.

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3. What Decisions Does This Chart Drive?

The key decisions driven by this chart include:

• Which security issues should be fixed first?

  • Critical violations (red) require immediate remediation.

  • High severity (orange) violations should be addressed in the next security sprint.

  • Medium/Low severity violations can be scheduled for future fixes.

• Which violation type poses the greatest risk?

  • If Data Leakage has the most violations (especially Critical ones), DLP (Data Loss Prevention) measures need reinforcement.

  • If Malware Infection violations are high, a stronger endpoint protection strategy may be necessary.

• Is security posture improving or worsening?

  • If the number of high-severity violations is decreasing, existing security efforts are effective.

  • If new violations continue increasing, additional controls, policies, and monitoring tools must be deployed.

• Are compliance requirements being met?

  • A high number of Critical violations may indicate non-compliance with frameworks like ISO 27001, NIST, or PCI-DSS.