Certified: The CISSP Prepcast

Welcome to The Bare Metal Cyber CISSP Prepcast. This series helps you prepare for the ISC squared CISSP exam with focused explanations and practical context.
In today's episode, we're going to dive into two foundational pillars of secure software development: Version Control and Code Integrity. These are not just procedural tools—they are trust enablers. They provide the backbone for secure collaboration, transparent change tracking, and tamper-resistant deployments. In an era where cyberattacks increasingly target the development pipeline itself, safeguarding code through systematic versioning and verifying its integrity throughout the software lifecycle is no longer optional—it’s essential.
Let’s begin with version control. Version control systems are tools that allow developers to track changes to code over time. Every change, whether it’s a new feature, a bug fix, or a configuration update, is recorded with context—who made the change, when it was made, and why.
Popular systems like Git, Subversion—often referred to as S V N—and Mercurial allow teams to collaborate across distributed environments while maintaining a consistent, traceable development history. These platforms support branching and merging strategies that enable parallel workstreams, experimentation, and efficient integration.
The benefits of version control go beyond collaboration. From a security perspective, version control is your change ledger. It ensures you can detect unauthorized changes, roll back to known-good states, and maintain an audit trail for compliance. Without version control, you lose visibility into what changed, when it changed, and who made the change—which are fundamental gaps in any secure development process.
Version control also supports disaster recovery. If a server is compromised or a developer accidentally introduces a flaw, version control makes it possible to revert to a stable state quickly and confidently.
Now let’s talk about code integrity. Code integrity refers to the assurance that your code has not been tampered with or altered in unauthorized ways. It ensures that what was written, reviewed, and approved is exactly what gets deployed—and that no malicious or unintended changes were introduced along the way.
Code integrity is achieved through a mix of policies, tools, and controls. This includes cryptographic methods like digital signatures and hash verification, as well as procedural defenses such as peer review, automated testing, and tightly controlled deployment processes.
Maintaining integrity is especially important in today’s DevSecOps pipelines, where automation accelerates deployment but also expands the attack surface. An attacker who compromises a build system or injects a backdoor into a library can alter code in ways that are nearly invisible—unless you’re enforcing integrity throughout the pipeline.
Code integrity is also critical for regulatory compliance, particularly in industries such as healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructure. It protects intellectual property, builds trust with customers, and ensures that software behaves as expected under all conditions.
Let’s now shift focus to implementing effective version control practices. Start by documenting your version control policy. This policy should define how code is committed, who can create or delete branches, how merges are approved, and what the rules are for pushing to production.
Use secure version control platforms—whether cloud-hosted or self-managed—and enforce strong access controls. Apply the principle of least privilege: only give developers the permissions they need based on their role.
Standardize your commit process. Require meaningful commit messages that describe the purpose of the change. Use pull requests or merge requests to trigger peer review, automated testing, and approval workflows.
Audit your version control history regularly. Look for anomalies like direct commits to protected branches, sudden permission escalations, or unexplained deletions. Monitor access logs and repository activities for indicators of compromise.
Finally, train your developers and administrators on best practices. Teach them how to avoid common mistakes, how to interpret audit logs, and how to recover from version control mishaps. Effective training supports secure, disciplined collaboration.
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Let’s now turn to ensuring robust code integrity controls. One of the most effective ways to validate integrity is through code signing. Code signing uses digital certificates to verify that code originates from a trusted source and has not been altered since it was signed. If the signature is invalid or missing, that’s a red flag for tampering.
Cryptographic hashing is another powerful control. By generating a hash of a file at build time and comparing it at deployment or during runtime, you can confirm that the code has not changed—even by a single character. Use hash algorithms that are considered secure, such as SHA-256, and store reference hashes in trusted locations.
Integrate automated integrity checks into your Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment pipeline. This means verifying that build outputs match expected signatures, that dependencies are not altered, and that configuration files align with baselines.
Use rigorous peer review processes and vulnerability scanning at every stage. Scanning source code, dependencies, and container images helps detect tampering, misconfigurations, and hidden backdoors before deployment.
Document your integrity controls thoroughly. Define escalation procedures, roles, and responsibilities for investigating integrity violations. This documentation supports both incident response and audit readiness.
Finally, ensure you have secure backups and reliable disaster recovery plans. If a code integrity issue is discovered, the ability to revert to a trusted version quickly is essential.
Now let’s explore supporting security controls. First, integrate your version control system with automated security scanners. This enables real-time feedback to developers and automatic blocking of commits that fail security checks.
Use secure repositories and package managers. Repositories should enforce signature validation, prevent the use of deprecated libraries, and integrate with vulnerability management platforms to detect known flaws in imported components.
Control access tightly. Use centralized identity management, enforce multi-factor authentication, and apply role-based permissions for all developers and maintainers.
Conduct regular security assessments focused on your repositories and code pipelines. Penetration tests, configuration reviews, and social engineering simulations all help uncover weak spots in your integrity defenses.
Maintain comprehensive logging and alerting. Monitor for unauthorized commits, unusual deployment activity, and integrity check failures. Ensure that logs are tamper-resistant and retained in accordance with your policy.
And finally, keep forensic and incident response capabilities ready. If a breach occurs or malicious code is suspected, you’ll need tools and procedures to investigate, attribute, and contain the damage swiftly.
Let’s close today’s episode by discussing continuous improvement in version control and code integrity management. Your systems and workflows will evolve—and so must your policies, tools, and training.
Review your version control strategy regularly. As your team scales or your architecture changes, your branching models, merge policies, and access controls may need to adapt.
Use incidents and audit outcomes to guide improvements. If a code review missed a vulnerability, determine why and adjust your workflow accordingly. If a developer bypassed a control, investigate and strengthen enforcement.
Gather feedback from stakeholders. Developers, security engineers, and auditors all bring valuable perspectives that can help you refine your practices.
Update your training content regularly. Incorporate lessons learned from incidents, changes to tools, and evolving threats.
And finally, align your version control and integrity programs with broader enterprise objectives. These controls should support business continuity, innovation, and resilience—not stand in the way of progress.
Thank you for joining the CISSP Prepcast by Bare Metal Cyber. Visit baremetalcyber.com for additional episodes, comprehensive CISSP study resources, and personalized certification support. Deepen your understanding of Version Control and Code Integrity, and we'll consistently support your journey toward CISSP certification success.