# CIS Controls v8 16.9 — Train Developers in Application Security Concepts and Secure Coding - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/16-9-train-developers-in-application-security-concepts-and-secure-coding - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 16 — Application Software Security - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **CIS Controls v8**·Control `16.9`·high·Component: **Protect** ## What this control requires > Ensure that all software development personnel receive training in writing secure code for their specific development environment and responsibilities. Training can include general security principles and application security standard practices. Conduct training at least annually and design in a way to promote security within the development team, and build a culture of security among the developers. > > — CIS Controls v8, Control 16.9 ### In plain English Ensure that all software development personnel receive training in writing secure code for their specific development environment and responsibilities. In practice, this means you can prove you ensure software-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters The CIS Controls are an industry-vetted, prioritised defence: skipping a safeguard widens the attack surface that the safeguards above and below it assume is closed. Audit frameworks (FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA) all cite CIS as evidence of due care. This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation. ## What an auditor looks for A CIS-aligned reviewer wants to see (a) which Implementation Group you are targeting, (b) a documented owner for the safeguard, and (c) a tooling or process artefact (config, scan output, ticket) that proves the safeguard runs on the cadence the control demands. Within **Protect**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control 16.9) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Secure Development **Pipeline.** Require code review, SAST (Semgrep / Snyk Code), SCA (Dependabot / Renovate), secret-scanning and IaC scanning in the merge pipeline. **Branch protection.** Protected branches enforce reviews, signed commits and passing CI before merge; document the protection rules as the control evidence. #### Code Review Testing **Pipeline.** Require at least one human reviewer plus passing CI (lint, type, unit, security scan) before merge — protected branches enforce this. #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Ensure.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protect.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Train.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Conduct.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** software, general security principles, application security standard practices. ## Evidence to collect - **Code Repo Scan.** Source-control evidence — branch protection, required reviewers, CI status, SCA / SAST reports. Source control pipelines (GitHub, GitLab) enforce SDLC guardrails. Focus: Train Developers in Application Security Concepts and Secure Coding. ## Common pitfalls - CI security checks set to warn-only; the merge button is faster than the security feedback. - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.8.28** — Secure coding](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-8-28-secure-coding) - [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SA-10(5)** — Mapping Integrity For Version Control](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-10-5-mapping-integrity-for-version-control) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC1.4** — Competence and Training](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc1-4-competence-and-training) - [**ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.28** — Application security requirements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-28-application-security-requirements) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.13.13** — Mobile Code](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-13-13-mobile-code) ## Related controls in CIS Controls v8 - [**Control 16.3** — Perform Root Cause Analysis on Security Vulnerabilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/16-3-perform-root-cause-analysis-on-security-vulnerabilities) - [**Control 16.12** — Implement Code-Level Security Checks](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/16-12-implement-code-level-security-checks) - [**Control 16.13** — Conduct Application Penetration Testing](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/16-13-conduct-application-penetration-testing) ## References - [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8) - Catalogue identifier: `Control 16.9` Topics: application securitysecure developmentawareness trainingcode review testingdevsecopspolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them. - [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.