How do you roll out DevSecOps gates on an existing codebase without the team revolting?
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Quick Answer
Start in warn-only mode to size the backlog, baseline existing findings so only new code is blocked, enforce one severity band at a time (start with verified secrets and Critical), and give a documented, time-boxed exception path.
Detailed Answer
Start in warn-only mode to size the backlog, baseline existing findings so only new code is blocked, enforce one severity band at a time (start with verified secrets and Critical), and give a documented, time-boxed exception path. A gate introduced as a hard block on a legacy repo produces hundreds of failures on day one and gets disabled by lunchtime.
Code Example
# Rolling out gates on a legacy codebase # 1. run every gate in warn-only mode first # 2. baseline existing findings; block only NEW code # 3. enforce one severity band at a time (secrets + Critical first) # 4. give a documented, time-boxed exception path # 5. tighten thresholds as the backlog burns down
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Interview Tip
This is where depth shows — be concrete about DevSecOps, not generic about "security".
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