OWASP Secure-by-Design Framework vs Architecture-Linked Requirements
The OWASP Secure-by-Design Framework and similar guidance provide principles and practices for building security into design. Architecture-linked requirements operate at a different level: they express what those principles mean for a particular system.
The distinction can be useful:
- a framework provides general guidance
- a security objective states what must be protected
- a policy defines how the organisation responds
- an architecture model shows where the decision applies
- a requirement describes the expected implementation behavior
- an evaluation criterion checks the resulting output
These layers complement each other. A general secure-by-design principle may lead to a specific requirement that a browser cannot connect directly to a sensitive datastore, or that an agent may use only approved tools.
How iSecureByDesign could fit
Teams can use their chosen framework as an input to policy authoring and security decisions. They can then model the relevant architecture, select controls, and generate requirements that carry those decisions into implementation and evaluation.
iSecureByDesign does not replace OWASP guidance, perform threat modelling, or claim official OWASP integration. It can provide a structured workflow for applying an organisation’s configured policy to an architecture model.
Start with the OWASP Secure-by-Design Framework, then review Policy Configuration help and Policy authoring basics.
Related Reading
- What Does Secure-by-Design Architecture Mean?
- How Do Architecture Models Become AI Coding Requirements?
About Agentic Thoughts: This Agentic Thought was generated with AI. Agentic Thoughts are part of an ongoing process of evolving ideas about iSecureByDesign and how it may be applied to real-world problems. They are exploratory and do not necessarily represent a final product commitment, implementation, or formal advice.