Map every risk to a control before code
For engineering and security leaders tired of finding security problems at the end - who want security decided in design and checked automatically in delivery.
Maatara Consulting is an AI-native technology consultancy, with teams in Concord, California and Bengaluru, India, that designs, builds, secures and runs cloud and AI systems. Our security by design practice threat-models your systems, maps each risk to a control and builds the checks into your pipeline.
- Baseline
- Threat model
- Map
- Build in
- Enable
- Measure
How Our Security by Design Practice Works
Security by design means making security decisions when systems are designed, not after they ship. In practice that is a threat model for each important system, security requirements that engineers can build to, and automated checks that confirm the controls stay in place. We connect all three in one security mapping.
Threats modelled in design
Each important system or feature is threat-modelled with the engineers who build it, in hours, not weeks.
- Lightweight, repeatable threat models
- Done at design time
Every risk mapped to a control
Each threat is linked to a control, the place it is enforced and the standard it satisfies.
- One security mapping per system
- Gaps visible at a glance
Checks in the pipeline
Controls are verified automatically with tests, scans and policy in CI, so they do not erode.
- Security checks in CI
- Fast feedback to developers
Measured maturity
Practice is assessed against OWASP SAMM and NIST SSDF so improvement is visible to leadership and customers.
- Maturity baseline and targets
- Evidence for customers
Four Frameworks Behind Our Security Mapping
We use each where it helps; most clients need two or three.
NIST SSDF
The Secure Software Development Framework (SP 800-218), widely referenced by US buyers and government suppliers.
CISA Secure by Design
Principles for building products secure by default, increasingly asked about by enterprise and public-sector buyers.
OWASP SAMM and ASVS
SAMM measures secure development maturity; ASVS sets application security requirements to build and test against.
Threat modelling methods
STRIDE and attack trees to find design-level threats quickly and consistently.
Our Security by Design Services
From one threat model to a secure development programme across teams.
Threat modelling
Design-level threats found with your engineers.
Secure architecture review
Identity, data flows, trust boundaries and secrets reviewed.
Security requirements
ASVS-based requirements for each product.
Security mapping
Threats linked to controls, enforcement points and standards.
DevSecOps pipeline checks
Code, dependency, secret and infrastructure scanning in CI.
Secure defaults
Paved-road templates that are secure out of the box.
Security champions
Training and support for engineers in each team.
AI-assisted development guardrails
Rules and checks for AI-generated code and AI features.
Maturity assessment
OWASP SAMM and NIST SSDF baseline and roadmap.
Why Teams Choose Maatara for Security by Design
We build software as well as secure it, so our controls fit how engineers work. Our security practice is advised by Amit Garg, who has advised US Federal and US Defense programs on cyber strategy and risk frameworks, and our CTO, Krish B, holds 30+ patents in data protection and distributed systems. Security by design is one of the principles behind every system Maatara delivers.
Meet the teamSecurity findings always arriving at the end?
Move the decisions into design.
What Teams Achieve
These are the commitments every security by design engagement works to.
Mapped to a control, an enforcement point and a standard
Controls verified automatically on every change
Maturity measured against OWASP SAMM and NIST SSDF
A security champion trained and supported
Typical Deliverables
Everything our security by design team produces is yours to keep and extend.
Threat models
Diagrams, threats and decisions for each system.
Security mapping
Threat → control → enforcement → standard, per system.
Security requirements
ASVS-based requirements in your backlog.
Pipeline checks
Scanners and policies configured in CI.
Maturity report
SAMM and SSDF baseline with a roadmap.
Champion playbook
How champions run threat models and reviews.
Customers asking about secure development?
Map your practice to NIST SSDF and CISA Secure by Design.
Secure Systems in Practice
Systems our engineers designed with security as a requirement.
KioskBar
Build - A custom Win32 shell, written in C# and WPF, that turns a shared Windows PC into a locked, single-purpose kiosk with pinned apps, built-in tools and 4K multi-monitor support.
MoreSpace
Build · AI - An index-first pipeline that deduplicates files and moves them between a person's cloud storage accounts, built for around 5 PB of private files with authentication and encryption in transit on every transfer.
SecBoard
Security · AI - A vulnerability command centre that pulls findings from about 25 security tools across eight categories into one store, scores risk by reachability, asset criticality and active exploitation, and generates compliance evidence from the same data.
Security by Design Across How You Go to Market
Priorities depend on what your buyers ask for.
B2B & Enterprise
Evidence of a secure development lifecycle for enterprise and public-sector procurement.
Each team doing security differently?
Give them one mapping and shared checks.
How the Engagement Runs
Six steps from today's practice to security built into delivery.
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01
Baseline
Assess current practice against OWASP SAMM and NIST SSDF.
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02
Threat model
Model priority systems with their engineers.
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03
Map
Link threats to controls, enforcement points and standards.
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04
Build in
Add requirements to backlogs and checks to CI.
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05
Enable
Train security champions and share templates.
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06
Measure
Track maturity and coverage; repeat for new systems.
Our Engagement Model
How a security by design engagement runs commercially.
Analysis
Free design review call and NDA, then agreement on systems and teams in scope.
Design
A proposal with deliverables, milestones and a fixed price.
Development
Threat modelling and mapping workshops with your engineers.
Optimization
Checks and requirements tuned so they help rather than block.
Deployment
Pipeline checks and templates rolled out across teams.
Support
Ongoing champion support or periodic maturity reviews.
AI writing more of your code?
Add guardrails for AI-assisted development.
Flexible Engagement Models
Three ways to work with us.
Fixed scope
A maturity assessment, threat models for priority systems or a secure SDLC rollout, at a fixed price.
Get a quoteReady to build security in?
Start with a free security design review.
Is This Approach Right for You?
A good fit if
- Security issues are found late and cost a lot to fix.
- Customers or government buyers ask about secure development.
- Teams practise security inconsistently.
- You want controls checked automatically, not by memory.
The wrong start if
- You need a one-off penetration test only.
- Engineers have no time to take part in design reviews.
- You want a policy document with no change in practice.
Security by Design FAQs
Security by design is the practice of building security into software from the start: modelling threats during design, setting security requirements, choosing secure defaults and checking controls automatically during delivery. It reduces costly late fixes and gives customers evidence that security is part of how you build.
Still have a question?
Ask an engineer, not a call centre. You get a straight answer within one business day.
Ask our teamSecurity by design is the practice of building security into software from the start: modelling threats during design, setting security requirements, choosing secure defaults and checking controls automatically during delivery. It reduces costly late fixes and gives customers evidence that security is part of how you build.
Security mapping links each threat from a threat model to the control that addresses it, where that control is enforced - design, code, pipeline or runtime - and the standard it satisfies, such as NIST SSDF or OWASP ASVS. It shows coverage and gaps at a glance.
A penetration test finds weaknesses in software that already exists. Security by design prevents many of them by deciding controls at design time and checking them continuously. Both are useful; design work makes tests find fewer, less serious issues, and makes each finding cheaper to fix.
Not when it is done lightly. Threat models take hours, not weeks, checks run in CI with clear messages, and secure templates make the safe path the fastest one. Security champions keep the practice inside each team, so it does not depend on a central security group being available.
Yes. We assess your practice against NIST SSDF and the CISA Secure by Design principles, close the gaps, and produce mapped evidence you can share with customers and public-sector buyers. We do not provide legal attestations; your leadership signs those, backed by the evidence we help produce.
As a fixed-price maturity assessment or rollout, an embedded application security engineer billed monthly, or advisory by the hour. After a free consultation you receive a proposal with no hidden costs, scoped to the systems and teams you want to start with.
Ready to Build Security In?
Tell us what you build and where security issues show up today. An engineer replies within one business day with a first view. Every security by design engagement starts with a free consultation.