Methodology & Scoring

How the DevSecOps Maturity Calculator Works

A transparent look at what the tool measures, how scores are calculated, and how to interpret your results.

What Is This Tool?

The DevSecOps Maturity Calculator is a free, self-directed assessment that helps security teams, DevOps engineers, and CISOs understand their organization's current security posture and where to focus improvement efforts.

It is structured around 7 assessment domains covering 58 questions total. You rate each practice on a 1–5 scale, and the tool instantly calculates a maturity score per domain and an overall maturity level. You can then export a full PDF report.

Browser-only

No data leaves your device

58 questions

Across 7 domains

~10 minutes

To complete a full assessment

The Rating Scale

Each question is answered using a 1–5 slider. Be honest — this tool is for internal benchmarking, not external audit. The goal is an accurate baseline, not a high score.

1

Not implemented

This practice does not exist in your organization.

2

Ad-hoc / planned

Informally done in some places, or actively being planned but not yet in place.

3

Partially implemented

Exists in some teams or projects but is inconsistently applied organization-wide.

4

Mostly implemented

Consistently applied across most teams with minor gaps or exceptions.

5

Fully implemented

Comprehensively in place, enforced, measured, and continuously improved.

How Scores Are Calculated

Domain Score

Each domain score is the percentage of the maximum possible score for that domain. Every question contributes equally. Sliders you haven't moved default to 1 (the slider minimum), so your score reflects the full domain, not just questions you've touched.

domain_score = (sum_of_responses / (total_questions × 5)) × 100

Example: 8 questions, responses average 3.5

(28 / 40) × 100 = 70%

Overall Maturity Score & Level

The overall maturity score is the simple average of all 7 domain scores. This is then mapped to a maturity level (1–5) using 20-point bands. Critically, the report calculates scores dynamically from your actual responses — so even if you didn't touch every slider, the score is always accurate.

overall_score = average(all 7 domain scores)

Maturity level mapping:

0–20% → Level 1: Initial

21–40% → Level 2: Managed

41–60% → Level 3: Defined

61–80% → Level 4: Measured

81–100% → Level 5: Optimized

Note: These scores are for internal benchmarking and prioritization only. A score does not constitute compliance certification for any regulatory framework (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, etc.).

The 7 Assessment Domains

Each domain is designed to be independently actionable — you can prioritize improvements domain by domain.

Secure SDLC Integration

10 questions

Evaluates how deeply security is embedded across every Software Development Lifecycle phase — from security requirements and threat modeling in planning, through SAST/DAST in development and testing, to vulnerability management during maintenance and decommissioning.

Threat modeling before development
SAST/DAST integration
Security in acceptance criteria
AI-assisted code review gates

DevSecOps Pipeline Integration

8 questions

Assesses how security is woven into your CI/CD pipeline and engineering culture — automated security gates, IaC scanning, SBOM generation, supply chain verification, and developer security training.

Automated security gates in CI/CD
IaC misconfiguration scanning
SBOM and supply chain checks
Security champion program

OWASP Top 10 Compliance

10 questions

Maps your controls to the OWASP Top 10 (2021) — the industry-standard list of the most critical web application security risks — plus the OWASP API Security Top 10 (2023) for modern API exposure.

Broken Access Control (A01:2021)
Software & Data Integrity (A08:2021)
Security Logging & Monitoring (A09:2021)
API Security Top 10 (2023)

Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)

8 questions

Benchmarks your cloud security posture against CSA principles — IAM least privilege, defense in depth, CSPM tooling, data classification, container/serverless security, and cloud-specific incident response.

CSPM tooling adoption
AI workload identity controls
Container & serverless security
Cloud IR playbooks

Secure Coding Practices

8 questions

Reviews how your development team writes secure code — input validation, output encoding, parameterized queries, error handling, dependency auditing, and cryptographic hygiene.

Input validation & output encoding
Dependency SCA auditing
Secure code review process
Approved cryptographic algorithms

Mobile & Web Application Security

8 questions

Evaluates platform-specific security controls for mobile apps and web applications — TLS 1.3, FIDO2/passkeys, Content Security Policy, session management, and API abuse protections.

TLS 1.3 enforcement
FIDO2 / passkey adoption
Content Security Policy
OWASP API Security Top 10 (2023)

AI & LLM Security

NEW 20268 questions

New for 2026 — assesses your readiness for AI-era threats: prompt injection mitigation, model poisoning defenses, AI-generated code review, LLM output validation, and AI supply chain risk management.

Prompt injection protection
Model poisoning assessment
AI-generated code review
AI incident response playbooks

The 5 Maturity Levels

Based on CMM-inspired maturity modeling adapted for DevSecOps.

1
Initial
0–20%

Security is ad-hoc and reactive. Controls exist informally but are inconsistently applied. Teams respond to security issues after the fact.

2
Managed
21–40%

Basic security practices are established and documented, but adoption is inconsistent across projects or teams. Some security gates exist.

3
Defined
41–60%

Standard security processes are defined, followed organization-wide, and integrated into the SDLC. Security is a shared responsibility.

4
Measured
61–80%

Security metrics are collected and actively used to drive improvements. Security KPIs are tracked and reported at an organizational level.

5
Optimized
81–100%

Continuous improvement based on metrics, threat intelligence, red-teaming, and feedback loops. Security is deeply embedded in culture.

What to Do With Your Results

01

Identify your weakest domain

The report surfaces which domain scored lowest. Start there — incremental improvement in your worst area has the highest risk-reduction ROI.

02

Read the domain recommendations

Each domain includes a maturity-level-specific recommendation tailored to where you are now, not generic advice.

03

Export and share the PDF report

Share results with your CISO, engineering leadership, or board to communicate your security posture in a structured, visual format.

04

Reassess quarterly

Run the assessment again after implementing improvements to track progress. Security maturity is a journey — benchmark regularly.

05

Engage a professional for critical gaps

A self-assessment is a starting point. For compliance, penetration testing, or high-severity gaps, engage qualified security professionals.

Related Tools

Other free security tools from the Vibehack network.

Ready to benchmark your security posture?

The full assessment takes about 10 minutes. No sign-up required.

Start the Assessment