Which document helps federal agencies integrate essential IT security steps into their Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?

NIST Special Publication 800-64, titled "Security Considerations in the System Development Life Cycle," is designed specifically to help federal agencies incorporate necessary IT security measures throughout the various phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This document provides guidelines for integrating security practices into the planning, development, testing, and maintenance stages of systems, ensuring that security is not an afterthought but a fundamental aspect of software development.

NIST 800-64 emphasizes the importance of performing security risk assessments early in the SDLC and includes best practices for tailoring security controls to the risk associated with the software being developed. Its focus on security integration directly addresses the challenges organizations face in building secure systems, making it the most relevant document for this question.

Understanding the other choices provides additional context: NIST 800-37 focuses on risk management frameworks, which encompass the entire lifecycle of a system but do not specifically address the integration of security in development; NIST 800-53 offers a catalog of security and privacy controls for systems but is more about implementing controls than integrating security within the development process; OMB Circular A-130 establishes policies for federal information resources management, including information technology security, but it does not specifically provide guidance on the SDLC.