been noticing something weird about how security gets implemented at a lot of companies
teams that have to hit compliance frameworks (SOC 2, PCI DSS, etc.) often end up with worse security practices than teams that don't
not because compliance requirements are bad, but because of how people respond to them
when you need to check boxes, you optimize for checking boxes
* implement the specific controls listed in the framework
* focus on documentation and audit trails
* choose tools that generate the right reports
* spend time on compliance theater instead of fixing actual risks
meanwhile, the stuff that would actually make you more secure but isn't explicitly required gets deprioritized
like, i've seen teams spend weeks setting up perfect logging for compliance while ignoring obvious injection flaws in their main API
or companies that have beautiful vulnerability management processes on paper but take months to patch critical issues because the process is so heavy
the frameworks aren't wrong exactly, but they create this weird incentive structure where looking compliant becomes more important than being secure
it's like teaching to the test, but for security
curious if other people have seen this pattern
do compliance requirements actually make teams more secure where you've worked, or do they mostly just create overhead that distracts from real security work?been noticing something weird about how security gets implemented at a lot of companies
teams that have to hit compliance frameworks (SOC 2, PCI DSS, etc.) often end up with worse security practices than teams that don't
not because compliance requirements are bad, but because of how people respond to them
when you need to check boxes, you optimize for checking boxes
* implement the specific controls listed in the framework
* focus on documentation and audit trails
* choose tools that generate the right reports
* spend time on compliance theater instead of fixing actual risks
meanwhile, the stuff that would actually make you more secure but isn't explicitly required gets deprioritized
like, i've seen teams spend weeks setting up perfect logging for compliance while ignoring obvious injection flaws in their main API
or companies that have beautiful vulnerability management processes on paper but take months to patch critical issues because the process is so heavy
the frameworks aren't wrong exactly, but they create this weird incentive structure where looking compliant becomes more important than being secure
it's like teaching to the test, but for security
curious if other people have seen this pattern
do compliance requirements actually make teams more secure where you've worked, or do they mostly just create overhead that distracts from real security work?