This talk explores what I call “The AppSec Poverty Line” also known as ‘Minimal Viable Security” — the minimum viable set of practices, tools, and cultural shifts that under-resourced dev teams can adopt to meaningfully improve application security. Whether you're a startup with no security hires, an independent dev, or part of a team that doesn’t have a security budget, this talk will help you prioritize what actually matters.

We’ll cover practical approaches to getting from zero to secure-ish, with a focus on:

• Training developers to write more secure code, and spot unsafe code
• Cultivating a security-positive culture
• Leveraging open-source tools that punch above their weight
• Knowing when “good enough” really is enough — and when it’s not

Attendees will leave with a roadmap for building real-world security into their product lifecycle — without breaking the bank or burning out the team. Because even if you’re below the AppSec poverty line, you don’t have to be defenseless.