Software composition analysis (SCA) is a technique used to automatically find and control open source software (OSS). It is extremely in demand, since most companies use open source software and it is important for them to know everything about the application used and its composition. After all, if the application contains vulnerable components, attackers can use this to steal important corporate data. And when that happens, you may lose all the sensitive data of your business and customers stored in the app.
What is SCA used for?
To create Bill of Materials (BOM) applications. It contains a list of open source components, their versions, and license types. BOM helps professionals better understand the composition of the components and get an idea of possible vulnerabilities and licensing issues.
To find and track open source components. To do this, SCA tools use systems for OSS search and license management, allowing specialists to find all open-source elements in source code, binaries, containers, assemblies, subcomponents, etc.
To ensure compliance with license requirements. Compliance with OSS licensing requirements is equally important for everyone - both for developers and for senior management. SCA emphasizes the need to establish policies, respond to events related to license compliance and security.
To provide proactive and continuous monitoring. To better manage workloads and improve performance, SCA solutions track vulnerabilities and allow users to alert other users of security holes found in products.
What benefits does SCA offer?
Let's take a quick look at each point:
The use of SCA ensures a fast and secure entry to the market.
SCA allows developers to develop the application faster and more efficiently, as it takes care of the verification of the open source components used.
Eliminates business risk by quickly identifying and resolving security and licensing issues.
How are SCA tools different from other application security tools?
SCAs differ from other tools in their role in the growing world of open source software. The SCA solution allows you to securely manage the risks of using open source throughout the entire software supply chain.
What should an SCA solution offer the user?
Ideally, it should offer the following:
Discover and track all open source components;
Ensure compliance with licensing license requirements;
Help fix vulnerabilities in open source components;
Conduct flexible scanning depending on the situation and user needs;
It is easy to integrate into the development environment of the company.
Who uses SCA?
The answer is simple - first of all, these are software vendors and organizations that plan or already use open source components in software delivered to customers. In addition, SCA tools help DevOps teams accelerate development processes with a focus on security.
What are SCA tools and why use them?
SCA tools help you find and manage open source components, their indirect and direct dependencies, support libraries, deprecated dependencies, potential exploits and vulnerabilities.
Why is software composition analysis important?
Implementing SCA is a necessary step to secure the application. In addition, it saves you from licensing problems, which reduces the risk of various legal consequences that cause companies to suffer reputational and financial losses.
Summing up!
SCA helps developers improve product security and compliance by checking for open source components that may be vulnerable and allowing them to be fixed in time. The right SCA tools help reduce costs, improve business agility, and enable developers to learn how to secure applications during the planning and design phases.