Modern application security is a key component of today’s software development process. SAST tools such as Checkmarx help developers find potential vulnerabilities directly within their source code; many DevSecOps teams are seeking alternatives with more comprehensive security coverage, improved developer workflows, and faster pipeline integrations.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most modern application security platforms with capabilities similar to those of other SAST tools, but which also meet the automation and speed needs of a typical DevSecOps environment.
What DevSecOps Teams Look for in AppSec Tools
Modern DevSecOps teams need security platforms that fit naturally into development pipelines and provide actionable insights rather than overwhelming alerts.
Some of the key features these types of applications should have are:
- Early Vulnerability Detection: Developers should identify security-related issues as soon as possible in the development cycle.
- Integration with Pipelines: These platforms should automate the scanning process in the CI/CD workflow.
- Fewer False Positives: The platform should focus on finding vulnerabilities that can actually be exploited.
- Remediation for Developers: The platform should provide developers with step-by-step instructions on how to remediate issues in order to ensure they are fixed as quickly as possible.
Aikido Security
Aikido Security is an appsec platform for modern development teams to deliver apps securely while continuing to deliver at speed. Unlike other platforms, Aikido is a complete solution covering all areas of the app development process, including source code, open source dependencies, containerized deployments, and cloud-based infrastructures through the use of IaC.
Core Features
- Static Code Analysis: Identifies vulnerabilities in application source code.
- Prioritizes Vulnerability: Uses AI to identify the most critical, exploitable vulnerabilities and present them first.
- Identifies Risks in Dependencies: Finds risks in open source libraries being used by your application.
- Identify Risks in Container Deployments: Find vulnerabilities in the container or deployment environment.
- IaC Analysis: Identifies vulnerabilities in the configuration prior to deploying the application.
- Delivers Feedback Directly into Development Workflows: Integrates with CI/CD and IDEs to provide real-time feedback on vulnerabilities in the application.
- Provides Guidance on Remediation: Provides easy-to-follow steps on how to fix identified vulnerabilities.
- Unifies Visibility Across All Projects and Repositories: Allows developers to see all vulnerability information from one location.
Additional Capabilities
- Detect Secrets: Finds credentials exposed in your code repository.
- Continuous Monitoring: Automatically detects new vulnerabilities added after the initial scan.
- Tools for Collaboration: Enables developers to collaborate on tracking and remediating vulnerabilities.
Aikido is a full-featured application security platform that integrates into the workflow of developers while delivering the best features of a complete Checkmarx-like platform, therefore making Aikido an excellent choice for today’s DevSecOps teams.
Veracode
Veracode is a provider of an application security platform in the cloud that has strong static analysis capabilities to help companies find vulnerabilities at the earliest stages of their SDLC while remaining compliant with security regulations.
Core Features
- SAST: Provides a way to analyze your source code for vulnerabilities.
- Automated Application Security Testing: Provides a method to integrate application security testing into your CI/CD pipeline.
- Compliance Reporting: Supports your organization’s need for security and regulatory compliance reporting.
- Remediation Guidance for Developers: Provides actionable advice to developers on how to fix identified vulnerabilities.
Veracode provides an enterprise-grade security testing solution that supports scalable vulnerability analysis for large development teams.
Semgrep
The Semgrep static code analyzer is lightweight and was developed to scan large volumes of code in a short amount of time. It also provides developers with a method to create customized security scans and integrate these into their CI/CD environments.
Core Features
- Customized Security Rules: Developers can create their own custom checks for code security.
- Fast Static Analysis: Code repositories can be scanned.
- Integration with CI/CD Environments: Security scans can be automated as part of the build process.
- User-Friendly Interface: Clear and easy-to-read developer vulnerability reports are provided.
The Semgrep product allows development teams to perform flexible, rapid, and customizable code scanning for their teams.
Snyk
Snyk is an enterprise developer-focused security platform that offers companies the ability to identify vulnerabilities across source code, dependencies, containers, and cloud infrastructure. The Snyk has become a popular DevSecOps tool due to its extensive integration capabilities with many of the common developer tools.
Core Features
- Vulnerability scanning of dependencies: Identifies insecure open-source libraries.
- Static Code Analysis: Detects security vulnerabilities in an application’s source code.
- Container Security Scanning: Secures Cloud-Native Workloads (CNW).
- Integration with CI/CD Pipelines: Automates the execution of security checks during each phase of the software development process.
The main focus of Snyk is to help developers resolve identified vulnerabilities in their applications as quickly as possible, while still allowing them to maintain high velocity through their development cycles.
Conclusion
The appropriate choice for a Checkmarx alternative depends on how you prioritize the balance of security coverage, automation, and developer productivity in your organization. Newer AppSec platforms can detect vulnerabilities across a broader scope of the application, prioritize issues more effectively, and integrate with the DevSecOps process.
Our key takeaways are:
- Early detection of vulnerabilities
- Reducing alert fatigue by better prioritizing alerts
- Better integration with development processes
Start exploring modern application security platforms today to improve your overall DevSecOps pipeline and begin building secure software from the start.
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