What is Software Composition Analysis (SCA)?

Software composition analysis plays a pivotal role in application security. It detects and manages known vulnerabilities and licensing issues across the entire open-source and third-party supply chain. It does this by scanning the source code of an application, analyzing the software components used in the software development process, including open-source and third-party components such as:

• Assemblers
• Binaries
• Code analyzers
• Compilers
• Container dependencies
• Libraries
• Plugins
• Repositories

Using this list, AppSec practitioners, software developers, and security teams can identify and manage any vulnerabilities or security risks detected, at any time and throughout the software development lifecycle. Crucially, the information gathered by SCA tools can be used to generate a software bill of materials (SBOM) – a detailed inventory of an application’s dependencies that can be compared against databases, such as the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) and other vulnerability trackers. SCA software doesn’t just help development teams and security practitioners build more secure software, it also detects license compliance issues.

Bottom line: SCA tools scan open-source and third-party code and dependencies for potential security issues that can increase security risk and lead to breaches. Because it tracks license requirements, SCA also helps security teams mitigate compliance risks related to open-source components.

How does software composition analysis work?

The first Software Composition Analysis solutions and tools emerged in the early 2000s, in response to a rapid increase in the use (and reuse) of open-source components across the software development lifecycle (SDLC). As modern software applications become more complex, SCA in software engineering is evolving to meet more complex security needs. There are two main types of SCA tool:

• Static Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Also known as “manifest scanning.” Status SCA analyzes source code during the build phase, using the build manifest files. It examines package managers and manifest files, identifying open-source components and their dependencies without executing any code. Developers can use this information to identify security vulnerabilities in code, license compliance issues, and outdated libraries early in the software development lifecycle – before they can become a more serious challenge. 

• Dynamic Software Composition Analysis: Scans binary code, which can be accessed in testing or production, meaning components can be checked in real-time, or as part of the continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. This real-time approach means that AppSec practitioners can assess the potential for vulnerabilities to be exploited during runtime, helping teams prioritize their remediation efforts. In addition, because it operates during runtime, dynamic SCA helps reduce false positives and enables continuous monitoring.

How to use SCA to integrate, automate, and complement existing AppSec processes

Software composition analysis tools have played a crucial role in underpinning more secure software development practices (such as DevSecOps and “shift-left” strategies). Their role in automating key AppSec processes helps teams to scale security while reducing manual effort. For example: Integration into CI/CD pipelines drives a more proactive approach to AppSec, enabling early detection of issues and real-time feedback for developers on potential security issues, including known vulnerabilities and unknown vulnerabilities. Code can be scanned at every commit or build, allowing teams to mitigate vulnerabilities before they can escalate. 

SCA tools also complement other tools in the application security armory, including Static Application Security Testing (SAST). While SCA supports broad use cases – from vulnerability management through license compliance and SBOM generation – SAST’s niche is in identifying security vulnerabilities in proprietary and/or custom code. Together, SCA and SAST give AppSec and Dev teams security coverage across the entire software stack, and throughout each stage of the SDLC. 

What is SAST? And what’s the difference between SAST and SCA?

The main difference between SCA and SAST is that SCA focuses on open-source and third-party software components, while SAST analyzes proprietary and custom source code. 

In addition, because SCA analyzes binaries and dependencies, it can usually work without needing direct access to source code. SAST, on the other hand, needs access to source code to analyze it. 

Why is SCA important?

The more complex the project, the more dependencies, and the harder it can be for AppSec and development teams to balance the need for speed against an ever-growing list of software vulnerabilities.

SCA is important because it helps AppSec and security teams manage and mitigate risks in the software supply chain. Its automated processes reduce the need for manual security checks, taking friction out of the software development process. 

What are the benefits of software composition analysis solutions? 

We’ve already seen how SCA can help organizations mitigate the supply chain risks caused by vulnerabilities in their software. Here are five key benefits of SCA:

1. Automation: Automatically scan code at each commit or build and auto-generate security reports that highlight critical issues.
2. Detect early: Automated SCA scanning and analysis help detect software security issues before deployment, helping identify critical security risks and enabling resolution before applications go live.
3. Software integrity and quality: By finding (and fixing) vulnerabilities earlier in the development process, SCA helps improve the overall software quality, reliability, and integrity of software. 
4. Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) generation: Data generated by SCA tools is crucial to SBOM generation, providing an analysis of all software components, including package managers and container images, along with details of dependencies, patches applied, and known vulnerabilities. 
5. Drive license compliance: As part of the SBOM generation process, SCA tools help AppSec teams identify and manage out-of-compliance open-source software licenses. 

Common challenges in managing open-source dependencies

Today’s Modern software development environment is fast-paced and relies heavily on the reuse of open-source and third-party code. The benefits are well-documented and include accelerated software development, time to focus on new features, cost reduction, consistency, and scalability. 

Unfortunately, that flexibility comes with a high price tag in terms of security risk — a software supply chain plagued with security vulnerabilities and code that have lingered for a decade or more, often without update. Almost 90% of codebases contain open-source code that is more than four years out of date, with 91% having no new development in over two years. In a world where as much as 80% of code in modern applications originates with open-source projects, the opportunity to keep reintroducing flaws is high, and it shows:

• Command injection (15.4% of applications)
• Sensitive data in log files (12.4% of applications)
• Cross-site scripting (XSS – 11.4% of applications)

All three of the most common software weaknesses listed above are known vulnerabilities tied to known attack vectors and successful exploit by threat actors. Why does this happen? Let’s take a brief look at five of the main challenges in managing open-source software and dependencies:

1. Security vulnerabilities: Many vulnerabilities persist due to unresolved issues or outdated dependencies. 
2. Software complexity: Tracking dependencies in the software development lifecycle is a significant challenge. Applications often contain multiple open-source components, each with its own set of dependencies, creating a “dependency graph” that can be difficult to manage and secure.
3. Outdated and/or unmaintained software: As seen above, a significant portion of open-source software is more than 4 years out of date. This increases the risk of vulnerabilities and other security issues. Similarly, unmaintained software is often unpatched software, impacting both security and functionality. 
4. Visibility / tracking: Many organizations lack visibility into the open-source code and accompanying dependencies used in their applications. This introduces numerous cybersecurity and compliance risks. 
5. License compliance: Many open-source components have licenses that aren’t compatible with organizational use or are challenging to meet. Without insight and visibility, some companies may inadvertently breach legal or compliance requirements. 

To address these challenges, organizations need to adopt a proactive, comprehensive approach that combines continuous monitoring, visibility, automation, and risk management across the software development lifecycle. SCA can help achieve this, so let’s take a look at some of the key features of effective SCA solutions. 

Key features of effective SCA solutions

We’ve already seen how the use and reuse of third-party components, software complexity, and lack of visibility combine to create security risk across the SDLC. Software composition analysis tools go a long way toward addressing and mitigating these risks. Still, many traditional tools and approaches often deliver superficial code analysis that overwhelms developers with false positives and other irrelevant or non-actionable alerts. It’s important to choose an SCA platform solution that meets your organization’s specific needs, so let’s take a brief look at some key features to look for:

1. Comprehensive vulnerability coverage: Choose a solution that provides a comprehensive, regularly updated database that covers lesser-known issues as well as the widely recognized vulnerabilities.

2. Accuracy and efficiency of scanning: Your solution should be able to handle false positives effectively and minimize unnecessary alerts. The most effective SCA tools significantly reduce alert fatigue. The best SCA solutions deliver accuracy and efficiency through rapid scanning. 

3. Contextual analysis and prioritization: All vulnerabilities aren’t equal; what’s relevant to your organization may not be an issue for another. Choose an SCA tool that prioritizes risk and offers remediation solutions that fit your individual environment.

4. Dependency management capabilities: SCA tools that offer clear visualization of both direct and transitive dependencies, along with conflicts,  provide valuable insights for developers and security teams, driving effective vulnerability management.

5. Integration with existing toolchains: If your SCA doesn’t easily integrate with existing tools and workflows without extensive modifications and complex configurations, it’s unlikely to be versatile enough to support and scale alongside your business needs. 

As we’ve seen, software composition analysis tools have multiple, important use cases across the SDLC and for AppSec and broader security teams. But getting it right can be complicated. Wouldn’t it be good if there was an SCA solution that simplified all of these things? 

How Ox Security Simplifies SCA

Fast with an ever-expanding attack surface, and an overwhelming volume of alerts and vulnerabilities, AppSec teams are discovering that detection on its own is no longer enough. The ability to address risk at every step of the SDLC has become more of an imperative than a “nice to have.” The problem is that many tools lack the context needed to manage a growing software supply chain risk. 

That’s where OX Security comes in. Our SCA feature streamlines AppSec, eliminating false positives and converting raw data into precise, actionable insights. This enables AppSec practitioners and development teams to cut through the noise with targeted vulnerability assessments that are relevant to your specific business, its application architecture, and container ecosystems. 

What truly sets OX apart: 

• Consolidated issue analysis
• Advanced dependency assessment
• Context-sensitive prioritization
• Comprehensive issue management

Take the next steps in securing your software: Find out how you can pinpoint vulnerabilities in minutes with OX’s built-in SCA solution, start for free now.