Static Application Security Testing (SAST) identifies code weaknesses early in the software development lifecycle. In theory, SAST reduces exposure and costs by enabling developers to find and fix issues before they reach production. In practice, slow scans and high false-positive rates disrupt development and tax developer productivity. This is caused by the persistent tradeoff between two limitations: speed versus accuracy.
Cycode’s next-generation SAST breaks through these limitations.
Cycode’s new SAST engine combines real-time scanning with cross-file and cross-function analysis to rapidly and accurately identify code weaknesses and provide greater context for remediation. This saves time and accelerates secure software delivery by focusing developers on true positives and enabling faster fixes.
Key Takeaways:
- >94% reduction in false positives compared with open-source and commercial alternatives in OWASP benchmark while maintaining a high true positive recall rate
- Cross-function and cross-file analysis improves accuracy and provides visibility into “source-to-sink” data flows, evidence path, and best remediation actions
- Achieves breakthrough accuracy without sacrificing best-in-class speed
- Available now for Java. Python, JavaScript, C++, and more language support coming soon
The Pursuit of Fast and Accurate SAST – and Why It Is So Elusive
Application development continues to get faster and more complex. Agile DevOps accelerates releases, and distributed codebases spread logic across multiple files and functions. The combination of rapid releases and complex applications requires a SAST solution that is precise and efficient. Achieving both is inherently challenging.
To illustrate the challenge, consider a scenario in which user input occurs in one function, is processed in a second function, and retrieves data in a third. A SAST scan that analyzes a single file cannot trace this data flow across functions to validate whether a potential weakness represents a real risk. The scan may offer fast feedback but with a low resolution of detail. With limited visibility, it can only make educated guesses which are typically wrong about 40% of the time.
In contrast, a SAST scan that traces data flows across files and functions can identify the sanitation of user inputs and detect weaknesses with more precision. However, this high-resolution analysis is much more complex. Comprehensive SAST scans often take a long time or require cumbersome compilation steps that inhibit DevOps velocity.
False positives and slow scans both waste developers’ time and erode trust. Navigating these tradeoffs has been a persistent challenge for SAST tools. Until now.
Breakthrough Speed & Accuracy: Introducing Cycode’s Next-Generation SAST
We are excited to announce Cycode’s next-generation SAST engine. Unlike legacy SAST tools that trade between speed and accuracy, Cycode’s new SAST engine leverages modern software architecture and a control flow graph to map sources of dynamic inputs to sinks of potential issues to deliver real-time scanning with deep cross-function and cross-file analysis. This results in fast and accurate scans with deep context for more efficient remediation.
The launch augments Cycode SAST’s best-in-class scan speed, developer experience, and AI-powered remediation with breakthrough features including:
Industry-leading accuracy: In OWASP benchmark tests, Cycode achieved a false positives rate of 2.1% representing a >94% reduction compared to leading open-source and commercial alternatives. Critically, Cycode achieves this while maintaining a high recall rate for true positives.
Data flow visualization: Source-to-sink data flow visualization gives developers and security teams context to validate findings and identify the best fix location – which may be different from the function where the issue was detected.
Sensitive data leak prevention: Detect the flow of sensitive data in your code base and connect code weaknesses to exposure paths to prioritize remediation efforts based on business impact and risk.
Reduce Risk and Accelerate Secure Development with a Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Modern application security testing tools must satisfy competing demands to improve accuracy, support rapid development, and control costs. Cycode makes this possible. Delivering industry-leading SAST as part of Cycode’s Complete ASPM platform empowers you to:
Reduce risk and remediate faster: Fewer false positives, unparalleled visibility into data flows and the evidence path of weaknesses, risk-based prioritization, and AI-generated fix suggestions focus efforts on remediating high-risk weaknesses.
Increase developer productivity and build trust: Save weeks of developer hours wasted investigating false positives and struggling to remediate issues. Build trust across security and development to deliver amazing and secure software faster.
Lower your total cost of ownership: Combining third-party extensibility with proprietary scanners empowers enterprises to evolve, optimize, and consolidate their security tools and improve security outcomes with a lower total cost of ownership.
Ready to experience Cycode’s next-generation SAST?
To see Cycode SAST in action, get a demo today.
