How to Check Code for Vulnerability

Today, the professionals in the software development environment claim that up to 90 per cent of all applications include third-party components. Furthermore, these are mostly open source. Open-source developers and communities have little understanding of what is happening in the industry and what risks they face. The truth is that there is no chance to stop using open source. People still want to continue using it because it is a powerful feature that many developers use as well. But what about security concerns?

If your question is “Can you write my code for me like an expert?”, this is the topic for another article about programming homework services like AssignmentCore which do coding assignments for students. But here we are going to discuss efficient ways to check code for the vulnerability.

Fragile Software Development System: Should We Be Concerned?

In most cases, various organizations and companies consider public-facing web applications to be the source or major risks. In the apps, however, there are so many details and features, that the risk can derive from different things. There were some bugs that we can’t possibly ignore. But most of the bugs in dependencies are left unattended.

There are several reasons for such a tendency but we are going to focus on the major two. First and foremost, a lot of organizations don’t have the exact list of software dependencies. Thus, they are unable to monitor applications. The second reason is more substantial. Organizations don’t get notifications when there are zero-days or when the corrections can be carried out. Thus, they receive an instant notification which is not enough to manage the processes.

Organizations use varying databases to check for vulnerability information. Unfortunately, these have poor facilities and can’t provide enough data about open-source vulnerabilities. The information on them is weirdly distributed. For this reason, it is hard to track progress and changes.

There is another problem or even challenge that most organizations face. They do believe that open source code is better and more secure than a commercial one. We are not saying that it is better to use one of these codes. What we want to say is that there should be enough effort to secure any code. In the event of a poor protective system, no code is secure.

The open-source environment is not safe. It is fragile to the point that a well-trained programmer can manage and even break it. This is our reality. There was a case when the system was mostly deleted. Attackers could easily replace the code and damage it.

Time to Try and Fix the Problem

On the market, there are so many tools to fix the problem. Some of them are worth working with. They help manage the issue and find competent solutions. On the other hand, there are tools that you should never use. They can only waste your time and yield no benefit. Let’s get acquainted with the programs or tools and see how they can help secure the code.

Hakiri

This is a qualified tool for dependency checking. It is a commercial tool, and it is based on static code analysis. This is a convenient tool. There are two plans that you can use for your projects. If you need a simpler version for a public open-source project, go ahead and choose a free one. But if you need help for a private project, you will need to go for a paid plan. The developers say there will be further updates, integrations with other tools, and supporting other platforms.

Dependency-check

This is another open-source tool. Users claim that it is very well maintained. There are two options for users. You can use the tool as a stand-alone gadget and try out its features individually. Or you can also use it to build tools.

RetireJS

As an open-source JavaScript dependency checker is known to be an easy-to-use project. For this reason, working with RetireJS you can find multiple components, like different plugins and a command-line scanner. This tool has also designed a site-checking service. So, if you want to make your JavaScript library experience beneficial, feel free to use RetireJS. The toll takes vulnerability information from different sources. NIST NVD is the major information source, but the tool makes use of other sources. Various bug-tracking systems, relevant blogs, and topical mailing lists serve as a source for vulnerability information for RetireJS. One of the tools’ developers says that the security issue is a major challenge today, and people have to mind it. He says that the more collaborations we have the better it is for the overall code security.

Gemnasium

This is another commercial tool, but it also has free plans for users. These are mostly starting plans for the beginners. Its database is the advantage of the tool. It also draws information from several data sources. Nevertheless, there are daily checks, the advisories don’t provide automatic publications. This tool uses a technology that uses the combinations selectively. There is a special algorithm to test smart dependency test combinations.