Whether you are a global corporation or a dynamic tech startup, modern software development uses open source libraries to rapidly deliver customer value. Unfortunately, open source software is routinely exploited by cybercriminals and is the single largest source of data breaches today. Only SCA can protect your enterprise fully against this risk. Only software composition analysis (SCA) can help protect organizations from open source risks. With the growing adoption of SCA, this guide identifies the differences between MergeBase and others tools, so you can decide the right level of open source security needed for your business.
Since the most infamous breach at Equifax in 2017, adversaries routinely exploit open source vulnerabilities. Most recently (2020), the Department of Homeland Security published an alert that adversaries are continuously targeting these vulnerabilities, and the best defence is to vigorously maintain your ability to track and mitigate these emerging threats.
To protect your organization, here are the most important criteria to consider.
VisibilityWith the rising use of open source at enterprises, open source security solutions must effectively detect vulnerabilities. With adversaries taking advantage of vulnerabilities within days, you need a solution that goes beyond traditional vulnerability databases for completeness and speed. Many solutions that are good at detecting vulnerabilities have an undesirable side effect of high false positives. Having high false positives, in turn, waste your valuable developer resources time triaging false positives and creates vulnerability fatigue that puts your organization at risk.
Developer FriendlySophisticated cyber-security requires intense collaboration between development and security to establish a fully integrated modern DevSecOps team. In support of this high paced team, you need developer-friendly solutions and implement your enterprise controls. These robust controls enable your organization to be proactive with open source security early in the SDLC (aka “shift Left”). The earlier in the development life cycle that defects are resolved, the lower the cost and customer impact.
Integration to your SDLCIntegration can be a significant effort with any new solution. It adds costs and time that takes away from your efforts to protect the enterprise. Some solutions give you a one-stop-shop approach but force your enterprise to adopt your vendor’s entire solution rather than your own. When did that ever work for you? Look for solutions that integrate well into your existing SDLC and your security ecosystem, and you will accelerate adoption and collaboration to your open source security program.
Many mature security organizations have the means to identify vulnerabilities but often lack the ability to triage and remediate them. According to IBM research, 49% of organizations reported a breach despite having a patch available for a known vulnerability. It was just not applied. These organizations need open source security solutions that provide the means to accelerate triage, effective prioritization based on deep insights and provide multiple options for you to remediate the vulnerabilities.
Total Cost of OwnershipOpen source security solutions have costs that go beyond the purchase of the solution. For example, false positives can add to your total cost of ownership (TCO). It creates additional work and often a lot of back and forth between different groups in the organization. Your valuable resources are directed to triage and resolve false positives. The people, technology, and process costs need to be factored into your total cost of ownership calculator to get a sense of the true cost of your open source solution.
| Criteria | MergeBase | BlackDuck (Synopsys) | WhiteSource | Snyk | Sonatype |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | High, Accurate | Limited | Limited, Not Precise | Incomplete, Lacks Granularity | Incomplete |
| Developer Friendly? | Yes | No | No, Incomplete | No | No |
| Integration to your SDLC | Complete | Limited | Limited | Limited | Incomplete |
| Triage and Remediation Options |
Advanced | Limited | Adequate | Adequate | Incomplete |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Lowest | Highest | Mid Tier | High Tier | High Tier |
Selecting the right open source security solution is critical to protecting your organization and your budget. The bottom line is you need a full-featured and cost-effective solution that is quickly adopted by all your teams. MergeBase provides visibility to the real risk in their applications from vulnerable open source components at every stage of the development lifecycle. MergeBase accelerates triage by minimizing false positives and deemphasizing vulnerabilities in unused code. It automates remediation during development and can block attacks on vulnerable components in production.
For more information on this guide and to learn more about how MergeBase can help protect your organization from open source risk, please connect with us for a remote consultation at help@mergebase.com.
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