Why Every Business Needs Static Code Analysis Tool (Top 5 Reasons)

What is static source code analysis?

Static source code analysis, or white box testing, is an application testing solution that reviews code in a non-runtime environment. It can be carried out both during the development lifecycle and after the application is launched on app stores.

This analysis (depending upon the tool) highlights different predetermined common vulnerabilities within a static state by using various testing methods, such as data flow, Control flow graph, Taint, and Lexical analysis.

Due to the vast unexplored territory of cybersecurity and the rise of stringent government policies, businesses must constantly check their security parameters.

This is exactly when static code analysis comes in handy, helping developers, security analysts, and businesses stay updated with the latest vulnerabilities.

A static code analyzer looks for patterns, defined as rules, that can cause security vulnerabilities or other code quality problems necessary for production-quality code. That said, here are five reasons why it would help businesses adopt static code testing.

Why is a static source code analysis tool important?

One of the primary reasons static application security testing is so important is that it lets you thoroughly analyze your code without executing it. This allows it to detect vulnerabilities in even the most distant and unattended portions of the code. 

Another benefit of static code analysis is that it can be modified according to your project's specific needs. It also enables easy collaboration across the entire development team.

It also allows you to find bugs in the early phases of the development cycle, which reduces the associated cost of fixing the entire thing massively. 

Top 5 reasons why businesses need a static application security testing tool

1. Change is the only constant

As the cybersecurity ecosystem constantly changes, static code analysis helps businesses adopt an agile security strategy by the CTO to cope with this change. Most SAST testing is constantly updated with new threats and helps check the sanity of basic configuration testing.

Many static code analyzers also incorporate industry compliance test cases into their security systems to ensure that the most common and dangerous threats are accounted for.

2. Assists security analysts

An ideal scenario for performing a static code analysis is that there would be a high degree of confidence that what is found is indeed a flaw (also known as false positives). However, this is not the case in every situation, and it is so even with many static analyzer tools.

However, the tool does help a security analyst narrow down the detected threats, which would otherwise take several hours or days to identify.

Analysts can then thoroughly investigate the threats to ensure they are not false positives and take necessary action.

3. Helps scale at a faster pace

In a world of constant competition, it is essential to have your security parameters up and running constantly. As ideal as this may sound, it is also not possible unless heavy investment and infrastructure are poured into the business.

A static code analysis is an inexpensive way of ensuring that the basic security of your application is intact.

It was alarming when Gartner stated that 75% of apps fail basic security testing. Getting a basic security test with a security analyst not only costs a lot of money but also is a time-consuming process.

Some static code analyzing tools speed up this process by nearly 75%. This allows you to either build more apps and push them faster to market or grow your existing application faster.

Good Read- Binary Code Analysis vs Source Code Analysis

4. Finds bugs during early stages of development

When the race to success is all about cost vs income, detecting bugs during the early stages of development can save businesses millions of unforeseen dollars.

The path to success is unpredictable, as is the dreaded thought of being hacked. An IBM study stated that the average data breach cost could amount to up to $4 million, a hefty sum to pay for something that could have been easily avoided if accounted for during development. 

Many static analyzer tools have incorporated continuous integration technology, which automates the building and testing of code every time a team member commits changes to the version control.

5. Define rules to assist developers

Developers usually work on specific projects without knowledge about security while they code. Static code analyzers help define project-specific rules to ensure all developers follow them without manual intervention or sidetracking.

With a static code analyzer, you can also avoid needing a security specialist just to ensure that all code is written appropriately. This way, developers can be aware of security issues and address them themselves.

Some tools are starting to move into Integrated Development Environments (IDE). For the problems that can be detected during the software development phase itself, this is a critical phase within the development life cycle for which this tool can be introduced, as it provides immediate feedback to the developer on issues they might be introducing into the code during code development itself.

This immediate feedback is very useful compared to finding vulnerabilities much later in the development cycle. It also helps the business save itself from vulnerabilities that could potentially cost it millions.

Conclusion

Business applications are critical to a company’s success, but many fail to realize this. Even worse, they fail to realize the importance of security during the development stages.

A recent Ponemon Institute study showed that 33% of organizations surveyed never test their apps for security issues before deployment and that most companies test less than half of the applications they deploy. That totals nearly 12 million mobile devices with active vulnerabilities.

We understand that it is difficult to invest in something that may never benefit you, but the most vulnerable are the ones who think they will never be hacked. For those businesses looking to ramp up security, incorporating a good static code analysis solution may be the best way to get started.