Main takeaways from this article:
Software composition analysis (SCA) provides visibility into software dependencies, identifying vulnerabilities, licenses, and sources to secure your software supply chain.
SCA addresses risks in third-party components, such as outdated libraries, license compliance issues, and zero-day vulnerabilities, ensuring your software remains secure and compliant.
Generating Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) allows organizations to track software composition, manage risks effectively, and respond swiftly to vulnerabilities.
Implementing SCA involves integrating it into SDLC and CI/CD pipelines, automating processes, and aligning tools with developer workflows to streamline security and compliance.
Wiz Code enhances SCA practices with features like agentless scanning, automated SBOM generation, real-time vulnerability detection, and CI/CD integration for agile software security.
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What is software composition analysis (SCA)?
Software composition analysis (SCA) indexes your software dependencies to provide visibility into the packages you're using and any vulnerabilities they may contain. SCA also reveals where you're sourcing dependencies from—such as package managers or a vendor's website—and the open-source licenses associated with each one.
SCA helps you solve the challenges of complex software dependency chains. Virtually all modern software depends on third-party packages, open-source libraries, and components, each of which could be outdated or contain risks that affect your apps. Without SCA, it's hard to know what you're using and whether it poses a threat.
Provides visibility into open-source dependencies: SCA tools catalog your software supply chain, offering a clear view of all open-source components, their authors, licenses, and potential vulnerabilities. This transparency helps mitigate risks and ensures better control over your codebase.
Ensures compliance with legal and regulatory standards: By identifying and addressing licensing or security issues, SCA solutions help organizations adhere to compliance requirements, particularly in regulated industries like healthcare, finance, and government.
Generates SBOMs for transparency and risk management: An SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) lists all components in your codebase, much like an ingredient label on packaged food. This transparency helps both your team and customers understand the composition of your software.
Facilitates rapid response to security vulnerabilities: When a new zero-day vulnerability is reported, your SBOM allows you to quickly check whether your software is affected and take immediate action to remediate risks.
Streamlines software supply chain management: SCA automates the inspection of deeply nested dependency trees that would otherwise be impossible to monitor manually. This ensures your supply chain remains secure and manageable.
Empowers developers to manage risks efficiently: With SCA, development teams can focus on coding while staying ahead of potential risks. Proactive and continuous monitoring from automated SCA tools effectively manages risks without workflow disruption.
Key security risks SCA helps mitigate
Security teams rely on SCA to address critical risks in the software supply chain, including:
Vulnerabilities in third-party dependencies: SCA identifies known vulnerabilities in open-source components, enabling your team to address risks before they impact your software.
License compliance issues: By analyzing licenses within your codebase, SCA ensures compliance with legal and contractual obligations, reducing the risk of costly disputes or penalties.
Outdated components: SCA highlights outdated libraries and dependencies, helping you replace them with secure, up-to-date versions to maintain your software’s integrity.
Software supply chain attacks: SCA detects malicious or compromised packages in your dependency tree, protecting your software from breaches originating in third-party components.
Lack of transparency in software composition: With tools like SBOMs, SCA provides detailed insights into your codebase, making it easier to understand and control your software’s composition.
Zero-day vulnerabilities: SCA allows for swift identification of affected components when zero-day vulnerabilities emerge, enabling rapid mitigation to minimize exposure.
What to look for in a software composition analysis tool
SCA is still an emerging part of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Multiple SCA tools are available, but they can differ in the features they provide. Here's what you should be looking for in an SCA solution.
1. The ability to generate SBOMs
SBOMs are critical to SCA so you should ensure your solution supports them. Standalone tools such as vulnerability scanners are helpful, but don't allow you to track trends in your package inventory over time.
To be useful, SBOMs should be generated in a standard format—the two main examples are CycloneDX and SPDX. Following these standards will let you easily use your SBOMs with other ecosystem tools. It will also help ensure your clients and compliance teams will be able to easily consume the SBOM and all the information it contains.
2. Automated vulnerability scans
SCA solutions should automatically surface known vulnerabilities found in your package inventory, often by referencing trusted sources like the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). Being able to see a list of CVEs with their respective severities gives you an immediate understanding of the threat magnitude you face. Conversely, having to switch to a separate tool to obtain this information will add friction to your processes, making it harder to coordinate an efficient response.
3. Actionable resolutions
Reports of vulnerabilities and outdated packages need to be actionable in order to be useful. You should seek SCA solutions that are able to support your efforts to prioritize and remediate issues, such as by providing immediate alerts within your developer tools and collaboration platforms.
Having the ability to update to a patched version of a package from the click of a button makes remedial work quicker and more consistent. Not having to manually search for resolution options enables you to deal with more reports in less time, while ensuring that team members who are less familiar with a particular type of issue can still apply reliable fixes when required.
4. Ability to automate within CI/CD pipelines
SCA needs to be both automated and continuous to provide complete coverage of your software inventory. Tools that only work on developer workstations or that require you to manually review their output won't give you the big picture that you need to make informed decisions and track trends over time.
Instead, you should select solutions that are capable of fully integrating with your SDLC, such as by readily supporting CI/CD pipeline-based scans. This lets you scan code for new supply chain issues as it enters your project, making it easier to apply mitigations before threats become established.
5. License compliance support
Open-source software can be taken for granted as it's so easy for developers to install new packages. But doing so could mean you face legal challenges if a package's license isn't compatible with your product.
SCA tools should include robust license compliance capabilities that let you detect and resolve any licensing issues. You can then prove to customers that all your components have been appropriately licensed, removing any doubts they may have about whether using your software exposes them to risks.
The possibility of automated licensing mitigations is also important to consider when you’re evaluating an SCA solution. Options that can remove an affected package or suggest a replacement will let you deal with issues more efficiently, saving developer time for more productive tasks.
6. Support both code and binary scanning
Software composition analysis solutions can target multiple types of software. Code-oriented tools inspect your source code and the dependencies installed from package managers within your source repository. These are a good way of detecting issues early before problematic packages are included in software that's shipped to customers.
However, it's important to scan your final outputs too. Analyzing binaries, for example, lets you detect which packages are actually being used—it could be that some dependencies aren't included in final builds or don't pose a threat because of the way in which they're used. Similarly, scanning container images allows you to identify every package that exists in your runtime environment, including those inherited from the container base image.
Choosing tools that can scan all your artifacts will provide the most comprehensive visibility across every threat type.
Agentless scanning solutions typically have quicker setup and deployment and require less maintenance. They can scan all workloads using cloud native APIs and connects to customer environments with a single org-level connector. If the approach is agent-based, this type of deployment will require ongoing agent installation, update, and maintenance effort.
How to implement software composition analysis
Follow these steps to ensure SCA is seamlessly incorporated into your workflows:
1. Integrate SCA into your SDLC
Incorporate SCA from the earliest stages of the SDLC to identify risks as soon as code enters repositories. Waiting until later stages, like deployment or final testing, can result in a backlog of issues that are harder and costlier to resolve. By addressing risks early, you ensure a smoother development process and prevent potential delays or failures caused by last-minute vulnerabilities.
2. Enforce SCA policies in CI/CD pipelines
Automate SCA checks within your CI/CD pipelines to detect vulnerabilities, licensing issues, and outdated packages in real time. Establish policies that block pull requests with unresolved risks, such as non-compliant licenses or unstable packages, from merging into your main branch. This step ensures that security is not an afterthought but a natural part of your development workflow, reducing the likelihood of introducing flaws into production environments.
3. Generate SBOMs for every build
A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) provides a detailed inventory of every software component used in your project. By generating SBOMs for each build, you create an auditable record that demonstrates compliance with regulatory requirements and offers transparency to customers. In cases of zero-day vulnerabilities, an SBOM lets you quickly pinpoint affected components, enabling faster response times and minimizing potential damage.
4. Prioritize actionable insights in SCA reporting
SCA tools often produce extensive reports, which can overwhelm teams if not filtered effectively. Focus on actionable insights by categorizing risks based on severity, likelihood, and business impact. For example, flag critical vulnerabilities that require immediate attention while deprioritizing lower-risk issues. This structured approach helps teams work more efficiently and ensures critical risks don’t go unnoticed.
5. Regularly review and update SCA policies
SCA policies must evolve with your organization’s needs, new technologies, and changing regulations. Periodically review your policies to ensure they remain relevant and effective. For instance, if your team starts using a new programming language or adopts a different deployment method, your SCA tools and policies must adapt accordingly to maintain comprehensive protection.
6. Ensure comprehensive SCA coverage
Coverage gaps often occur when new projects or unsupported languages are introduced without proper SCA tooling. Use platforms that automatically discover and scan your entire project inventory to maintain complete oversight. Comprehensive coverage ensures no vulnerabilities go undetected, even in fast-paced development environments.
7. Align SCA with developer requirements
Developers are more likely to embrace SCA tools when those tools fit seamlessly into their workflows and provide meaningful insights. Choose solutions that integrate with the platforms developers already use, such as IDEs or Git repositories, and offer clear explanations of issues. For example, showing how a vulnerability impacts a specific part of the code can empower developers to resolve it faster and with greater confidence.
8. Incorporate threat intelligence integration
Integrate SCA tools with threat intelligence feeds to stay ahead of emerging risks. Threat intelligence provides real-time updates on newly discovered vulnerabilities, giving your team the ability to respond quickly. This proactive approach enhances your software’s resilience and ensures your SCA implementation remains relevant in the face of evolving threats.
9. Monitor for dependency drift
Dependencies often change over time, either due to updates in your software or shifts in third-party packages. Dependency drift can introduce vulnerabilities if outdated or insecure versions remain in use. Implement monitoring tools that track changes in your dependencies and prompt updates to newer, safer versions, keeping your software secure and compliant.
10. Collaborate across teams for governance
Effective SCA governance requires collaboration between security, development, and operations teams. Establish a shared understanding of SCA goals and processes, and ensure clear communication channels for reporting issues and implementing fixes.
11. Measure and optimize performance
Regularly assess the effectiveness of your SCA tools and processes by monitoring metrics such as the time taken to resolve vulnerabilities, the number of issues caught before deployment, and developer satisfaction with SCA workflows. Use this data to refine your implementation, ensuring it continues to add value without creating unnecessary friction.
Wiz's approach to SCA
We're thrilled to introduce Wiz Code, our latest innovation that transforms how you perform Software Composition Analysis (SCA) across your entire cloud environment!
Wiz Code extends our cloud security platform to provide comprehensive SCA capabilities:
Agentless scanning: Quickly analyze your entire software inventory across cloud environments without the need for agent installation.
Automated SBOM generation: Create accurate Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) in standard formats like CycloneDX and SPDX for all your applications.
Real-time vulnerability detection: Automatically identify known vulnerabilities in your dependencies, with severity ratings and actionable remediation guidance.
License compliance support: Detect and resolve licensing issues to ensure your software remains compliant with open-source requirements.
CI/CD pipeline integration: Seamlessly integrate SCA into your development workflows, enabling continuous monitoring and early issue detection.
With Wiz Code, you can implement a robust SCA strategy that goes beyond traditional methods, ensuring comprehensive visibility and control over your software components throughout the entire development lifecycle and cloud infrastructure.
Agentless Scanning = Complete Visibility
Learn why CISOs at the fastest-growing companies choose Wiz to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in their cloud environments.
Agentless Scanning = Complete Visibility
Learn why CISOs at the fastest growing companies choose Wiz to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in their cloud environments.
