homepage
Open menu Go one level top
  • Train and Certify
    • Get Started in Cyber
    • Courses & Certifications
    • Training Roadmap
    • Search For Training
    • Online Training
    • OnDemand
    • Live Training
    • Summits
    • Cyber Ranges
    • College Degrees & Certificates
    • NICE Framework
    • DoDD 8140
    • Specials
  • Manage Your Team
    • Overview
    • Security Awareness Training
    • Voucher Program
    • Private Training
    • Workforce Development
    • Skill Assessments
    • Hiring Opportunities
  • Resources
    • Overview
    • Reading Room
    • Webcasts
    • Newsletters
    • Blog
    • Tip of The Day
    • Posters
    • Top 25 Programming Errors
    • The Critical Security Controls
    • Security Policy Project
    • Critical Vulnerability Recaps
    • Affiliate Directory
  • Focus Areas
    • Blue Team Operations
    • Cloud Security
    • Digital Forensics & Incident Response
    • Industrial Control Systems
    • Leadership
    • Offensive Operations
  • Get Involved
    • Overview
    • SANS Community
    • CyberTalent
    • Work Study
    • Instructor Development
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • COINS
  • About
    • About SANS
    • Why SANS?
    • Instructors
    • Cybersecurity Innovation Awards
    • Contact
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Customer Reviews
    • Press Room
    • PGP Key
  • Log In
  • Join
  • Contact Us
  • SANS Sites
    • GIAC Security Certifications
    • Internet Storm Center
    • SANS Technology Institute
    • Security Awareness Training
  • Search
  1. Home >
  2. Blog >
  3. Seven Tips for Picking a Static Analysis Tool
370x370_Frank-Kim.jpg
Frank Kim

Seven Tips for Picking a Static Analysis Tool

December 13, 2011

Stephen J, who is a member of our software security mailing list, asked a while back, "Do you have any recommendations on static source code scanners?" James Jardine and I started talking and came up with the following tips.

There are so many commercial static analysis tools from vendors like Armorize, Checkmarx, Coverity, Fortify (HP), Klocwork, IBM, and Veracode that it's hard to recommend a specific product. Instead we'd like to focus on seven tips that can help you maximize your selection.

1) Test before you buy

This probably sounds obvious but, assuming you haven't purchased anything yet, definitely do a bake off and have the vendor run the code against your actual apps. Do *not* simply run the tool on a vendor supplied sample app as the quality of the results, surprisingly, can vary quite a bit across different tools and code bases. Just keep in mind that some vendors will try to avoid this so they can better control the test or, simply, to keep you from getting a free scan.

2) Determine your budget

It's really important to understand your budget. The cost of commercial tools varies greatly between vendors and you should be aware of how much you are willing to spend. This includes the cost of the tool, ongoing maintenance, and even things like additional RAM for your build servers (yes, it can take a lot of RAM). And don't forgot to budget for the time people spend setting up, configuring, and reviewing results from the tool.

3) Prepare to spend a lot of time on it

Usually, anything worth doing takes time. Test-driven development and writing thorough unit tests don't happen on their own. Similarly, using a static analysis tool to find security issues is an investment. It needs both management and developer buy-in to succeed when time consuming issues like false positives, tweaking rules, and product upgrades come up.

4) Cloud or Internal

Are you ok with uploading your source code, or binaries, to a third party site to do the analysis? This is only a question you and your company can answer, but it is an important one. Not only do you have to consider sharing your code, but if the solution is in the cloud, what about integration with your build process. Do you want to have a solution that can be built into your nightly build process? Tools that are housed internally usually lend themselves better to customization. Do you have the staff and capabilities to extend the tool so that it works better for your applications?

5) What type of support do you need?

Some tools come with much more support than others. One tool may have support personnel available to go over the results of your scan with you, so you understand them, whereas others may not have this type of support. Depending on your in-house skill set this could be a big deciding factor.

6) Check references

Ask other colleagues (not the vendors) who use the tool and get their feedback. These are the ones that will give you honest answers. Keep in mind that even though a specific vendor works well for one application or company it doesn't mean that it's the right fit for your situation.

7) Research the products

Make sure that the solution you are considering is the best fit for you. You will definitely want to make sure that the vendor/product you choose supports your development platform and your development process.

Every application is different and it's impossible for an outsider to recommend the correct static analysis tool without having intimate knowledge of your application and processes. Given the investment in time and money, choosing a vendor and product is a difficult yet important decision. Do your due diligence and research before making a choice.

Take some time to lay out your current landscape and answer some of these questions:

  • What language(s) do you develop in?
  • What source control system do you use?
  • What other types of technologies are used in your application (Ajax, jQuery, Silverlight, Flash, mobile, etc)?
  • What skill sets do you have in house when it comes to application security?
  • Do you have people that can quickly learn how to operate the scanner? Can they understand the output?
  • What type of support do you want from the vendor?
  • Are you willing to submit your code to an external site, or does your policy require that it not be shared outside the company boundaries?
  • What is your budget for a static analyzer?
  • How will the technology work with the people and processes that you have in house?
  • Hopefully, all these questions don't change your opinion about needing a static analysis tool and make it a little easier to actually select a tool to use.

Thanks for reading!

Frank Kim & James Jardine

Share:
TwitterLinkedInFacebook
Copy url Url was copied to clipboard
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Join the SANS Community to receive the latest curated cybersecurity news, vulnerabilities, and mitigations, training opportunities, plus our webcast schedule.
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Tags:
  • DevSecOps

Related Content

Blog
Cloud_Ace_Final.png
Cloud Security, DevSecOps
November 20, 2020
Instructor Spotlight: Brandon Evans, SEC510 Lead Author
Get to know SANS Certified Instructor and SANS Cloud Ace, Brandon Evans.
BrandonEvans_Headshot_370x370.png
Brandon Evans
read more
Blog
DevSecOps
October 14, 2018
Exploring the DevSecOps Toolchain
The authors of the SANS Institute's DEV540 Secure DevOps & Cloud Application Security course created the Cloud Security and DevSecOps Best Practices poster to help security teams create a methodology for integrating security into the DevOps workflow. As you can see, the poster breaks DevOps down...
Eric_Johnson_370x370.png
Eric Johnson
read more
Blog
DevSecOps
September 13, 2018
Your Secure DevOps Questions Answered
As SANS prepares for the 2nd Annual Secure DevOps Summit, Co-Chairs Frank Kim and Eric Johnson are tackling some of the common questions they get from security professionals who want to understand how to inject security into the DevOps pipeline, leverage leading DevOps practices, and secure DevOps...
Eric_Johnson_370x370.png
Eric Johnson
read more
  • Register to Learn
  • Courses
  • Certifications
  • Degree Programs
  • Cyber Ranges
  • Job Tools
  • Security Policy Project
  • Posters
  • The Critical Security Controls
  • Focus Areas
  • Blue Team Operations
  • Cloud Security
  • Cybersecurity Leadership
  • Digital Forensics
  • Industrial Control Systems
  • Offensive Operations
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Join the SANS Community to receive the latest curated cybersecurity news, vulnerabilities, and mitigations, training opportunities, plus our webcast schedule.
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe
  • © 2021 SANS™ Institute
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn