The use of open-source software (OSS) has become commonplace in the modern software development landscape. A recent study by Deloitte found that 96% of surveyed organizations are using OSS, and that number is only increasing.

Despite the widespread adoption of OSS, many organizations are still hesitant to use it due to concerns about security and license compliance. These concerns are not unfounded; without proper management, OSS can introduce vulnerabilities and licensing risks into your codebase.

Software composition analysis (SCA) is a tool that can help you mitigate these risks by identifying the OSS components in your code and providing information about their security vulnerabilities and licensing restrictions. Moreover, there are many advanced tools like Mend SCA that drastically simplify software composition analysis by automating it. In this article, we’ll discuss what SCA is, how it works, and why you should consider using it for your OSS management needs.

Why Use Open-Source Software?

Before we dive into SCA, it’s worth taking a step back to discuss the benefits of using OSS in the first place.

There are a number of reasons why OSS has become so popular in recent years. Firstly, it can help organizations save time and money. Developing software from scratch is a costly and time-consuming endeavor; by leveraging existing open-source components, organizations can get up and running more quickly and affordably.

In addition, OSS provides access to a wealth of talent and expertise. Open-source projects are typically developed by communities of developers from all over the world. This allows organizations to tap into a vast pool of skill and knowledge that they wouldn’t have otherwise had access to.

What Are The Challenges of Using Open-Source Software?

While OSS provides many benefits, it also introduces some risks that need to be managed.

The first risk is security-related. When you use open-source components, you’re effectively incorporating code from third-party developers into your own application. This can introduce vulnerabilities if the third-party code contains security holes that are exploited by attackers.

The second risk is related to licensing. Many open-source licenses have strict conditions that must be met in order for the code to be used. For example, some licenses require that modifications to the code be made available under the same license. If these conditions are not met, organizations can be in violation of the license and subject to legal penalties.

These risks can be mitigated with proper management of your OSS components. One tool that can help with this is software composition analysis (SCA).

What Is Software Composition Analysis?

Software composition analysis (SCA) is a tool that helps you manage the open-source components in your codebase. SCA primarily operates by scanning your code and identifying the OSS components that it contains.

For each component, SCA provides information about its security vulnerabilities and licensing restrictions. This information can be used to help you assess and mitigate the risks associated with using the component.

Using SCA For Identifying Open-Source Code

One of the main benefits of using SCA is that it can help you identify the OSS components in your codebase. This is important because it allows you to track the dependencies in your code and keep tabs on which components need to be updated.

It can also be helpful for compliance purposes. If you’re required to comply with a license such as the GNU General Public License (GPL), you need to make sure that all of the OSS components in your code are licensed under that same license. SCA can help you verify that this is the case by identifying all of the OSS components in your code and providing information about their licenses.

Another benefit of using SCA is that it can help you identify security vulnerabilities in the OSS components that you’re using. This is important because it allows you to take steps to mitigate these vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers.

For example, suppose you’re using a component that has a known security vulnerability. SCA would identify this vulnerability and provide information about it, such as the severity of the vulnerability and how it can be exploited. This information can be used to determine whether or not the vulnerable component should be updated or replaced.

Conclusion

Software composition analysis is a tool that can be used to manage the open-source components in your codebase. SCA works by scanning your code and identifying the OSS components that it contains. For each component, SCA provides information about its security vulnerabilities and licensing restrictions. This information can be used to help you assess and mitigate the risks associated with using the component.