There is something happening behind the scenes in the software world that will make a difference in the context of automated security testing. The SARIF (Static Analysis Results Interchange Format) has been consolidating itself as a standard that promises to revolutionize the way application security tools interact, and that is something really extraordinary.
If you’re completely lost or just doesn’t heard about SARIF yet, come with me and I’ll explain.
What is SARIF?
SARIF is a standard file format developed by OASIS Open to allow software security tools to provide static analysis results in a standardized, consistent and easy-to-consume format.
OASIS Open (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit organization working to develop open standards for information and communication technologies and consists of a global membership community that includes businesses, government organizations, and individuals.
SARIF allows developers to receive more accurate and useful information about software security vulnerabilities in their projects. It allows static analysis tools to generate results in a common format that can be imported and consumed by other vulnerability management tools and systems.
This helps improve interoperability between different software security tools and also provides an easier way to share and analyze static analysis results.
How does SARIF work?
SARIF uses the JSON format to represent static code analysis information. JSON is a lightweight and readable file format, which makes it suitable for exchanging information between different static analysis tools.
It defines a structured data model to represent the information generated by security analysis tools, including information about detected security vulnerabilities, the locations in source code where they were found, their severity, and remediation recommendations.
Through SARIF, software security analysis tools can produce structured reports that follow the same format, regardless of the type of tool used.
This allows tools to share information with each other more easily and efficiently, as well as allowing other tools and security management systems to process this information in a standardized way.
The exchange of information between the tools works through the use of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) or plugins. These plugins are developed by security analysis tools so that they can communicate with other tools that follow the SARIF standard.
SARIF also allows software development teams to receive more accurate and useful information about security vulnerabilities in their projects.
This is possible by integrating security analysis tools with software development tools such as IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) or version control systems.
This way, information about vulnerabilities can be easily accessed by developers as they work on the project’s source code.
Why is SARIF revolutionary?
First, SARIF establishes a standard format for software security static analysis results, which makes it easier and more efficient for security tools to produce and share these results with other security management tools and systems. This can help improve interoperability between different security tools and increase the efficiency of the software security review process.
Second, it allows software development teams to receive more accurate and useful information about software security vulnerabilities in their projects. This can help speed up the identification and correction of security issues in software projects, which is especially important in a world where cyberattacks are increasingly sophisticated and frequent.
Furthermore, SARIF can help improve transparency and collaboration in the security software industry, allowing companies to share information and work together to identify and solve common security issues. This can help increase the effectiveness and efficiency of software security tools in general, as well as improve the overall security of software systems around the world.
The Conviso Platform, for example, already supports the SARIF format. This allows the platform to easily import scan reports from other static analysis tools into its vulnerability management interface.
Image 1 – Conviso Platform findings management interface
Conclusion
The SARIF standard represents a major advance in the software security industry, providing a standardized and interoperable solution for exchanging information between static security analysis tools.
With its ability to represent security vulnerability information in a consistent, structured, and accessible way, SARIF facilitates collaboration between security and software development teams, enabling a faster and more effective response to detected vulnerabilities.
Additionally, adopting SARIF can help increase the efficiency of the security review process and reduce the time and effort required to manage and remediate vulnerabilities.
As a result, the SARIF standard has the potential to revolutionize the way software security is approached and implemented, making software development safer and more reliable for all users.
