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Tag: Mobb

  • Mobb Extends DevSecOps Reach of Tool to Generate Patches

    Mobb Extends DevSecOps Reach of Tool to Generate Patches

    Mobb today added an ability to instantly surface patches for vulnerabilities at the time when code is being committed during a DevSecOps workflow.

    Previously, the tool provided by Mobb to create validated patches based on the scan results of third-party SAST tools would only surface issues to individual developers.

    Mobb CEO Eitan Worcel said organizations can now address these issues within the context of DevSecOps workflow.

    The Mobb platform combines proprietary security research and traditional semantic analysis with generative artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically create patches for vulnerabilities. The overall goal is to make it simpler for DevSecOps teams to consistently ensure applications with known vulnerabilities are remediated before they are deployed, said Worcel.

    The Mobb approach eliminates the need for IT teams to sort through static application security testing (SAST) scans themselves. Each vulnerability typically requires at least 30 minutes to fix, so the Mobb platform improves application security while simultaneously making developers more productive.

    Historically, one of the reasons for the wide divide between application development teams and cybersecurity professionals is that many of the vulnerabilities discovered don’t actually impact applications running in production environments. Development teams then find themselves wasting time investigating vulnerabilities and, when they do determine a vulnerability is an issue, spending time developing a patch. The Mobb tool automatically creates the necessary patch, so there is less of a need to debate which vulnerabilities are worthy of the time required to create a patch.

    For decades, application development teams have been attempting to find a way to remediate vulnerabilities as quickly as possible. With increased focus on adopting DevSecOps best practices to address those vulnerabilities, more organizations are now reviewing software supply chains as part of a larger effort to improve application security.

    There will, of course, be vulnerabilities that the Mobb tool will not be able to address simply because there may not be enough affected applications to warrant pre-building a patch. Even with the most robust set of rules, it is improbable that an automated tool can, with 100% certainty, safely fix every issue. However, given the number of routine vulnerabilities present in applications, such as SQL injections, there’s plenty of opportunity to improve developer productivity by relying on patches that address common vulnerabilities.

    The process by which patches are prioritized, developed and then applied has, of course, long been a source of DevOps frustration. Anything that streamlines that process will go a long way toward improving the overall state of application security at a time when cybercriminals are becoming more adept at exploiting vulnerabilities. The challenge is finding a way to remediate vulnerabilities that developers will embrace rather than resist. The Mobb approach still provides them with control over what patches are applied but the toil involved with creating a patch in the first place has been substantially reduced.

    It’s not clear how long it might be before automated approaches to building patches might improve the overall state of application security but, as always, every journey needs to begin with a first step in the right general direction.

  • Mobb Launches Community Edition of Automated Remediation Tool

    Mobb Launches Community Edition of Automated Remediation Tool

    Mobb today made available a free community edition of a namesake tool that creates fixes to open source vulnerabilities. The fixes are based on the results of code scanning by a static application security testing (SAST) tool.

    Fresh from raising $5.4 million in seed funding, Mobb CEO Eitan Worcel said the company developed a tool that creates validated patches based on the scan results of third-party SAST tools from Checkmarx, GitHub and Snyk. Initially, the tool is aimed at Java vulnerabilities.

    Worcel said that most vulnerabilities can be traced back to eight types of mistakes that developers routinely make. The company created a pattern for those common mistakes, along with patterns to fix them, called Mobb rules. That ability enables Mobb to accurately produce a code fix that both remediates the vulnerability and adheres to the correctness of the language to eliminate code defects. Mobb then makes available a patch to address those issues in a way that can be readily downloaded and applied by developers. Mobb does not automatically apply those fixes because most developers prefer to review them first, noted Worcel.

    The Mobb approach eliminates the need for IT teams to sort through SAST scans themselves, which can result in the discovery of thousands of vulnerabilities that might theoretically need to be fixed. Each vulnerability, at minimum, is going to require 30 minutes to fix, so the Mobb platform provides a better return on investment and reduces patch backlogs, added Worcel.

    For decades, application development teams have been attempting to find a way to remediate vulnerabilities as quickly as possible. With increased focus on adopting DevSecOps best practices to address those vulnerabilities, more organizations are now reviewing which types of vulnerabilities should have a higher remediation priority.

    Historically, one of the reasons for the wide divide between application development teams and cybersecurity professionals is that many of the vulnerabilities being discovered don’t actually impact applications running in production environments. Development teams then find themselves wasting time investigating vulnerabilities and, when they do determine a vulnerability is an issue, spending time developing a patch. The Mobb tool addresses that later issue by automatically creating the necessary patch, said Worcel.

    Many organizations just allocate junior developers to the task of remediating vulnerabilities, which Worcel noted frees up more experienced developers to focus on writing additional business logic.

    There will, of course, be vulnerabilities that the Mobb tool will not be able to address simply because there may not be enough affected applications to warrant pre-building a patch. Even with the most robust set of rules, it is improbable that an automated tool can, with 100% certainty, safely fix every issue. However, given the number of routine vulnerabilities present in applications, such as SQL injections, there’s plenty of opportunity to improve developer productivity by relying on patches that have already been developed.

    One way or another, the process by which patches are prioritized, developed and then applied has long been a source of DevOps frustration. Anything that streamlines that process will go a long way toward improving the overall state of application security at a time when cybercriminals are becoming more adept at exploiting vulnerabilities wherever they may be found.