With cyber threats evolving alarmingly, safeguarding your applications against vulnerabilities has never been more critical. Cybercrime is currently projected to cost approximately $10.5 globally starting in 2025. Using tools such as automated code review will help your business avoid a costly and damaging cybersecurity breach.
So, let’s look at the benefits of using automated code review tools and how you can get the most out of your software security measures.
Your team has done a great job creating a new software product, and you’re confident that you’ve found any major issues before you release it to your customers. So why should you run an automated code review? Well, consider the consequences.
The average cost of a data breach is $4.88 million, which has been steadily increasing (and companies that use automated security save millions). However, the cost of a security breach extends far beyond immediate financial losses. The reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and legal ramifications can devastate any business.
Automated code reviews offer the flexibility to conduct security audits on your schedule. Unlike manual reviews, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, automated code review tools allow continuous monitoring and analysis. Plus, regular audits empower development teams to identify and address security vulnerabilities throughout the development lifecycle.
Manual code checks are certainly a valuable part of the code review process. However, humans are prone to errors, and manual code reviews can inadvertently overlook critical security issues.
A human looking over your code doesn’t just need a strong understanding of security. They must also understand the core purpose of the app, the language used to write it, and the frameworks used in the app. In some cases, your reviewer may lack some of these skills, and that could lead to an undetected vulnerability in your code
An automated code review will easily pick up on common errors, including the ones that human eyes may overlook or those that a particular individual might not detect. By automating your security audit, you reduce the potential for human error and create more secure code that is better for your users.
There are a wide range of vulnerabilities that are known to cause serious issues when they’re permitted into your code, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and data validation errors.
Many of these are known to coders and hackers as a great way to break into the existing code. And from there they can get into more integral parts of the platform. Many common vulnerabilities may be detected by manual code reviews, but including them as part of your automated source code review will ensure that they aren’t overlooked.
Detecting a potential vulnerability in your code before the release means a relatively easy fix: simply rewrite the code to close the hole and ensure that your app is better prepared for release to the public.
However, if you don’t discover a vulnerability until after the release of your app or update, you’ve got a much bigger mess to deal with. You’ll need to rush to push out an update that fixes the vulnerability as soon as possible (and then find a way to push it to clients quickly). Plus, you’re also responsible for any damage that may have been incurred by clients as a result of that vulnerability.
It takes far fewer resources to fix a security issue before launch than after, so conducting a thorough automated code review is always the most cost-effective option. You can make up for the cost of the tools in ways that you may have never anticipated — until it was too late.
Are you releasing an app or an update in the healthcare space? Does your app interact with customer payment information? If so, including an automated code review is part of the compliance standards for the industry. Companies that fail to meet compliance standards can receive fines or have their apps removed from the market, particularly if security holes are discovered due to a data breach. Including a security audit during your code review is the best way to ensure that you’ll avoid the financial repercussions of ignoring those regulations — and prevent damage to your reputation.
Kiuwan offers a range of high-quality and effective automated code review tools. It can detect security vulnerabilities in source code, enforce coding guidelines, and manage open-source components to improve security. Request a free trial of Kiuwan’s automated code review tools today.
