What is Checkmarx?

Checkmarx is an enterprise-grade Application Security Testing (AST) platform designed to help organizations secure their software by identifying and remediating vulnerabilities throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It provides a unified solution that integrates Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), and Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), enabling developers to build more secure code from the start and giving security teams comprehensive visibility into application risk.

Key Features

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Scans source code to identify security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and insecure configurations, without needing to run the application.
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Identifies open-source components and third-party libraries within your codebase, flagging known vulnerabilities and license compliance issues.
• Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST): Analyzes applications in real-time during runtime testing to detect vulnerabilities that are only discoverable through dynamic interaction.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security: Scans IaC templates (like Terraform, Kubernetes, and CloudFormation) for misconfigurations that could lead to security gaps in cloud environments.
• Seamless CI/CD Integration: Integrates directly into developer workflows and CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab, Azure DevOps), providing fast feedback and automated scanning.
• Best Fix Location: Intelligently pinpoints the optimal place in the code to fix multiple vulnerabilities with a single change, saving significant developer time.

Use Cases

• DevSecOps Implementation: Integrating automated security checks directly into the CI/CD pipeline to catch vulnerabilities early and often.
• Compliance and Auditing: Generating reports to demonstrate compliance with industry standards like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.
• Open Source Risk Management: Gaining visibility into open-source dependencies to manage vulnerabilities and ensure license compliance.
• Securing Cloud-Native Applications: Analyzing microservices, containers, and IaC templates to secure modern, cloud-based architectures.
• Vulnerability Triage and Remediation: Providing security teams and developers with a centralized platform to prioritize and fix security flaws efficiently.

Getting Started

Checkmarx is a commercial platform that requires installation and configuration. A “Hello World” example involves integrating it into a CI pipeline. Below is a conceptual example of what a Checkmarx scan step might look like in a gitlab-ci.yml file.

```yaml

.gitlab-ci.yml

stages:

• build
• test

build_job: stage: build script: - echo “Building application…” # Build steps here

checkmarx_sast_scan: stage: test script: - echo “Running Checkmarx SAST scan…” - | /opt/cx/runCxScan.sh
–projectname=”${CI_PROJECT_NAME}”
–cxserver=”${CX_SERVER_URL}”
–cxuser=”${CX_USER}”
–cxpassword=”${CX_PASSWORD}”
–locationtype=git
–giturl=”${CI_REPOSITORY_URL}”
–branch=”${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}”
–preset=”Checkmarx Default”
–comment=”GitLab CI Scan”
–asynchronous rules: - if: ‘$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == “main”’

Note: This is a representative example. The actual script and parameters will vary based on your specific Checkmarx setup and CI/CD environment. The first step is typically to contact Checkmarx for a demo and trial license.

Pricing

Checkmarx operates on a Paid (subscription-based) pricing model. The cost is typically based on factors such as the number of developers, the number of applications being scanned, and the specific products required (SAST, SCA, IAST, etc.). They offer tailored quotes for enterprises and do not publish a fixed price list publicly.