In a strategic move to bolster its application security suite, GitLab announced the acquisition of Oxeye. This acquisition aims to significantly enhance GitLab’s capabilities in application security, with a primary focus on accelerating the development of its Static Application Security Testing (SAST) roadmap. Since the initial launch of SAST in 2017, GitLab has been committed to evolving and integrating SAST as a fundamental component of its DevSecOps workflow. The integration aims to leverage AI and machine learning advancements and strengthen SAST’s utility throughout the entire software development lifecycle. This involves a dedicated effort to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and minimize the false positives that frequently undermine SAST solutions.
As GitLab asserts, SAST’s effectiveness hinges on its seamless integration with other security and development tools, ensuring it remains accessible and manageable for developers. Recognizing SAST’s potential, GitLab focuses on maintaining its relevance and utility by ensuring its outcomes are manageable and contextually relevant, thus preserving its value as a critical security tool.
GitLab’s Pioneering Role in SAST Innovation
GitLab positions itself as the premier AI-powered DevSecOps platform, uniquely integrating security within its suite of development tools—ranging from source control and build tools to repositories, issue tracking, and application monitoring. The platform’s innovative approach to static analysis emphasizes a commitment to open-source principles, a comprehensive platform strategy, and targeted investments in Static Application Security Testing (SAST).
Charting a history of notable milestones in the SAST domain, GitLab has consistently led with pioneering initiatives:
- Marking its territory early on, GitLab integrated SAST into its DevOps platform in 2017, setting a precedent for security measures within DevOps practices.
- Achieving a significant accolade, GitLab became the first DevSecOps platform to earn a spot in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Security Testing, highlighting its leadership and innovative prowess.
- GitLab has made substantial contributions to open-source SAST tools, demonstrating its dedication to the community and reinforcing its role as a key player in advancing security technologies.
GitLab’s Strategic Acquisition of Oxeye: A Milestone in Security Excellence
Forrester recently distinguished GitLab as the sole Leader in The Forrester Wave for Integrated Software Delivery Platforms for Q2 2023. This recognition is underscored by customer testimonials, highlighting GitLab’s unparalleled CI/CD capabilities, which include secrets management, environmental configurations, runners, and comprehensive scans for SAST/DAST and licenses.
The strategic acquisition of Oxeye represents a significant advancement in GitLab’s SAST roadmap, introducing top-tier scanning technology designed to enhance developers’ vulnerability management and remediation processes. This move aims to empower developers to significantly influence the security of their products through precise and critical security findings, a vision Oxeye is set to facilitate.
Additionally, Oxeye brings additional capabilities to the table, notably its proficiency in tracking vulnerabilities from “code to cloud.” This is achieved by providing runtime context through various data collection and analytical methods. GitLab plans to leverage these capabilities to bolster its software composition analysis and compliance tools, aiding customers in swiftly identifying and mitigating application-layer risks.
The synergy between GitLab’s comprehensive security and development expertise and Oxeye’s advanced scanning technologies is expected to provide unprecedented support to organizations seeking to mitigate security and compliance risks, accelerating their digital transformation initiatives.
FAQs
1. What is the significance of GitLab’s acquisition of Oxeye?
The acquisition of Oxeye by GitLab represents a strategic move to enhance GitLab’s Static Application Security Testing (SAST) capabilities, accelerating the development of its SAST roadmap and reinforcing its application security suite.
2. How does the Oxeye acquisition impact GitLab’s application security offerings?
By integrating Oxeye’s best-in-class scanning technology, GitLab aims to advance its SAST solutions, streamline vulnerability management, and improve remediation processes, offering more accurate and focused security assessments.
3. What are the anticipated benefits of Oxeye’s technologies for GitLab users?
Oxeye’s technology is expected to enhance GitLab’s ability to track vulnerabilities from “code to cloud,” providing runtime context and improving software composition analysis. This will enable users to quickly identify and resolve application-layer risks more efficiently.
4. How does GitLab’s approach to SAST differentiate from other platforms?
GitLab’s approach combines advancements in AI/ML, a commitment to open-source, and a comprehensive DevSecOps workflow, setting it apart as a platform that integrates SAST natively across the software development lifecycle.
5. What recognition has GitLab received in the application security field?
GitLab was the first DevSecOps platform recognized in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Security Testing in 2020 and was recently named the only Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Integrated Software Delivery Platforms, Q2 2023.
6. How does GitLab plan to utilize Oxeye’s capabilities beyond SAST?
GitLab intends to leverage Oxeye’s capabilities to enhance its software composition analysis and compliance tools, further assisting customers in efficiently identifying and mitigating application-layer risks.
7. What does the acquisition mean for GitLab’s future in application security?
The acquisition of Oxeye is a step towards accelerating GitLab’s vision for a comprehensive, AI-powered DevSecOps platform with enhanced application security capabilities, aiming to support organizations in reducing security and compliance risks.
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