Client-Side Software Composition Analysis for Vulnerability Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting software vulnerabilities focus on server-side analysis, which may not accurately reflect the software components used by client applications, as the code executed on the client can differ from the server-side code, leading to potential security threats.
Innovation Solution
A client-side software composition analysis system that monitors web traffic to identify utilized code libraries, determines their names and versions, and consults databases like NVD or CVE to detect actionable vulnerabilities, activating mitigation processes such as replacing vulnerable libraries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If server-side analysis is used to detect software vulnerabilities, then the analysis can be performed centrally with existing tools, but the detected code may not match the actual client-side code, leading to inaccurate vulnerability detection
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of analyzing server-side code to infer client-side vulnerabilities, the patent inverts the approach by deploying analysis agents directly on client devices to monitor and analyze the actual code executing in the client environment. This ensures the analyzed code matches what is truly running, resolving the accuracy issue while distributing complexity to edge devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components including client-side analysis agents, browser extensions, and middleware that bridge the gap between server-side development tools and client-side execution. These intermediaries enable accurate client-side code monitoring without requiring complete redesign of the existing server-side analysis infrastructure.
2Productivity
If third-party and open-source components are used to reduce development time, then feature implementation is accelerated, but security threats and vulnerabilities are introduced into the application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary vulnerability assessment by analyzing third-party and open-source components before they are fully integrated into the application. Client-side agents continuously monitor and evaluate these components, identifying potential security threats in advance, allowing developers to address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited while maintaining rapid development cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes continuous feedback loops where client-side analysis agents monitor the behavior and security posture of third-party components in real-world usage. This feedback is transmitted to developers, enabling ongoing security validation and rapid response to newly discovered vulnerabilities, thus maintaining both development speed and security reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Software developers and security personnel routinely scan code to look for threats, such as security vulnerabilities. While such scans are useful, they are unable to determine the actual data provided to a client device executing a web application. By monitoring the web traffic to a client, the libraries utilized by the web application may be determined by name, version, and vendor. With the library identified, the libraries may be provided to one or more repositories of vulnerabilities to identify the particular vulnerabilities of the library. With the vulnerability identified, a resolution (e.g., version wherein the vulnerability was fixed) may be identified and/or other action to mitigate the vulnerability.