Mend.io

Mend.io manages integrating security into the rapid cycles of modern software development, a necessity given the increasing complexity and frequency of vulnerabilities in open-source dependencies and codebases.

The technical architecture of Mend.io is designed around a repo-centric approach, integrating with development workflows in tools like Azure DevOps and GitHub. For developer teams, Mend provides real-time, on-commit, and differential scan results, along with reachability analysis and remediation suggestions directly within the repository. This approach ensures that security issues are identified and addressed early in the development lifecycle, reducing the time and effort required for remediation by up to 80%.

For security teams, Mend offers a holistic view of code security through centralized scan configurations and mass-deployment capabilities. The platform prioritizes vulnerabilities based on reachability, exploitability, and CVSS 4 scores, providing a comprehensive and actionable security posture. The integration with Azure DevOps, for instance, allows for automatic remediation, work item creation, and feedback directly within pull requests, ensuring that security policies are enforced without hindering development velocity.

Operational considerations include the need for specific permissions, such as PAT tokens with full or reduced scope, to enable the Mend service user to interact with Azure repositories. The service user must be configured with the necessary permissions to create pull requests, work items, and commit comments, although reduced scope configurations can limit some feedback capabilities.

From a technical standpoint, Mend's tools support a wide range of languages and can be integrated into existing build pipelines using the Unified Agent or Mend CLI. The Unified Agent is more configurable and supports more languages, making it a versatile option for scanning open-source packages. Additionally, Mend's approach to DevSecOps emphasizes automation and integration with CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that security becomes an intrinsic part of the software development process rather than an afterthought.