OwlEye: Pioneering Manual Secure Code Reviews for Robust Application Security
In the realm of technological advancements and digital transformations, companies are constantly seeking innovative solutions to fortify their digital infrastructure and ensure robust cybersecurity measures. Amidst this landscape, OwlEye emerges as a beacon of excellence, pioneering Manual Secure Code Reviews to enhance application security. With a relentless commitment to excellence and a profound understanding of the evolving cybersecurity landscape, OwlEye stands at the forefront, shaping the future of secure coding practices. In this exclusive interview with Biz Tech Outlook, we delve into the insights and strategies driving OwlEye's success, exploring its distinctive approach to application security and its pivotal role in shaping industry standards.
What is OwlEye’s tech-centric professional service?
OwlEye is globally recognized as the definitive leader and pioneer in Manual Secure Code Review services, a crucial defensive aspect of application security. The primary objective is to fortify the application by detecting and addressing potential security issues before attackers can exploit them.
Our Security Analyst-Led approach leverages the nuanced judgment and cognitive abilities inherent in human analysis to conduct a comprehensive line by line review. Analysts meticulously examine an application’s source code to identify security vulnerabilities, coding errors, and other weaknesses that could lead to security breaches.
How do you carve a niche distinct from digital solutions offered by competitors?
Manual Secure Code Reviews, led by Security Analysts, significantly outperform digital automated scanning solutions known as Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools. While it is important to recognize that SAST tools are valuable for assessing surface-level issues, they lack the depth and validation capabilities necessary for a comprehensive security analysis.
In contrast, applying human intuition and experience offers significantly superior benefits. A manual Secure Code Review provides a context-sensitive analysis and a deep understanding of business logic and its implications. It can identify architectural and design vulnerabilities. Furthermore, it adapts to new or unique coding situations that SAST tools might not recognize or handle well. In almost all our reviews, OwlEye’s Security Analysts identify high and at times critical vulnerabilities that these tools fail to detect. This ability to adapt to unique coding scenarios underscores the invaluable role of manual reviews in ensuring software security.
What sets you apart from competitors in the field of manual secure code review?
OwlEye exclusively offers Manual Secure Code Reviews (SCR), establishing itself as a focused expert rather than a broad-service provider. We enhance our services with in-house developer expertise, allowing for a thorough approach to understanding and evaluating code.
We provide clear, validated, hand-written reports, steering clear of automated, complex outputs. Furthermore, our unique offering of conducting virtual review sessions, led by our Security Analysts to share insights and recommendations, serves as a defining differentiator.
Being a decade old company, how has OwlEye shaped the landscape of application security?
Traditionally, development and security were viewed as separate entities, leading to tensions due to differing objectives and priorities. Security was often an afterthought in the development process, addressed only after systems were built, resulting in vulnerabilities and security breaches.
However, OwlEye, originating from its parent company CrossLeaf—a leader in web engineering with a security first mindset—realized that integrating security into the existing development process, though challenging, provided a significantly superior benefit by reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing cost-effectiveness. A security vulnerability once identified in the field can cost up to 640 times more to remediate.
In light of this, OwlEye has played a pivotal role in promoting the practice of “shifting left,” or integrating security earlier in the software development life cycle (SDLC), helping organizations in improving product quality and reducing vulnerabilities. This underscores that security doesn’t have to be a roadblock if tackled proactively.
How enthusiastic is your company about embracing new technologies?
Our organization is committed to achieving distinction and performing at the very top end of the service market. OwlEye continuously evaluates, not only technologies but also techniques to stay ahead of the adversarial opposition and provide more value to our clientele.
With recent developments in AI and the benefit of having a working AI partner, Invenci (www.invenci.com), we are already strategically and safely capitalizing on the opportunity to augment our services and operational efficiency.
How is your approach currently setting new standards and benchmarks in secure coding within the industry?
Our approach to Secure Code Reviews goes beyond merely identifying vulnerabilities. It sets a new standard in the industry for how security analysis is conducted and applied. We believe in a hands-on, educational approach. By doing so, we do more than just identify and help remediate security issues; we educate and empower developers to enhance their coding practices for better security in the future.
This methodology sets a benchmark in the industry by integrating security audits with real-time developer training. Our unique offering includes conducting Virtual Findings Review sessions as part of this innovative approach. It signifies that we are not just providing a service; we are actively contributing to raising the bar in secure coding practices.
We aim to give back to the industry not just through technology or methods, but by fostering a shift-left paradigm more secure and resilient software development. Our goal is to continuously raise the bar amongst ourselves and within the overall collective market, pushing forward the standards of secure coding.
How did OwlEye take flight?
Since its inception in 2012, CrossLeaf Web Engineering, the parent company of OwlEye, has been comprised of skilled developers who astutely recognized the critical importance of integrating Manual Secure Code Reviews (SCR) from the start. This integration was more than just a procedure; it became a defining element of CrossLeaf’s security-first philosophy.
As CrossLeaf expanded, so too did our mastery in SCR, evolving from an internal protocol into a hallmark of our service offerings. We realized that the symbiotic growth of our SCR expertise, while always a part of CrossLeaf Web Engineering, necessitated the establishment of a dedicated industry leader as a core service provider in manual code reviews.
Thus, the birth of OwlEye, an offspring of this realization, underscores our unwavering commitment to application security.
“Where precision in code review & security intersect.”
“The security and integrity begin right at your source code.”
“Shift Left” and embed Manual Secure Code Reviews earlier into your software development life cycle.
Company Name : OwlEye
Website : www.owleye.com
Management Team
Daniel Pizon, President & CEO
Loretta Pizon, Co-Founder
