Mastering Reachability Analysis

Mastering Reachability Analysis: Redefining Product security, bridging Application Security and Cloud Vulnerability Management

Reachability analysis is complex and involves 5 types of reachability analysis. but which one of them is actually useful and applicable to you?

As appsec and operational security merge into prodsec we seen appsec becoming more complex with containerized environments, and intricate architectures, traditional vulnerability management/ application security has reached its limits. Security teams are often overwhelmed by alerts, many of which pose no real threat. Enter reachability analysis—a transformative approach to vulnerability prioritization that filters out noise and highlights exploitable vulnerabilities.

This talk demystifies reachability analysis and its five key types, explaining how this methodology helps streamline vulnerability management in modern software ecosystems.

We’ll address the confusion around reachability techniques and explore how they interact to deliver a more focused, actionable security strategy.

Key Discussion Points:

1. What Is Reachability Analysis in ASPM?
• Understanding the concept of reachability: determining whether vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in runtime environments.
• The role of reachability in Application Security Posture Management (ASPM): filtering irrelevant issues and reducing vulnerability overload.

2. The Five Types of Reachability Analysis:
• Code Reachability Analysis: Identifying if vulnerable code paths are executed during runtime.
• Library Reachability Analysis: Assessing whether third-party libraries’ vulnerabilities are actively used in application execution.
• Container Reachability Analysis: Determining whether vulnerable packages in containerized environments are executed during runtime.
• Static Reachability Analysis: Analyzing vulnerabilities in the codebase and loaded libraries without runtime execution.
• Runtime Reachability Analysis: Focusing on vulnerabilities actively being executed in the live environment

3. Challenges in Implementing Reachability Analysis:
• Complexity in integrating reachability across diverse environments.
• Lack of visibility into dynamic and containerized deployments.
• Overcoming the limitations of traditional CWE classifications and addressing their practical gaps.

4. Leveraging Context and AI for Effective Vulnerability Management:
• Using contextual deduplication to reduce noise by merging duplicate vulnerabilities across code, containers, and environments.
• Incorporating cyber threat intelligence to prioritize exploitable vulnerabilities in real-world scenarios.
• How AI-driven analysis identifies patterns and generates actionable insights for remediation. Takeaways for Attendees:
• Gain a clear understanding of reachability analysis and its role in reducing vulnerability overload.
• Learn how to implement and prioritize vulnerabilities using contextual deduplication and threat intelligence.
• Explore how static and runtime reachability analysis complement each other for a comprehensive approach.
• Discover practical applications of reachability analysis in modern ASPM solutions to improve security team efficiency.

This talk offers a roadmap for security teams looking to harness the power of reachability analysis to focus on what truly matters. By bridging the gap between overwhelming alerts and actionable insights, you can redefine your vulnerability management strategy and build a stronger, more resilient security posture.