Dependency management is one of the biggest challenges in modern software development. Large projects often rely on dozens or even hundreds of libraries. Each one can introduce new vulnerabilities or even malicious code. Attackers sometimes upload fake packages to popular open-source repositories, hoping that build systems will download these packages automatically. This problem is made worse by transitive dependencies, where a single library might include several other libraries under the hood.

Software composition analysis is a type of security testing that identifies the open-source and third-party components used in modern software. Historically, most applications were built entirely in-house. Today, however, with the widespread use of package managers, cloud-native development, and reusable code, developers rely heavily on external libraries and modules. In fact, open-source code makes up as much as 70–90% of the codebase for a single app.

In an era where digital threats evolve faster than ever, cybersecurity isn't just a back-office concern — it's a critical business priority. At Cloudflare, we understand the responsibility that comes with operating in a connected world. As part of our ongoing commitment to security and transparency, Cloudflare is proud to have joined the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) “Secure by Design” pledge in May 2024.