Here is an updated overview I prepared on Socket Security’s solution for preventing attacks on the software and application supply chain.
Socket Security: An Overview
Socket Security positions itself as a Supply Chain Security platform with a “Developer-first” approach, directly targeting the problem of malicious and risky Open Source dependencies.
With modern code often based on over 90% Open Source code, Socket’s core value proposition is to protect applications not just from known CVEs, but from packages that behave like malware (i.e., code intended to cause harm), even before any vulnerability is published.
What Does Socket Offer and How Does It Protect Applications?
The platform is built around several key components:
- A GitHub App that scans Pull Requests.
- A powerful CLI tool that wraps Package Managers like npm, yarn, pnpm, and pip.
- “Socket Firewall” – a proxy that sits in front of Package Managers to block malicious dependencies at install time.
Together, these tools give AppSec and Platform teams coverage throughout the entire SDLC: in PRs, during local development, and in CI/CD.
How Does Socket’s Solution Work?
“Under the hood,” Socket doesn’t just check for CVEs; it analyzes the content and behavior of dependencies. Their internal Static Analysis engine checks third-party code for risky capabilities
(network access, file system, Shell, access to environment variables), code obfuscation, install scripts, and telemetry.
This analysis is combined with package metadata and maintainer behavior signals, such as ownership changes or suspicious publishing patterns.
The company notes that it currently tracks over 70 “red flag” signals across various ecosystems,
and alerts on issues like malware, typosquatting, hidden code, and permission creep before a PR is merged or a package is installed.
Traditional SCA Capabilities and Integrations
Additionally, Socket provides a layer of traditional SCA capabilities:
- CVE scanning.
- SBOM generation (via cdxgen in the CLI).
- License detection for 2,000+ licenses.
- Policy-based License Compliance integrated into GitHub Workflows.
Integrations include IDEs (like JetBrains, VS Code),
CI/CD systems (like Jenkins, CircleCI, Azure DevOps),
SCM tools (like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) and SIEMs like Splunk and Datadog,
making it relatively easy to connect Socket to an existing DevSecOps toolchain.
Uniqueness Compared to Traditional SCA and AppSec Tools
Socket presents a clear stance on the legacy landscape: traditional vulnerability scanners (like Snyk or Dependabot) are defined as reactive CVE search tools, while Static Analysis tools are perceived as too noisy to be realistically applicable to thousands of lines of third-party code.
Socket’s differentiation rests on several points:
- Behavior-first, not CVE-first: Instead of waiting for a CVE, the system checks package behavior for Indicators of Compromise, including suspicious behavior at install time and access to sensitive APIs in leaf dependencies that a developer might never read.
- Side-channel and Maintainer analysis: Signals like unstable ownership, new and sudden maintainers, or version release patterns over old major versions are first-class inputs, which many generic SCA tools ignore or treat as mere metadata.
- Inline blocking with Socket Firewall: The company markets the Firewall as a unique approach: instead of scraping the output of the Package Manager, it intercepts network traffic as an HTTP/HTTPS proxy and enforces Policies there, blocking malicious dependencies before they reach developer machines or build systems.
- Reachability analysis via Coana: The acquisition of Coana in May 2024 brings leading Reachability Analysis capabilities to the platform to filter out vulnerabilities that are not actually “reachable” by the application code, with a claim of up to an 80% reduction in false positives and much faster remediation.
In addition, Socket offers AI-based vulnerability summaries (through integrations with Anthropic/OpenAI), resulting in a “Next-gen SCA” solution that aims to completely replace legacy SCA, not just complement it.
About the Company:
The company was founded in 2021 by Feross Aboukhadijeh, a well-known open-source maintainer and former web security lecturer at Stanford University, and it has quickly built credibility among developers and security leaders.
Socket has raised $65 million to date, including a $40 million Series B round in October 2023 led by Abstract Ventures.
Socket Adoption and Usage Data:
- End of 2024: Support for 6 programming languages, protecting over 7,500 organizations and 300,000 GitHub Repositories, detecting/blocking over 100 Supply Chain attacks weekly.
- December 2025: Growth to over 10,000 organizations, with a workforce approaching 100 people.
The company’s research team regularly exposes active malicious campaigns in npm, PyPI, Go, and Rust, and their findings are covered by tech media outlets.
Additionally, Socket was recognized in Fortune’s Cyber 60 list and joined TC54 to help shape the SBOM, CycloneDX, and PURL standards, positioning it as a player in the Supply Chain Governance ecosystem.
Socket’s Goals and Plans for the Coming Years
Socket’s stated mission is “to secure the world’s software supply chains” and “to reinvent security for open source software.”
Based on public statements and product direction, we can expect:
- Expanded ecosystem coverage: Support for more languages and Package Managers.
- Deeper accuracy and less “noise”: Full integration of Coana’s Reachability, so every vulnerability finding will include reachability context by default.
- More proactive blocking: Where Firewall-style controls and “Safe Package Manager” experiences become the default for installing dependencies, not just an add-on.
- Leadership in standards and SBOM: Activity in TC54 and work around CycloneDX and PURL are expected to translate into core SBOM and Policy features in the product.
- Continued research and community tools: Maintaining a strategy of publishing threat research and offering free tools (like the GitHub App for Open Source) to gain adoption and goodwill within the developer community.
In Summary:
Socket serves as a Next-gen SCA and Supply Chain Security platform,
closing the “malicious package” gap left by older, CVE-only tools,
while unifying vulnerability, licensing, SBOM, and Reachability capabilities into a single, developer-focused platform.
We are the official representatives of Socket solutions in Israel, providing assistance with selecting the right licenses, implementation, and more. For more details, to try the product, and to get pricing – contact us:
socket@almtoolbox.com or by phone: 072-240-5222
