UK-based Snyk acquires Swiss startup DeepCode to bolster its application security platform

Information Technology or IT is a big part of our lives, whether we realise it or not. All of our gadgets run different UI’s and applications, which means that security is obviously of utmost importance. Developers working on coding these applications are expected to verify that their work is secure and without any vulnerabilities or loopholes. To help developers with the task of managing security of their code, UK-based startup Snyk has acquired DeepCode – an ETH spinoff company from Switzerland that uses AI tools to help with coding. 

Deep integration for security 

While DeepCode has not yet revealed details of the acquisition, the company did announce that it will integrate DeepCode’s technology with its Cloud Native Application Security platform. To understand what it enables for Snyk’s customers, we first need to understand what DeepCode offers.

DeepCode’s technology is said to have been worked upon by some well-known researchers in machine learning and programming languages. The startup uses AI to enable developers to better their application quality and security in real-time. Now, the real-time bit is important since most developers have to first code and then go back to it to check for vulnerabilities. 

Two innovations by DeepCode will be utilised by Snyk. The first one is the former’s offering to analyse sophisticated interpretable machine learning semantic code. Which DeepCode claims is capable of scanning code 10-50x faster than other alternatives, enabling real-time security. This is also said to lower both false negatives and positives using a customised ML platform capable of swiftly learning from huge volumes of code. Additionally, DeepCode is also said to offer code scanning at the IDE and git level, which again, helps in real-time code analysis. 

The deal is expected to close within two months, following satisfaction of customary pre-closing conditions.

Increasing development speed and accuracy

The aforementioned features are also how Snyk’s offering will benefit from DeepCode’s AI. Snyk’s offering is expected to increase both in speed and accuracy while finding and fixing vulnerabilities. DeepCode’s tech will additionally be learning from the Snyk vulnerability database to become smarter. All of this will reportedly enable faster issues testing, and integration for developers while they work, instead of being an additional step. 

Accuracy of Snyk’s results will also apparently increase and it could also help reduce the time spent in chasing down false positives. It is also said to extend the Snyk platform’s coverage for securing cloud native applications.

The acquisition of DeepCode comes on the heels of Snyk’s recent announcement of a $200M (nearly €171.5M) Series D investment. The company has raised a total of $450M (nearly €386M) and is valued at more than $2.6B (€2.23B).

“Building on a year of extraordinary growth, including more than 275% revenue growth and 100% employee growth, Snyk will continue its rapid expansion and product innovation with the addition of the DeepCode team and technology,” says the company. 

Main image credits: Snyk