Checkmarx gets funding for application security

The Tel Aviv-based company gets support from Ofer Hi-tech and Salesforce.com

Checkmarx, a Tel Aviv-based static application security testing (SAST) company, announced Tuesday that it has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from existing investor Ofer Hi-tech, with help from Salesforce.com. 

Founded in 2006, Checkmarx defines its vision as “a hacker-free world.”  To this end, the company championed the concept of a query language-based solution for tracking technical and logical code vulnerabilities.

A 2010 breach report from 7Safe noted that while 86% of cyber attacks occur through applications versus networks, only 11% of security spending goes towards strengthening application security.  Static code analysis is the only way to effectively cover the entire code base and identify all vulnerabilities, Checkmarx maintains.

In typical static code analysis, the entire code base is abstracted and all code properties and code flows are exposed.  Checkmarx’s solution goes one step further by storing all of those code properties in an open, searchable database.  The result: security testing using Checkmarx solution lets you compare the identifiable patterns and “fingerprints” of cyber attacks with your code properties and flows to locate spots of vulnerability.

"Checkmarx has a compelling offering with a unique technology to address the real-time transformations we are witnessing in the cloud," said Ofer Hi-tech EVP Assif Stoffman, in a statement. "The team has demonstrated from day one a clear vision and a strong success record in turning SMBs and large corporations into recurring customers."

Currently, Checkmarx supports leading programming languages and framework, including C#, Java, C/C++, VB6, and PHP, as well as those of platforms, such as Salesforce’s Apex and VisualForce.

Checkmarx was not immediately available to comment, so no word on how many clients the company serves or what it’s currently doing in terms of revenue.

The company plans to use the new funds from this round to support product development as well as sales and marketing efforts.