Silent Sentinel: Automating Software Risk Analysis for Deployment

Software performance in real-world scenarios often diverges from initial expectations. Prior to deploying software, it is crucial for system owners to evaluate potential risks and impacts on their computing environments. Traditionally, manual testing of software's functional, operational, and security aspects can lead to inconsistent results, largely influenced by the tester's expertise. To address this, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has introduced Silent Sentinel, an open-source tool designed to automate and streamline the risk analysis of software deployment. This tool offers a consistent and repeatable process beneficial for teams involved in development, quality assurance, infrastructure maintenance, and cybersecurity.

Silent Sentinel combines a software profiler with dynamic analysis tools, operating within a Linux-based, containerized sandbox environment. It conducts a series of tests on applications presumed to be trustworthy, regardless of the programming language used. Users can configure these tests to focus on specific conditions relevant to their deployment environment, such as system calls, memory usage, and network configurations. The tool generates a comprehensive PDF report, which, when paired with its interpretation guide, helps users understand the data presented. This enables system stakeholders to gain a realistic insight into how an application might impact their environment.

Vanessa Jackson, a senior engineer at SEI and part of the Silent Sentinel team, explains, “Applications often include a mix of frameworks or third-party libraries that may not provide full source code access. Without this, static analysis tools might not detect certain vulnerabilities or behaviors, or account for the numerous libraries and frameworks the application interacts with. Stress testing within a controlled environment offers developers and software consumers a clearer understanding of the risks associated with deploying an application.”

By automating risk analysis, Silent Sentinel establishes a unified baseline of data that teams can consistently reference, update, and utilize for evaluating proposed changes.

Advantages for the Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DoD) stands to gain significantly as it advances its IT systems. The DoD’s Software Modernization Strategy emphasizes the adoption of DevSecOps tools, cyber survivability, and rigorous testing. Silent Sentinel can provide DoD development teams and contractors with insights into application behavior before final delivery. Its seamless integration into a DevSecOps pipeline allows for continuous feedback and the development of risk assessment profiles over time. This means product and system owners can better understand system cyber risks and resilience before accepting delivery, while testers receive pre-deployment data to guide their testing strategies.

Impact on Software Vendors

Beyond the DoD, software vendors can also benefit. As more developers and cybersecurity experts create application risk assessment profiles, end users will gain a clearer understanding of integrating external frameworks or libraries into custom code or deploying commercial software on their infrastructure. Jackson notes, “The long-term goal is for software consumers to adopt a more security-focused mindset regarding the software and devices we rely on daily.”

Jackson and her colleagues at SEI encourage users to explore Silent Sentinel, available on SEI’s GitHub, and provide feedback. Those interested in further information can reach out to the team or consult the Silent Sentinel fact sheet.