DeepScan is an open source tool, helping you to achieve open source compliance. You may use DeepScan to scan the repositories of your solution or the components you are applying. It will identify all license and – if wanted – copyright information. This is relevant to ensure that you have the correct understanding of the rights and obligations associated with the open source components you are using.

DeepScan is available in three flavours:

• Open Source CLI tool
• Web based, free service
• Integrated with TrustSource SaaS solution

While the CLI version is fully functional, it requires the user to assess the results file by himself. The CLI-version can publish its findings either in standard out or in a file using JSON. The web-based UI provides a comfortable way to watch and work with the results. The solution integrated with TrustSource allows you to amend the findings and share your data with others.

Why are effective licenses so relevant?

Everybody developing software should have an understanding about the components he is using to provide his solution due to two reasons:

1. Legal compliance
2. Security

Getting a grip on legal compliance

From the legal perspective, it is essential to understand what your solution consists of. Open source does not imply free goods. Just to have free access does not mean you are free from obligations. Often open source components come with a license that requires the user to comply with certain obligations. In many cases the right to use is bound to the compliance with some obligations, e.g. attributing the copyright holder.

Theoretically every component can have its own license. In practice it turns out that there are roundabout 400 licenses and a countless number of derivates that govern the usage of open source. Some are more, some are less restrictive. However, given you do not take care for the rights and obligations associated with the components you are using, you swiftly slide out of legal conformance. In the worst case official law enforcement might charge senior management of companies not effectively preventing such risk with professional fraud.

DeepScan helps to assess repositories for license indications, exposing all findings in a comfortable way. Compiled into one reult, with links into the depth of the repository allowing fast tracking and review.

 Keeping track of what is used improves security

The second reason, why you better should be aware of the components inside your solution is, to learn early about issues associated with such components. Given you have the structures of your solutions scanned with TrustSource, all versions of the builds are chronologically available. trustSource checks NVD and other vulnerability boards for updates and compares incoming data with its components information. If you use – or have used – a vulnerable component, you will get a notification.

This gives you an advantage over potential malicious actors. You may inform your customers still using vulnerable versions, start working on fixes or at least help them to prevent misuse by malicious actors.

So you see, there are many reasons, why you should know what is inside your code base….