If you work on or around a security team, you probably hear a lot of talk about code integrity. Maintaining code integrity — the confidence that code has not been tampered with during its lifecycle from development to deployment — is as difficult as it is imperative. The stakes for businesses are high, with attackers continuously finding new ways to infiltrate and tamper with critical business applications. For Java-based environments, this threat is particularly pressing, as vulnerabilities like code tampering are notoriously difficult to detect and mitigate using traditional security tools.
If you’re relying on perimeter-based solutions like Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or even older Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) technologies, your applications may still be at risk. At Waratek, we’ve built a one-of-a-kind RASP solution that uniquely prevents code tampering, maintaining the integrity of your applications without requiring code changes. Waratek’s zero-trust approach ensures real-time monitoring and intervention, offering unmatched protection that goes far beyond what other tools on the market can provide.
What Is Code Tampering and Why Should You Care?
Code tampering occurs when an attacker infiltrates during the java development process and modifies the source code or runtime behavior of an application in order to inject malicious logic, steal data, or compromise the overall integrity of the system. In many cases, code tampering is part of a larger supply chain attack, where the attacker alters code in libraries or third-party dependencies that are later distributed to end users. Once tampered code is executed, it can provide a foothold for further attacks such as remote code execution (RCE), data exfiltration, or privilege escalation.
Maintaining perfect code integrity is somewhat of a zero-sum game. Sure, the more you monitor your code, the less likely it is that an attacker altered it. But at the same time, as soon as you’ve taken your eyes off it for a single step of the process from development to deployment, you can no longer be absolutely certain that you are executing clean code.
This comprehensive monitoring process can be incredibly resource intensive to fully cover. Most security teams don’t have the budget to do this holistically and even those that do must deploy their security tools strategically while consistently checking to make sure they remain optimized to their system. When the process does break down, a calculus comes into play about which code to run and accept the risk and when to dump the code and risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Why is Code Tampering Dangerous?
When attackers infiltrate Java development and tamper with application source code, they can perform processes which may have any of the following consequences:
- Backdoors: Attackers can insert backdoors into your application, allowing them to bypass authentication or gain persistent access to sensitive systems.
- Data Exfiltration: Malicious code can siphon off customer data, intellectual property, or sensitive business information.
- Supply Chain Compromise: Code tampering in third-party libraries can spread malware downstream to thousands of applications and users.
- Reputation Damage: If a tampered version of your application is released, your customers’ trust in your ability to safeguard their data could be irreparably damaged.
Unfortunately, many organizations rely on perimeter defenses like WAFs to prevent attacks—but these methods simply aren’t enough. Perimeter defenses can block some external attacks but fail to detect deep internal changes, such as code tampering, that occur after the perimeter has been breached.
How Waratek Uniquely Prevents Code Tampering
Unlike traditional RASP solutions and WAFs, Waratek doesn’t just monitor application traffic—it embeds itself directly within your Java application at the runtime level, enabling it to track every string, object, and action that takes place inside the application. This approach gives Waratek deep visibility into any syntactical changes that occur within your application, allowing it to detect and prevent code tampering in real-time.
Here’s how Waratek’s zero-trust approach works to secure your Java applications even from unknown threats:
1. Taint Tracking from Input to Execution
Waratek automatically taints any input that comes into the system, whether it’s user input from a web form, a third-party API call, or a database query result. This tainted data is then tracked throughout its entire lifecycle within the application, from the moment it is introduced to when it is processed, stored, or discarded.
For example, let’s say a user submits a form to update their last name. Waratek will taint this input and monitor it as it propagates through the application. If this data is later split into multiple strings, or used in different operations, each of these new strings will also be tainted and tracked. The key benefit here is that Waratek doesn’t rely on known attack signatures or pre-defined heuristics; it watches for any deviation from normal behavior, which allows it to detect zero-day exploits and novel attacks that might go unnoticed by other tools.
2. Monitoring for Syntactical Changes
One of Waratek’s core advantages over other security tools is its ability to detect syntactical mutations within your code. If a malicious string of code tries to alter the structure of your SQL tree, for instance, Waratek immediately notices this change. Traditional security tools like WAFs or even some older RASP solutions lack the ability to monitor the syntax of your code in real-time. They look for markers, such as known signatures of malicious code, but those are easy to bypass with sophisticated or obfuscated attacks.
With Waratek, the minute the SQL tree starts to mutate, it triggers an alert, and the entire query is snuffed out before it can execute. This real-time intervention is what sets Waratek apart—by preventing tampered code from ever executing, Waratek ensures your system remains uncompromised, even when dealing with zero-day vulnerabilities.
How Waratek Operates
Imagine you’re managing a large Java-based application that processes sensitive customer data. One day, an attacker manages to inject a malicious SQL query designed to manipulate the backend database. In a traditional security setup, this query might bypass WAFs or evade detection entirely, leading to a major breach.
With Waratek, however, the moment the injected query tries to mutate the SQL tree, Waratek detects the change, halts the execution, and prevents any damage from occurring. The system flags the tampered code in real-time, alerts your security team, and blocks the attack before it can compromise your data.
While WAFs and traditional RASP tools provide some level of protection, they do not have the depth of monitoring that Waratek offers. Our level of proactive protection eliminates the window of vulnerability—something that’s critical when dealing with sensitive data and high-stakes business operations.
Here’s why Waratek’s approach is different:
1. Perimeter vs. Internal Protection
WAFs primarily monitor incoming traffic at the perimeter of your network. This means they might be able to block known threats or obvious attack vectors, but once an attacker bypasses the WAF (or exploits an unknown vulnerability), the WAF is effectively blind to what’s happening inside your application. Similarly, traditional RASP tools might monitor the application, but many focus on post-execution logging, detecting attacks after they’ve already occurred.
Waratek operates inside your application. It can see what’s happening in real-time, at the syntactical level, before code is executed. This ability to monitor internal behavior gives Waratek a distinct edge in identifying and neutralizing zero-day attacks, which might otherwise go undetected until it’s too late.
2. No Need for Code Changes
Many security solutions require developers to modify their application code to insert security checks or hooks. This slows down the development process and increases the risk of introducing bugs. It also creates additional overhead whenever updates are required.
Waratek, on the other hand, requires no changes to your code. It operates independently of your codebase, automatically inserting micro-compartments around sensitive functions and data inputs. This means you can continue deploying updates and new features without any downtime or worrying about whether your security policies are being enforced.
3. No Performance Overhead
Unlike traditional RASP tools, which can slow down your application with heavy-handed monitoring, Waratek is lightweight and has been optimized to run without impacting performance. Its compartmentalized approach ensures that only relevant parts of your application are monitored, preventing unnecessary overhead.
4. Works Across Your Entire Stack
Waratek’s taint tracking and real-time protection work across your entire Java application stack, whether you’re using Spring, WebLogic, Struts, or any other framework. You get comprehensive coverage with minimal configuration.
Get Started with Waratek Today
Maintaining code integrity is essential for protecting your applications and your business. With Waratek’s real-time code tampering prevention, you can secure your Java applications without slowing down development or compromising performance.
Ready to see how Waratek can protect your code? Take a tour of our platform today to learn more about how Waratek’s unique approach to security can help keep your applications safe from code tampering, zero-day attacks, and other emerging threats.
