Application Security
Source code review, software composition analysis, binary reverse engineering, and supply chain security from the team that published the Binary-30K malware dataset, built kernel driver vulnerability scanners, and analyzed 178,000 packages in the Python ecosystem.
Application security finds vulnerabilities in your code and supply chain before attackers find them in your running systems. We combine manual expert code review with static analysis, composition analysis, and binary reverse engineering. The same team that published empirical research on the Python Package Index and discovered cross-language dependency risks in PyPI and Conda is the team reviewing your code.
Starting at $10K | 1-4 weeks
Services
Source Code Security Review
Manual expert code review combined with static analysis (SAST) to find vulnerabilities that automated tools miss: injection flaws, authentication bypasses, cryptographic weaknesses, race conditions, and business logic errors. Language-agnostic across Python, Java, Go, JavaScript/TypeScript, Rust, C/C++, and more.
1-3 weeks
Software Composition Analysis
Dependency audits, SBOM generation, license compliance, and known vulnerability identification across your entire software supply chain. Direct, transitive, and vendored dependencies. Includes cross-language risks like Java JARs inside Python packages.
1-2 weeks
Binary Analysis & Reverse Engineering
Static and dynamic binary analysis, malware triage, driver security assessment, and firmware review using symbolic execution and taint analysis. Built on our published Binary-30K malware dataset and Binary BPE tokenizer research.
1-4 weeks
Supply Chain Security Assessment
End-to-end review of your software supply chain: CI/CD pipeline security, package registry hygiene, build provenance verification, dependency update policies, and artifact integrity. Covers npm, PyPI, Maven, and container registries.
1-2 weeks
Secure SDLC Consulting
Design and implement security gates in your development lifecycle: pre-commit hooks, CI/CD security scanning, dependency review policies, container image scanning, and release approval workflows. Satisfies ISO 27001 A.8.25 and SOC 2 CC8.1.
2-4 weeks
Dynamic Application Security Testing
Runtime testing of deployed applications to find vulnerabilities that static analysis cannot detect: server misconfigurations, runtime injection, authentication flaws, and error handling issues. Complements source code review and penetration testing.
1-2 weeks
Why us
We build the analysis tools others use
Our team built an enhanced Windows kernel driver vulnerability scanner using symbolic execution and taint analysis that finds exploitable buffer overflows automated tools miss. We published the Binary-30K dataset (30,000 binaries across 15+ CPU architectures) and the Binary BPE tokenizer family for ML-based binary analysis. We bring tool-builder depth to every code review.
Published supply chain research
We published the first large-scale empirical analysis of the Python Package Index (178,592 packages, 1.7 million releases) and researched cross-language dependency risks where Java JARs are silently vendored inside Python packages. We built automated detection tools for the npm chalk/debug supply chain compromise. We know how supply chain attacks actually work because we study them.
Developers reviewing developers
We have shipped production code in Python, Java, Go, TypeScript, Rust, and C. We have trained LLMs, built agentic AI systems, and contributed to open-source projects with thousands of users. When we review your code, we understand the architecture, not just the vulnerability patterns.
Why licens.io?
| Big 4 | licens.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Code review depth | Automated SAST only | Manual expert review + SAST across 12+ languages |
| Binary analysis | Not offered | Published Binary-30K dataset, built kernel driver vulnerability scanner |
| Supply chain | SBOM generation | Published PyPI ecosystem research (178K packages), cross-language dependency analysis |
| AI/ML code | Treated like any other code | Reviews training pipelines, model serving, and prompt handling with LLM-building experience |
| Research | Marketing whitepapers | 4,000+ citations, published in Science and Royal Society |
| Pricing | $100K-$400K+ | Fixed-fee $10K-$75K |
Code review depth
Big 4
Automated SAST only
licens.io
Manual expert review + SAST across 12+ languages
Binary analysis
Big 4
Not offered
licens.io
Published Binary-30K dataset, built kernel driver vulnerability scanner
Supply chain
Big 4
SBOM generation
licens.io
Published PyPI ecosystem research (178K packages), cross-language dependency analysis
AI/ML code
Big 4
Treated like any other code
licens.io
Reviews training pipelines, model serving, and prompt handling with LLM-building experience
Research
Big 4
Marketing whitepapers
licens.io
4,000+ citations, published in Science and Royal Society
Pricing
Big 4
$100K-$400K+
licens.io
Fixed-fee $10K-$75K
Who this is for
- ✓ Companies shipping software that want expert code review before a major release or security-sensitive feature
- ✓ Organizations concerned about supply chain risk after xz-utils, polyfill.io, tj-actions, or the npm chalk/debug compromise
- ✓ AI companies that need review of training pipelines, model serving code, and prompt handling logic
- ✓ PE/VC firms that need independent code quality and security assessment as part of technology due diligence
- ✓ Companies evaluating third-party software that need binary analysis or firmware review without access to source code
- ✓ Teams building a secure SDLC that need help designing security gates, CI/CD scanning, and dependency management policies
Frequently asked questions
What languages do you support for source code review?
We review code in Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, TypeScript, Rust, C, C++, C#, Ruby, PHP, and Solidity. Our team has published empirical research on the Python package ecosystem (178,592 packages), built production systems in most of these languages, and has experience with kernel-level C and systems Rust.
What is the difference between SAST and manual code review?
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools scan source code for known vulnerability patterns automatically. Manual code review goes deeper: an expert reads the code to find business logic flaws, subtle authentication bypasses, race conditions, and architectural weaknesses that automated tools consistently miss. We use both together.
What is software composition analysis and why does it matter?
SCA identifies every open-source component in your software, checks for known vulnerabilities and license compliance issues, and maps your dependency tree. After supply chain attacks like xz-utils, polyfill.io, and the npm chalk/debug compromise, organizations need to know exactly what code is running in their applications and where it came from.
Can you review AI/ML code and training pipelines?
Yes. We review model training code, data pipelines, prompt templates, model serving infrastructure, and fine-tuning workflows. Our team trained the first copyright-clean LLM from scratch and published research on AI agent design, so we understand the security-relevant patterns in ML codebases.
What is binary analysis and when do I need it?
Binary analysis examines compiled executables, firmware, and drivers without access to source code. You need it when evaluating third-party software, analyzing suspected malware, auditing IoT firmware, or assessing driver security. Our team published the Binary-30K dataset for malware detection research and built an enhanced driver vulnerability scanner using symbolic execution.
How does this relate to your penetration testing and security certification services?
Penetration testing attacks running systems from the outside. Application security reviews the code and supply chain from the inside. Security & Certifications builds ongoing compliance programs. Many clients engage all three: code review before release, penetration testing of the deployed application, and SOC 2/ISO 27001 readiness for the organization.
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Source code review, composition analysis, binary reverse engineering, and supply chain security assessments. Fixed-fee, with findings your engineers can actually act on.