Traditional SAST wasn't built
for the AI coding era
SAST tools like SonarQube, Semgrep and CodeQL are excellent at finding known vulnerability patterns in human-written code. But AI-generated code introduces entirely new threat categories they were never designed to catch.
This isn't about replacing SAST. It's about filling the gap AI created.
Three threats SAST can't see
AI coding assistants introduced vulnerability categories that didn't exist when SAST tools were designed.
Cosmetic fixes
AI "fixes" a vulnerability by changing syntax without fixing the logic. The diff looks clean. The code is still exploitable.
Slopsquatting
AI hallucinates package names. Attackers register them. Your pip install runs malicious code. SAST doesn't check package registries.
Rules file backdoors
Hidden BIDI overrides and prompt injection in .cursorrules and MCP configs. Invisible to humans and SAST - they're not source code.
SAST vs CodeMarine: detailed comparison
| Capability | Traditional SAST | CodeMarine |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Find bugs in human-written code | Catch AI-generated vulnerabilities |
| Detection approach | AST parsing, dataflow analysis | Behavioral patterns + registry checks |
| Detection speed | Seconds-hours (project-wide) | <50ms (on file save) |
| When it runs | CI/CD or manual trigger | Real-time in IDE |
| AI cosmetic fix detection | ✗ Sees valid syntax | ✓ Detects the pattern |
| Slopsquatting | ✗ | ✓ 7 package ecosystems |
| Rules file scanning | ✗ Not source code | ✓ BIDI, prompt injection |
| Runs offline | Some (SonarQube self-hosted) | ✓ Edge-first - code stays local |
| Code leaves your machine | Depends on deployment | Never |
| Deep dataflow analysis | ✓ Core strength | Pattern-based (fast, not deep) |
| False positive rate | High (known SAST issue) | Low (targeted patterns) |
| AI assistant tracking | ✗ | ✓ 10+ assistants |
| Setup time | Hours-days | 2 minutes |
The AI code security crisis in numbers
These stats explain why SAST alone isn't enough anymore.
Works alongside your existing SAST
CodeMarine isn't a replacement - it's the missing layer. Keep your SAST for deep analysis. Add CodeMarine for AI-era threats.
Think of it like this: SAST is your building inspector. CodeMarine catches AI-specific threats at the point of creation. Checkmarx provides deep analysis in the pipeline. Together, they create defense in depth - the AI coding equivalent of a seatbelt and an airbag.
SAST finds bugs in your code. CodeMarine stops AI from writing them.
Add the AI security layer your SAST is missing
Free 14-day trial. No credit card. Works alongside any existing tool.
Fixing bugs during coding is ~100× cheaper than in production. At $5/mo, CodeMarine pays for itself on the first catch.