SAST vs. DAST: How to implement security audits in the software lifecycle
Learn the differences between SAST and DAST, and how to combine static and dynamic code analysis to eliminate exploits before going to production.
SAST vs. DAST: How to implement security audits in the software lifecycle
In modern DevSecOps philosophy, waiting until an application is finished and deployed in production to perform pentesting is an expensive and inefficient strategy. Detecting and fixing a logical exploit late in the software lifecycle requires complex code rewrites and downtime that can damage business reputation.
To mitigate risks from the initial stages of programming, leading companies use automatic code auditing tools structured in two complementary methodologies: SAST and DAST.
SAST (Static Application Security Testing)
Static application security testing analyzes the internal structure of the source code without the need to run the program. It acts as an advanced spell checker focused on cybersecurity.
- Advantages: Detects faults at the line of code level (for example, the use of insecure cryptographic functions, uninitialized variables, API secrets stored in plain text, or obvious SQL injection vulnerabilities).
- Disadvantage: It usually reports a considerable volume of false positives and cannot identify faults that depend on the configuration of the web server or the actual network environment.
DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)
Unlike static analysis, dynamic application security testing takes the perspective of an external attacker. DAST requires that the software be compiled and running within a test server.
- Advantages: Scans the application from the outside by launching simulated HTTP requests, injecting payloads into input forms and identifying leaks in user session management or misconfigured HTTP headers.
- Disadvantage: It does not have visibility into the source code of the application, so it can indicate that there is a failure without detailing exactly what line of code is causing it.
Combining SAST in the code writing phases of programmers, and DAST in the automatic pre-deployment phases of continuous integration, is the best strategy to ensure that the software your company compiles is free of serious vulnerabilities from the ground up.
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