Effective application security relies on well-defined processes and a diverse array of specialized tools to provide protection against unauthorized access and attacks.
Security testing is a critical part of an application security strategy and should be seamlessly integrated into the secure software development lifecycle, acting as a proactive and continuous defense against vulnerabilities throughout the software development process.
Identifying and addressing potential vulnerabilities at an early stage in the SDLC has given rise to the implementation of a security approach referred to as shift-left security.
Within this article, we'll explore the inner workings of the essential security testing tools driving the shift-left security movement.
Static application security testing is a well-known and mature technology that is used to statically analyze source code for known potential vulnerabilities and insecure coding practices without executing it.
Figure 1: The main phases of SAST. In modern DevSecOps, static analysis security testing is typically performed as early as possible by integrating SAST tools into developers' development environments and build pipelines.
Dynamic application security testing stands as a well-established technology used to evaluate the security of web applications and APIs through simulated attacks.
Figure 2: The main phases of DAST. DAST tools provide features and techniques commonly employed in penetration testing or security assessments of applications.
When assessing large-scale applications, DAST tools often take several hours to complete their security testing.
Interactive application security testing is an innovative approach to application security testing that examines vulnerabilities during the actual execution of the application with requests that originate from real users or automated tests.
This is the reason why IAST tools may not deliver 100% code coverage and their results' effectiveness heavily depends on the coverage and capabilities of the security test suites and the accompanying DAST scanner.
Commercial IAST solutions provide unique security detection capabilities compared to other security testing tools that lack the visibility that runtime instrumentation provides.
Most commercial IAST solutions provide integrations with integrated development environments, facilitating security analysis during the application development phase.
RASP tools leverage the unique insights provided by the runtime platform to go beyond traditional pattern recognition techniques, identifying anomalous behavior and actual security attacks that may not be covered by known patterns or signatures.
By instrumenting the runtime platform, RASP solutions have unique visibility of the code, which provides the runtime context that is essential for evaluating security intelligence and minimizing false positives.
Some are designed for general application security or web applications only, while others specialize in mobile application security, providing runtime protection for both Android and iOS platforms.
When selecting a RASP product, users should take into consideration the trade-off that some vendors make between language support and the depth of security features.
A Comparison of Application Security Testing and RASP. Not all tools are the same, so developers and DevSecOps engineers must understand the key characteristics and differences of SAST, DAST, IAST, and RASP in order to make informed decisions about selecting and utilizing the most suitable tools for their specific needs, ultimately contributing to the improvement of the overall security posture in the development lifecycle.
Despite the distinct roles of SAST, DAST, and IAST as testing tools, and RASP as a defensive tool, they share a common focus on proactive security and the shift-left approach.
This trend involves the increasing integration of AI-based copilot tools to enhance security practices across all layers of the technology stack and throughout the entire SDLC. We should anticipate the advent of AI-powered SAST, DAST, IAST and RASP tools that will provide critical advantages in key areas, including security code reviews, pair programming, test coverage, design and threat model reviews, as well as vulnerability and anomaly detection and attack protection.
This Cyber News was published on feeds.dzone.com. Publication date: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 17:13:05 +0000