The benefits of using DAST, SAST, and SCA security tools are many, ranging from compliance with security regulations to better reception from the public. These serve to detect vulnerabilities and possible risks that can be exploited by malicious hackers. Some of these tools can be implemented even before the application is on the market.
In fact, the benefits of using the DAST, SAST, and SCA security tools are substantial, even when compared to other risk analysis methods, as they analyze code at different times of development, ensuring that there is constant security review. . If you are interested in knowing more about it and complying with the regulations or you are interested in learning more about the detailed information you need, you can request a consultancy with Codster to solve your doubts about it.
What are the DAST, SAST and SCA tools?
Before addressing the benefits of using the DAST, SAST and SCA security tools, it is necessary to address an introduction about what these risk analysis methods are and what they are for. In this way, we will be able to address how they not only meet different protection parameters during the development of any product, but also bring benefits in the short and long term.
DAST: Dynamic Analysis
DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) is an automated test that evaluates the security of a web application at runtime. This way, developers, security testers, and analysts can detect and fix application vulnerabilities before hackers take advantage of your valuable information.
But how do they work? DAST tools, as the name suggests, simulate malicious attacks by sending requests that contain malicious data or user input to evaluate the application's response. This is how they can discover where potential vulnerabilities lie. These tools can also identify known issues in development, such as SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, command injection vulnerabilities, and more.
Some of the most popular DAST tools include Burp Suite, Acunetix, Netsparker, AppScan, OpenVAS, among others. These are used to perform this analysis of running applications.
SAST: Static Analysis
SAST (Static Application Security Testing) is a static analysis process that evaluates the source code of an application, thanks to this, a development team can identify security vulnerabilities even before it is ready for the market. This means having a good preventive analysis that allows you to anticipate possible attacks and save on subsequent production costs.
However, you have to understand well how SAST tools work, they scan the source code of the application in search of common security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities, command injections, among others.
They are very useful for identifying security issues early in the software development life cycle. Some of the most popular SAST tools include Checkmarx, Veracode, Fortify, Klocwork, SonarQube, among others.
Although as a whole the benefits of using the DAST, SAST and SCA security tools are substantial, it is important to emphasize that using just one of them may not be enough. For example, if you only use SAST in your company, you may not have protection after your application is in the market.
SCA: Composition Analysis
SCA (Software Composition Analysis) scans the source code and/or the distribution package of the application to identify the third-party libraries and components that are used and to identify possible problems that they may have. For example, a known library may leave a free access door open, then an SCA can assess and provide a prompt solution.
As in the case of a SAST analysis, it is important to note that although SCA tools are very useful for identifying known vulnerabilities in libraries and components, they are not useful for detecting new or potential unknown or rare vulnerabilities.
That said, implementing these kinds of risk analysis tools is necessary because third-party libraries and components are an integral part of most modern applications, often containing known security vulnerabilities. Some of the most popular SCA tools include Black Duck, Snyk, Sonatype, WhiteSource, among others.
3 Benefits of using DAST, SAST and SCA security tools
As we have mentioned so far, some of these risk analyzes are potentially insufficient on their own, as they focus on only one aspect of development, but they are complementary to each other and if used together they can become a great support tool. Some of the benefits of using the DAST, SAST, and SCA security tools.
Accurate and early identification of vulnerabilities
One of the benefits of using the DAST, SAST and SCA security tools is that they address different aspects of application security. DAST tools focus on finding runtime vulnerabilities, while SAST tools focus on identifying vulnerabilities in source code. For their part, SCA tools focus on identifying vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and components.
By using these tools together, you can achieve broader security coverage and detect vulnerabilities that may be missed by other tools. DAST tools focus on finding runtime vulnerabilities, while SAST tools focus on identifying vulnerabilities in source code. For their part, SCA tools focus on identifying vulnerabilities in third-party libraries and components.
Time and cost savings
Another benefit of using the DAST, SAST, and SCA security tools is that they are automated tools that can perform security testing faster and more efficiently than manual testing. Also, by fixing these issues, the stability and security of the application can be improved.
In this way, SAST tools can help improve application code quality by identifying code problems, such as duplicate code, excessive complexity, etc. By detecting and remediating vulnerabilities early, organizations can save costs in terms of reputational damage, data loss, downtime, and more.
Normative compliance
It is necessary to implement this type of practice within the development of web applications in order to comply with international safety requirements that regulate the cybersecurity framework. Vulnerability assessment tools can help organizations meet these regulatory requirements and necessary regulations.
This is one of the benefits of using the most important security tools as it brings substantial benefits in the legal framework of development.
In summary, the benefits of using the DAST, SAST, and SCA security tools is that they are complementary and can help improve the security of a web application in different ways. By using these tools together, you can achieve broader security coverage, identify vulnerabilities early, save time and resources, and improve code quality.
If you are interested in knowing more about it and complying with the regulations or you are interested in learning more about the detailed information you need, you can request a consultancy with Codster to solve your doubts about it.
