What is Application Security Testing (AST)?

Overview

AST is the process of identifying, analyzing, and mitigating security vulnerabilities in software applications. This approach ensures that applications are secure from potential threats and attacks, protecting sensitive data and maintaining the application’s integrity and availability. Application security testing plays a critical role in:

• Protecting Sensitive Data: Applications handle lots of sensitive personal and business data. AST keeps unauthorized access and data breaches out.
• Detecting Vulnerabilities Early: Security testing early in the development process leads to finding and fixing vulnerabilities before they are put into production. This saves money and time.
• Regulatory Compliance: AST is a key step to ensure compliance with security coding standards and industry regulations.
• Business Continuity: By stopping security breaches, which can cause bad reputations and money loss, AST keeps businesses running smoothly and protected.

Benefits of Conducting Application Security Testing

Improved Security

AST provides enhanced security by leveraging:

• Early Vulnerability Detection: Identifies security flaws and vulnerabilities early in the development process for faster, simpler and more cost effective remediation of vulnerabilities and prevents shipping software with critical security issues.
• Comprehensive Coverage: Enables more efficient and thorough scanning of large and complex codebases, ensuring that no vulnerabilities are overlooked.

Development Process Improvements

It also helps detect vulnerabilities as early as possible in the development process and improve overall security through:

• Shift-Left Security: Encourages developers to integrate security practices early in the SDLC, promoting a security-first mindset.
• Continuous Improvement: Helps organizations improve security posture through structured security testing and identification of new vulnerabilities and threats.
• Standardized Procedures: Manages rules and policies from a centralized management console, which is then applied seamlessly to teams across multiple development locations.

Compliance and Legal Protection

By integrating automated security assessments throughout the SDLC, AST helps identify and mitigate vulnerabilities. This proactive approach not only reduces the risk of legal repercussions associated with software breaches but also demonstrates due diligence in protecting software applications, thus enhancing overall legal protection and compliance.

Types of Application Security Testing

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) analyzes source code to detect vulnerabilities without executing the application. ​​One particular approach within AST is white-box testing, which focuses on understanding the internal workings of an application, including:

• Issues like code injection flaws, insecure algorithms, and poor coding practices.
• Identification of coding violations and software weaknesses early in development.
• Enforcement of secure coding practices (e.g., CERT, CWE, OWASP).

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) assesses the security of a running application in real-time by simulating attacks. This method identifies runtime vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). This black-box testing method:

• Evaluates the application’s behavior while it’s running.
• Doesn’t require access to source code.
• Identifies vulnerabilities that become apparent during execution.
• Can help improve confidence in production environments

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) combines elements of SAST and DAST by operating within the running application. It provides real-time, contextual insights by monitoring and interacting with the application during execution, offering detailed analysis and actionable suggestions. ​​It integrates into CI/CD pipelines to:

• Identify misconfigurations in an application (misconfiguration, hardcoded secrets / tokens).
• Use Sensors for detecting vulnerabilities or suspicious actions from an application.

Building an Effective AST Program

Core Components

Effective AST deployment should have a multi-layered approach consisting of several steps, including:

1. Establishing Security Requirements and Policies: Define security requirements for all applications. Create and enforce secure coding guidelines. Establish a vulnerability management process.
2. Implementing Multiple Testing Methodologies: Choose a mix of the best techniques, like SAST, DAST, and IAST, to fit your specific needs.
3. Integrating Security Testing into SDLC: Embed security testing throughout the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) to ensure continuous security assurance.

Successful Implementation

Once an effective AST program is in place, it is strongly recommended to:

• Incorporate AST tools into the CI/CD pipelines to ensure automated, continuous security checks throughout the development process.
• Implement automated policies to drive and enable remediation of issues. If a developer has both the guidance to fix a security issue and knows where the problem is, they’ll be more inclined to improve security as part of their daily workflow.

Ongoing Maintenance

Even when testing operations are running smoothly it is important to:

• Provide continuous updates to the AST tools with the latest vulnerability databases to stay relevant to emerging threats.
• Make adjustments to new and modified code to apply the right testing processes.
• Log and monitor results to facilitate real-time vulnerability assessment and rapid incident response.

AST Best Practices

Selecting the Right Tools

Consider this when selecting your AST tools to avoid over-working software development teams and exceeding budgetary limits:

• Make sure they have the right coverage according to the needs of your organization.
• Ensure they integrate with your existing development environments.

Integrating Security Testing into the Development Lifecycle

AST should be integrated into all phases of software development including:

• Shift-Left Security: Incorporate security testing as early as possible into the development process by:

• • ​​Conducting threat modeling during the design phase to identify potential security risks early.
  • Including security requirements in project specifications from the outset.
  • Providing developers with training on secure coding practices to prevent vulnerabilities.

• Build Security: Integrate automated security tests into the CI and build pipelines by:

• • Integrating SAST, DAST, and IAST tools into your CI/CD pipeline.
  • Using SCA tools to scan for known vulnerabilities in components included in the build.
  • Setting up automated security scans to trigger with each code commit or deployment.

• Shift Right Security: Implement security measures during and after deployment for vulnerability detection and analysis by:

• • Performing security scans at various stages of development (e.g., design, coding, testing, deployment).
  • Conducting regular penetration tests throughout the SDLC.
  • Implementing a vulnerability management process to track and prioritize identified issues.

JFrog’s Approach to Application Security Testing

JFrog leverages its unified end-to-end Software Supply Chain platform to perform Application Security Testing efficiently and securely. With a range of features that can be easily integrated into your existing SDLC, JFrog provides complete coverage and visibility over the entire SDLC.

JFrog Artifactory provides visibility and management of software artifacts. It works with JFrog Xray, a universal Software Composition Analysis (SCA) solution that enables continuous security scans. Additionally, JFrog Advanced Security offers broader security practices, policy management, and real-time insights. Together, they strengthen an organization’s security throughout the software development lifecycle.

Combining all these features in one end-to-end platform, not only gives DevOps control over the entire SDLC, but also suggest optimal remediation techniques, ensure compliance with security regulations, provide traceability for all software artifacts and prioritize which vulnerabilities require immediate attention according to their probability and severity.

See how the JFrog Platform provides a fast, effective and secure AST solution by taking an online tour or scheduling a guided one-on-one demo at your convenience.