If You are Relying on a Single Traditional Type of App-security Scanner,
Dump it Now
Today, application vulnerabilities are the leading cause of cybersecurity breaches for both individuals and organizations. According to research, the primary reason apps are easy prey for cybercriminals is software weaknesses.
A whopping 84 percent of software breaches take advantage of vulnerabilities at the application layer. Cybercriminals are no longer spending most of their time implanting apps with bugs. Instead, they are exploiting the weaknesses that are already present.
As a developer, you owe it to your users to ensure your app is as free from vulnerabilities as possible. Truth be told, you cannot accomplish this feat without app-security vulnerability scanners.
Why is AppSec Scanning So Important?
The most significant motive of application security is prevention. As an appsec must-have, vulnerability scanning is the best way to uncover potential weaknesses. You can, therefore, address them before they become costly problems. A scanner identifies architectural weak points in an app by launching a series of different attack types and analyzing the results. The outcome of the scans can tell you precisely where the vulnerabilities are so that you can mitigate them accordingly.
The Diverse World of App Security Scanners
Like the vulnerabilities they uncover, AppSec scanning takes numerous forms. Below are some of the most important software vulnerability scans.
- Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
SAST was developed over a decade ago when most code was proprietary and incorporating snippets was not as straightforward as copying and pasting. An SAST scanner leverages fundamental knowledge of weaknesses to inspect proprietary, static source code and report quality and security issues.
You can use an SAST scanner for any code if its programming language is supported. SAST is the cheapest way to find and fix appsec vulnerabilities.
- Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
SAST analyses an app from the inside out by scanning its source code. DAST, on the other hand, probes the app from the outside-in. It treats software as a black box and tests all exposed interfaces for weaknesses.
DAST scanning can be performed for any app, including third-party applications where the source code might not be available. It can identify vulnerabilities in open source software, as well as third-party APIs.
- Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)
IAST improves on DAST by going deeper than just exposed interfaces. IAST Scanners are DAST scanners with some SAST capabilities. They test whether known code vulnerabilities can be exploited in the running app.
IAST tools are effective in Agile and DevOps environments that require faster and more in-depth scanning than stand-alone DAST and SAST can offer.
- Software Composition Analysis (SCA)
SCA scanning is a new technology that solves a different problem compared to SAST and DAST. In current environments, developers procure software from an upstream supply chain. SCA scanners analyze apps to identify open source components. They facilitate the creation of an application’s “bill of materials” and ultimately uncover the risks of using these components. The results of SCA scanners are reports about overall component quality metrics, including vulnerabilities, architecture, and licensing.
- Database Security Scanning (DSS)
Do you recall the SQL Slammer worm of 2003? It exploited a vulnerability in a database management system. A database is not always considered part of an application. Nevertheless, developers often rely heavily on them.
DSS tools check for database vulnerabilities like weak passwords, configuration errors, new patches, ACL issues, and so on. Some tools can also analyze operation logs for irregular patterns, such as multiple administrative logins.
- Correlation Tools
False positives are a big problem in appsec scanning, particularly when source code SAST scanners are used. Correlation tools can reduce some of this noise by giving you a central repository for all AST findings. These tools validate and prioritize results from different scanners. Although some correlation tools include code scanners, most are primarily meant for importing findings from other tools.
- Text Coverage Analyzers (TCAs)
TCAs are used in conjunction with AST scanners to measure how much of an app they have scanned. Most developers pre-determine the acceptable levels of coverage and compare them to the results they get from their TCAs. This approach accelerates the test-and-release process. A TCA can also detect if some lines of code cannot be reached during program execution.
Why Do You Need Multiple Appsec Scanners?
Depending on its testing capabilities, a scanner can identify some types of vulnerabilities but not others. Therefore, relying on just one solution is not an option. After all, a hacker merely needs one weakness in your entire application to wreak havoc.
A SAST scanner, for instance, can uncover many of the OWASP Top 10 weaknesses by analyzing vulnerabilities in source code. However, 85 percent of an app is made up of open source components. SAST, therefore, leaves most of an app unscanned. Furthermore, the slow and cumbersome nature of traditional SAST scanners makes them unsuitable for the increasingly automated CI/CD environments.
DAST scanning is fast and effective in identifying vulnerabilities outside the source code, but it only scans exposed interfaces. It therefore presumes that an attacker would only have external access. On the contrary, insider threats are among the most dangerous today.
IAST tools may be a blend of SAST and DAST, but the
y suffer most of the operational disadvantages of DAST scanners. They also need to support an application’s programming language to work.
Clearly, all scanners are incomplete on their own. For your app to be free from vulnerabilities in and out, you need to employ a combination of testing tools and use them the right way.
The headache of using multiple app-security scanners
Most developers are using SAST and DAST scanners together. According to studies, the new production vulnerabilities identified by DAST drop by as much as 50 percent when SAST is introduced. This drop has been shown to correspond to a 25 percent reduction in the average time it takes to fix vulnerabilities. Companies adopting multiple appsec scanners are assuredly on the right path.
However, the use of different scanning technologies comes with its complexities. Security teams are getting lost in PDFs and spreadsheets trying to analyze and prioritize results from different sources. Already squeezed by tight deadlines, developers are often left with no choice but to fix the critical issues and leave the rest for future updates.
Embracing a holistic approach to vulnerability scanning
As a developer, you cannot ignore the need for multiple vulnerability scanners. But must you settle for the pain of managing reports from different AST tools? Thankfully, the answer to this question is
no longer Yes.
Innovation in the appsec space has seen the birth of Application Security Testing Orchestration (ASTO), which offers a single platform for developers to see consolidated outcomes of individual scans. Vulnerabilities found by SAST and DAST scanners, for example, can be reported together for quick prioritizing and fixing.
A single platform for reporting scan results can refine the way you develop and track KPIs. Fed by output from various scanners, ASTO tools can display the mean-time-to-fix (MTTF) for closed issues, along with the age of open vulnerabilities. With these results, you can compare the security performance of your scanners and teams to gain a better understanding of the general vulnerability trend of your projects.
Additionally, ASTO makes it easier to integrate vulnerability scanning into your CI/CD processes. You can create a custom rulebook to grant a green or red light to an application based on the consolidated output of different scanners. This approach eliminates the time-consuming process of reviewing the security health of all your projects manually before release.
What does Sken bring to the table?
The appeal of ASTO to present-day developers is unquestionable. Sken.ai incorporates the elements of ASTO to offer you a host of open-source community-tested appsec scanners on one platform.
Sken scanners cover all forms of app security testing. They are carefully chosen, depending on the architecture of your app and the programming language you use. Sken’s SaaS layer aggregates the results into a unified dashboard equipped with robust vulnerability management capabilities.
Sken brings everything to your table in an easily consumable way so that you can focus on fixing vulnerabilities rather than finding them.
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