How can Code Security Tools help you?
Shantanu Shukla
Software Engineering Manager | Building High-Performance Teams | .NET | Microservices | AWS Azure | DevOps | Application Security
Ever wondered why bodyguards surround celebrities and politicians? It's because they protect them from attackers. Any attack on a person who adds value or is a key decision-maker can severely impact the functioning.
The codebase is like a celebrity, it is a key decision maker and an attack on it can make the entire system unusable permanently or temporarily.
The code security tools act as bodyguards for any software. They always keep an eye on attackers and avoid any exploitation. They help developers to identify and fix weak areas which could be exploited by hackers or crackers.
Types of code security tools
Although there are many types of tools available but the most common categories are SAST (Static Application Security Testing, DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) and RAST (Runtime Application Security Testing) also known as RASP (Runtime application self-protection).
SAST are the ones which can help you identify the potential weak areas during development. These tools can be integrated as plugins in your IDE or stand-alone software. These tools are fully aware of your source code.
DAST are the ones which safeguard your application during runtime. They examine the application's behaviour during runtime to identify vulnerabilities, ensuring it remains secure. These tools are used during the testing phase of the software.
How do SAST help us?
So that we understand the categories and their application, let's understand the benefits of using SAST. As the objective of this article to emphasise on programmers' side, I will only cover SAST tools here.
Immediate benefits
Identifying vulnerability at early stages
We all know that rework is frustrating. SAST is like a friend who helps you to identify weaknesses or vulnerabilities in your code. Fixing them earlier avoids the creation of defects during the testing phase.
Saves time
Each build and deployment cycle adds up significant time in project cost. Think that a defect injected by the programmer will not only consume his own time later but other stakeholders will also be involved in rework. This increases the work of multi-folds.
Catching and fixing something earlier saves time and resources.
Saves Money
Sometimes a vulnerability can lead to catastrophic failure which results in loss of reputation and revenue. Designing a system keeping security in mind mitigates such occurrences.
Regulatory Compliances
Meta, the parent company of popular platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp, was once penalized for 1.2 billion EUROS due to non-compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Security tools help ensure that software meet these standards which reduce the risk of fines, legal hassles and reputational damage.
Long-term and hidden benefits
Builds Reputation & Enhance Trust
When people know that they are using software which is designed to keep security as a top priority in mind, they feel more confident to use it. Remember the VeriSign and PCI-DSS seal when making a payment!!!
It takes ages to build a reputation and trust but one small mistake can ruin the reputation. SAST are like your additional bodyguards ensuring that you are not leaving a single stone unturned to fix any known vulnerability. Over a period of time, you are like a rockstar whom managers and clients can count on.
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How to choose a right tool?
There is nothing in this world which is perfect, neither are these tools. Choosing the wrong tool can do more harm than good.
Compatibility - Before you choose a tool, think that it caters to all or most of the programming languages you use in business. How easy is it to integrate them in our business?
Quality - Need to understand that these tools are also under continuous improvement so likely they are also buggy.
Support - Are there any support limitations? is there an online community available for help? Generally established and popular tools do have forums where people can discuss their problems. Paid tools do have a dedicated support system but again need to think about how long it takes to get a response.
Licensing - If you are a small company or a freelance developer, you may not want to spend a bomb on features which you probably will not use. Understand the requirements and better to start with the community edition.
Choosing the wrong tool can lead to spending more time in troubleshooting and eventually, it will defy one of the core objectives.
Popular open-source SAST tools
OWASP ZAP - OWASP ZAP, short for Open Web Application Security Project Zed Attack Proxy, is a popular and widely-used web application security scanner. It's a free, open-source tool that simulates various attacks on a web application to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. OWASP ZAP can help you identify security risks, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF), allowing you to take proactive measures to protect your web application from potential attacks.
SonarQube - SonarQube is a popular open-source platform for continuous inspection of code quality, security, and maintainability.
HCL AppScan CodeSweep - a developer-focused static application security testing (SAST) tool designed for beginners — and professionals — who need a quick, simple, and platform-friendly program
Conclusion
We learnt that SAST tools are used during development and they can be integrated into IDE or as stand-alone applications.
SAST tools help us in many ways like saving costs and building reputation but choosing the right tool is crucial too.
We also discussed how to choose the right tool for the nature of work.
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Hi, if we are meeting for the first time, my name is Shantanu and I talk about automation and security. Here are some other reads that you might be interested in.