Are you maximizing your investments in Application Security testing ?

Application security is a crucial aspect of modern software development, and there are a variety of tools available to help organizations identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in their applications. Two of the most commonly used tools in application security are Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Software Composition Analysis (SCA). While these tools are often thought of as competing solutions, they are actually complementary and work together to provide a comprehensive application security solution.

SAST is a security testing tool that has been around for over a decade and was developed when most code was proprietary and copy/pasting snippets was a huge problem. Its primary use case is reporting security and quality issues in proprietary, static source code (internally written). SAST analyzes source code and compiled code, and can identify a wide range of vulnerabilities, including those found in the OWASP Top 10. However, SAST has some limitations. It requires access to the source files, and in some cases organizations no longer have access to the source code or it can’t be compiled. For full SDLC coverage, SAST tools must be grouped with other tools like Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) and Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) to create a comprehensive solution since SAST only finds vulnerabilities early-on in the development cycle.

SCA, on the other hand, is a newer technology that addresses a different problem - open-source governance. With 85% of modern applications made up of open-source components, SCA is essential for identifying and managing these components and ensuring compliance with policies. SCA, scans files and binaries, providing more coverage for an application than SAST. SCA is also designed to work in a DevSecOps environment, with quick scans that can be embedded within CI/CD and integrated into developers' IDEs or SCMs. With offerings like Open Source Select and license visibility, SCA tools takes a step further in helping developers starting left rather than just shifting security left by searching for open source package health before down selecting for their development projects.

By working together, SAST and SCA provide a comprehensive solution that addresses both proprietary and open-source vulnerabilities. SAST finds vulnerabilities early in the development cycle, while SCA provides continuous monitoring throughout the SDLC. Together, they provide a more complete picture of the security of an application and help organizations reduce vulnerabilities and improve overall risk management. #fortify from #cyberres has a comprehensive offering to consolidate findings across #sca #sast and #dast within a single pane of glass whether you have deployments on-premises or looking at leveraging your cloud first strategies.

In conclusion, SAST and SCA are complementary tools that work together to provide a comprehensive application security solution. By addressing proprietary and open-source vulnerabilities at different stages of the SDLC, they help organizations reduce vulnerabilities and improve overall risk management. Organizations should consider using both SAST and SCA as part of their application security strategy to ensure the security of their applications.

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