Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

What is Static Application Security Testing (SAST) ?

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is also known as 'white box testing,' and allows software developers to spot vulnerabilities earlier in the Software Development Life cycle (SDLC).  SAST is performed at the static (pre-production) level ensuring­ code guidelines are followed without actually executing the application. Static analysis solves agile development while ensuring secure deployment of code.

SAST tools examine the source code at rest to detect and report on potential security vulnerabilities. Manual (SAST) testing is more intrusive than automated (DAST) testing and may involve adding, altering, and deleting data within the application. If used correctly, static application security testing should reduce false positives and produce focused, actionable, and cost-effective results.

What are the types of Static Application Security Testing?

There are three basic types of SAST. These types are distinguished by what software code they analyze:

• source code analysis
• byte code of an interpreted language, like Java, analysis, and
• raw binary code of an application

Specific code vulnerabilities can be detected and fixed much more quickly using SAST than later in the software development life cycle.

What are the benefits of SAST?

Testing earlier in the SDLC helps developers identify weak (unpatched) libraries and platforms while still in development, which allows fewer vulnerabilities to go live in production. The ability to automatically run a suite of unit, functional, and end-to-end tests lets developers keep their libraries up to date without spending hours of research to determine if a version change breaks application functionality.

Key benefits include:

• The ability to detect highly complex vulnerabilities that are not visible without access to the source code.
• The ability to tell you the precise location of any flaw in the source code, including the line number, greatly simplifies remediation and managing false positives.
• The ability to provide a valuable framework during application development to detect weaknesses before they become security risks for your end-users and your organization.

What are Static Application Security Testing Best Practices?

Make sure you are:

• Building security into the software development lifecycle that enables you to find and fix vulnerabilities early.
• Testing your source code within your environment, so there is no need to upload source code or binaries to a new location.
• Using Software Composition Analysis and ready-to-implement code fixes, whenever possible.
• Scanning binary files for specific languages, as needed.
• Ensuring integrations with essential developer tools and support for CI/CD processes.

Additional Resources

• WhiteHat Sentinel Source – Essentials Edition
• 2019 Application Security Statistics Report
• Using AppSec Statistics Drive Better Outcomes