Introduction
SAST (Static Application Security Testing) also means “white-box testing“. It’s a code review without running the application. It can be done both manually and using a tool. In addition, in many cases where there could be millions of lines of code, it’s hard for the reviewer or the security expert to go over the source code on a large scale. As a result, the SAST tool is used to reduce the amount of effort required from code reviewers/developers.
The SAST tool examines source code to find and monitor flaws. Indeed, these errors can lead to security flaws in your applications. It also helps find the flaws in the early phase of development.
Source code analyzers may run non-compiled code/compiled code and binary/byte code. They can search for flaws. As an example, numeric errors, input validation, and more. Certain software works only with source code, others only with compiled code and some works with both.
What problems does SAST solve?
SAST tools can be used early in the SDLC. Also, it can be used without executing or building the source code. while SAST tools allow developers to find issues and fix them easily in the first phase. SAST tools also help in catching the vulnerabilities and suggesting ways to fix the security flaws. Finally, including SAST in the SDLC will apply the “secure by design” concept.
Not all developers are security experts. with the help of the SAST tools, developers can find and fix vulnerabilities before the code gets into the next stage of SDLC.
SAST tools also have schematic views. From source to sink, of the vulnerabilities found in your applications.
SAST allows you to browse the code easily. Specific methods highlight the precise position of bugs and dangerous code. The tools will also provide detailed instructions on how to solve problems and when best to fix them in the code without having a thorough knowledge of the security domain.
Developers can produce custom reports with SAST tools. It can be shipped offline, tracked and monitored with dashboards. These reports are also online. As a result, developers quickly fix these issues and release apps more securely. They track all the security concerns by using SAST tools. This method helps to create a safe SDLC.
It is important to remember that any time code is checked in or released daily or monthly. Static Application Security Testing tools must be run on the application regularly and integrated into the development pipeline, also known as CI/CD.
