As a software developer, both source code functionality and security are important ingredients in application development. With Static application security testing (SAST), you get automated testing and analysis for your software’s source code.
Since err is human, it is advisable to use SAST to reduce security concerns and vulnerabilities in your software. Best of all, SAST tools do not require a running application to use them.
You can use SAST anywhere from early in the application development to its implementation. In this post, you will learn about the key steps to run SAST effectively.
Key steps to run SAST effectively
As a developer, observe the key steps below when building applications using various languages and platforms for SAST to run effectively.
Step 1: Select the right SAST tool. The tool should be able to analyze the code the application is written in. Also, it should be able to understand the framework on which the software uses.
Step 2: In this step, you need to build the scanning infrastructure followed by the deployment of the tool. It entails dealing with the licensing needs, obtaining the necessary resources, and setting up access authorization and control.
Step 3: Now, customize the tool. Here, you need to fine-tune the tool to meet your needs. For instance, you may decide to set it in such a way that it can address more security concerns through writing fresh rules or updating existing ones.
Also, you can write new rules to decrease the likelihood of getting false positives. What’s more, you can integrate it into the development environment to generate custom reports and
Step 4: Once the tool is ready, start testing your application. In case you have many applications, first scan the high-risk ones. Ensure eventually each application is onboarded.
After onboarding, ensure you scan all the applications regularly and sync those scans with all the new code releases.
Step 5: Evaluate the scan results. The step requires analyzing the results of the scan to eliminate false positives. After establishing the issues, track and provide them to the deployment team for timely correction.
Step 6: Offer governance and training. This will ensure your development team is using the tool properly. SAST is usually part of application development and its deployment.
With SAST, you can identify and deal with issues before wasting more time and work. It is a great way of detecting security issues and bugs during the early stages of development.
Why use SAST?
SAST tools make it convenient for developers to test their applications. Besides, here are some of the reasons you should use SAST:
1. Real-time feedback
Today, some SAST tools provide real-time feedback as developers write code. As such, it allows them to fix concerns before pushing the code to the next development cycle.
Also, during the scanning session, the tools point out where the problem is in the application’s code. This makes it easy for experienced programmers to fix the issue without wasting time.
Benefits of using SAST
Using SAST tools has a lot of benefits. If you are wondering about the benefits of using such a tool, here are some of them:
1. Fast scanning
Unlike many other tools you can use to assess vulnerabilities in your application, SAST can do all of it in a relatively shorter period. As a matter of fact, some advanced tools can scan millions of code lines in several minutes.
SAST provides a fantastic way for developers to seamlessly integrate SAST scans in their application development. As such, it eliminates the need to push tasks down the line.
2. More accurate than humans
Compared to the human eye, a machine will always do a better job of finding vulnerabilities when scanning millions of code lines. SAST scanner can automatically and reliably identify certain security issues compared to the best human programmer.
Also, the platform makes the process of identifying and resolving security issues a lot faster when developing applications. In turn, it allows businesses to transfer manpower to other tasks or coding instead of evaluating security. The process can be mind-numbing and time-intensive for developers.
3. Access to real-time reports
With the SAST scanner, you get to know exactly where the issue is within the code of an application. It makes it easy to fix the issue immediately. Thus, you and your team will not spend days or weeks looking for the detected problem.
Some SAST scanners highlight the problems in the code base as developers write it. This way, it cuts down the development time by catching errors as they emerge.
What makes SAST an essential security activity?
Usually, developers are more than security staff. This makes it difficult for organizations to find people who can even review a fraction of their applications.
SAST strength arises from its ability to analyze 100% of the codebase. Above it all, the tool is much faster compared to manual review of code by humans. Integrating it in application development dramatically increases the quality of the code.
Tools for doing SAST
There are various comprehensive solutions you can use to integrate security and quality in application development.
Coverity SAST establishes critical issues and security threats in code as you write it. It offers real-time evaluation ensuring each line of code is tested. Thanks to a deep understanding of the underlying frameworks, the platform offers highly accurate analysis. It eliminates the need to deal with false positives. Also, it accommodates hundreds of developers and is capable of analyzing projects with over 100 million lines of code.
Code Sight (SAST in IDE) works as a real-time, developer-focused SAST tool. You can integrate the tool into your development environment to identify security issues and offer ways of how to deal with them.
Conclusion
SAST is the perfect option if you wish to perform security practices. With the steps outlined above, you can create risk-free applications for your clients. It provides an easy way to secure business applications from hackers.
Fortunately, this post has shown you how to navigate application security testing.
