Introduction
If you've ever tried to navigate the world of application security testing, you've likely encountered an overwhelming alphabet soup of acronyms: SAST, DAST, IAST, RASP, SCA, and more. Each tool category promises to find vulnerabilities in your code, but they all work differently and catch different types of issues.
In this guide, we'll break down the major categories of application security testing tools, explain how they work, and help you understand which combination makes sense for your security program.
What is SAST?
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) analyzes your source code without executing it. Think of it as a very thorough code review that happens at machine speed. SAST tools scan your codebase for patterns that indicate security vulnerabilities.
What is DAST?
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) takes the opposite approach. Instead of looking at source code, DAST tools interact with your running application from the outside, sending crafted requests and analyzing the responses.
What is IAST?
Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) combines elements of both SAST and DAST. IAST agents are deployed within the application runtime, monitoring code execution and data flow as the application runs.
Conclusion
No single tool can find every vulnerability. The most effective application security programs combine multiple testing approaches to achieve comprehensive coverage.
