SAST scanning for your enterprise’s security needs  

SAST helps companies to perform security testing automatically on the application’s source code. This prevents catching a bug in the early developmental stages, not when the application is in production. SAST, also known as static code testing, is a tedious process of parsing throughout the code. It includes how well the code is written and if safe coding practices are followed. According to an article of Forrester “SAST is the core tool to assess proprietary code. SAST vendors have invested in the developer experience, building tools that produce fewer false positives and integrate with the CI/CD pipeline; these improvements reduce friction and improve remediation”. Safe coding guidelines include CERT and MISRA. That provides the framework that adheres to security while coding.  

Fast and accessible testing is what it is all about. As we don’t need a running application to run, the developer uses a testing tool when writing code. So, if a user violates any rule or tries to misconfigure, an alert can be sent, and security is maintained. This ensures that high-quality products are formed and prone to external attacks as much as possible.  

SAST helps you integrate test automation tools and audit code during development, promoting a safe developing ecosystem where security standards use CI/CD-based integrations throughout development. It saves time and moving code back and forth in the pipeline. This way, the delivery is quick, mostly one-way, and reliable.  

Advantages 

Static application security testing enables coders to detect vulnerabilities in their custom code. So, what is the motivation behind this? There are two main factors to be considered: first, complying with some company-set coding standard or making a code so manageable that anyone other than the coder could understand it and make the required changes. This minimizes the factor of risk when the code moves forward with another developer. Understanding is the first step in reducing security flaws and avoiding future risks.  

Recent research has shown that two-thirds of external security attacks have been carried out through a web application or by exploiting a loophole in the software. Since then, SAST has become the staple source of early security steps.  

SAST is a primary tool any application developer needs; since the technology has changed a lot, so is the security standards. The latest tools have incorporated the response to these new attack formulas that allow you to scale applications at the pace of modern technology. Although modernizing has benefits, everything comes with a cost. A few challenges that these tools are facing are mentioned below. 

Challenges 

SAST is a unique form of software testing that only sometimes resonates with the stakeholders or managing boards. Big enterprises face challenges incorporating SAST tools, primarily third-party vendors, to get into the company’s coding practices or the source code. Some people have raised concerns about whether SAST turns blind to other run-time vulnerabilities. The same question goes for vulnerability management.  

AlphaSAST 

After considering various SAST tools such as Rapid7, Acuentix, Invicti, and Intruder, we at AUXIN have launched AlphaSAST. A software best suited for your application security and other security needs. The following criterion summarizes why we are the best at the game. 

We use Unauthenticated and authenticated scans that go beyond OWASP10. A significant edge that Auxin has over our competitors is that we allow scans behind a firewall. So, no loophole gets unchecked. To minimize the challenges mentioned above, AUXIN allows vendor and consultant mode. This will enable stakeholders and company developers to have shared access to the tool so their concerns regarding privacy and confidentiality get resolved. We try out best to minimize false positives as much as we can and provide industry-specific scan and test results. AlphaSAST allows applications to scale more significantly without lowering their security. You can read more about Auxin and our services at auxin.io.