In today's era of heightened cyber threats, safeguarding your online enterprise against application layer attacks is paramount. One crucial tool in the arsenal of successful enterprises is Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST). This article breaks down what DAST tools are and how they can benefit your organization.

What is DAST?

DAST stands for Dynamic Application Security Testing, a category of web scanning tools designed to identify security vulnerabilities in web applications. Unlike some other security solutions, DAST conducts scans from the exterior of a web application, making it a "black box" approach. DAST tools consist of two key components: a crawler to explore the web application and discover URLs, and a detection element to test these URLs for vulnerabilities through various requests.

To use a DAST tool, a network administrator or operator directs the scanner to target a home URL, from which the crawler navigates through different URL links. While DAST tools are limited to URLs accessible from the home page, they often allow manual entry of additional URLs. The scanner then runs through various request formats, including payload attacks, to test for security issues. Once completed, a DAST scan provides actionable information, including the types of vulnerabilities found, affected URLs, and additional request parameters.

Benefits of DAST:

Application Independence: DAST tools can be used across different platforms and programming languages, making them versatile and cost-effective for widespread security scans.

Configuration Detection: DAST excels at finding configuration mistakes that might be overlooked by other tools, as it evaluates applications from an external perspective.

Low False Positives: DAST tools have a lower rate of false positives, enhancing their reliability as security scanners.

Penetration Testing Utility: DAST tools allow for automated penetration testing, providing insights into how a system responds to attacks. However, this benefit depends on the operator's expertise.

Disadvantages of DAST:

General Vulnerability Reporting: DAST tools cannot pinpoint the exact source code issue behind a vulnerability, requiring additional expertise to interpret scan reports.

Limited Detection of Complex Risks: DAST tools may miss more complex vulnerabilities, focusing on simpler or overlooked security issues.

Time-Consuming: DAST scans can take several days to complete, potentially delaying development cycles for teams that frequently release new code.

Late Application in Development: DAST tools are typically deployed toward the end of an application's development lifecycle, which can lead to substantial rework if vulnerabilities are detected.

DAST vs. SAST:

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is another approach for testing web applications. SAST tools analyze source code architecture when the application is at rest, offering benefits like early vulnerability detection and precise code segment identification. However, they are limited by language support.

It is often recommended to use both DAST and SAST tools together to cover all security bases. SAST tools can be implemented early in development, while DAST tools are more effective for operational applications.

How to Implement DAST:

Implementing DAST involves identifying target applications, having skilled IT security personnel interpret scan results, establishing a triaging workflow, and budgeting for repeated scans after attempting fixes.

Top DAST Tools:

Appknox: A user-friendly DAST solution for identifying vulnerabilities in operational applications.
Netsparker: Offers in-depth vulnerability scans with a low false-positive rate, suitable for a wide range of web applications.
Veracode Dynamic Analysis: Allows scheduled automated scans, supports scanning applications behind login screens, and offers a user-friendly centralized dashboard.

Conclusion:

DAST tools are a crucial part of a comprehensive security toolkit and an essential scanner type for application security teams. When used in conjunction with SAST tools, they provide a strong defense against cyber threats, ultimately safeguarding your applications from potential intruders.