Cyber security
Best Practice: Shift left in security by incorporating SAST, DAST, and SCA tools
Sep 12, 2024
Shifting left in security means integrating security practices early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Traditionally, security testing has been an afterthought, often occurring toward the end of development. This approach can lead to costly fixes, as vulnerabilities discovered later in the process are more complex to address. By embedding security into the design, coding, and integration stages, teams can identify and fix issues before they become deeply embedded in the product.
SAST (Static Application Security Testing):
SAST tools play a crucial role by analyzing source code in a non-runtime environment. These tools allow developers to catch vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and insecure deserialization during the coding phase itself. SAST solutions provide real-time feedback on security flaws as code is written, offering recommendations on how to fix them. This early detection helps avoid the need for rework later in the SDLC, leading to faster development cycles.
DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing):
In contrast to SAST, DAST tools simulate real-world attacks on a running application. By testing a live environment, DAST uncovers vulnerabilities that might arise from configuration errors, insecure server setups, or faulty third-party integrations. DAST tools help developers and testers identify security holes that only become visible during the application’s execution, ensuring the software’s integrity in a live environment.
SCA (Software Composition Analysis):
Most modern applications use a mix of custom-built code and third-party libraries or open-source components. SCA tools help ensure that external dependencies are secure by analyzing them for known vulnerabilities. They offer critical insights on outdated libraries or components, highlighting the need for patching or replacement to reduce exposure to potential security risks.
Why Shifting Left with SAST, DAST, and SCA is Critical
Incorporating SAST, DAST, and SCA into the development lifecycle provides several important benefits:
1. Faster Remediation: Identifying vulnerabilities early allows teams to address them before they propagate into later stages, where fixing them becomes more costly and time-consuming.
2. Continuous Security Monitoring: By embedding these tools in every phase of the SDLC, teams can continuously monitor for vulnerabilities, maintaining high security standards throughout development.
3. Reduced Risk: Security issues that go undetected until late in the process can cause significant project delays or even result in costly breaches. Shifting left minimizes this risk by catching flaws before they reach production.
4. Cost Efficiency: It’s far cheaper to fix a vulnerability when it’s identified early in the SDLC. Once the issue reaches production, the costs of remediation, downtime, and potentially dealing with breaches multiply exponentially.
How to Implement Shift-Left Security
- Automate Security Testing: Integrate SAST, DAST, and SCA tools into your CI/CD pipelines to ensure security testing occurs with every code check-in or build.
- Train Developers: Equip developers with the knowledge and tools to incorporate security best practices into their daily workflow. Ensure they understand how to interpret findings from SAST, DAST, and SCA tools and how to remediate identified issues.
- Make Security a Team Responsibility: Security should not be siloed within a security team. All team members—developers, testers, and ops—should take ownership of security concerns, ensuring a more secure software development process.
Conclusion
Shifting left with security means embedding security early and continuously throughout the SDLC. By using SAST to catch coding issues, DAST to test live environments, and SCA to secure third-party dependencies, teams can build more secure applications, reduce costly fixes, and safeguard sensitive data from threats.
