Dynamic Application Security Testing – DAST
Ensure your web application and API are secure and well protected in front of the Cyber threats
Dynamic Application Security Testing
DAST testing solution that helps to find vulnerabilities in web applications running in production. It essentially uses the same techniques that an attacker would use to find potential weaknesses. DAST is the most used scanning method to evaluate the whole application and systems.
Cyber Legion is a next gen of Vulnerability identification and data Orchestration system to provided continuity and Professional services to all our clients & staff.
Cyber Legion’s professional analysts helps developers, engineers and business stakeholders to understand their security flaws, their impact and provide valuable support to the teams till a complete remediation and root cause understanding.
Dynamic Security Testing
Automated dynamic application security testing. As we know, the concept behind DAST is that it mimics a real attack. The DAST scanner simulates this by “crawling” the web application you’re looking at. A crawler is a type of bot that can automatically visit and log each page of a web application. Armed with this knowledge, it can then create a map.
DAST automated scanner is capable of detecting a long list of security vulnerabilities – many instances of which wouldn’t be reported by conventional DAST alone.
Where an organization manages many web applications, or where developers are using a DevSecOps approach, automated DAST scanning will often be carried out continuously.
DAST Scan Findings
How Does DAST Work?
DAST works by implementing automated scans that simulate malicious external attacks on an application to identify outcomes that are not part of an expected result set. One example of this is injecting malicious data to uncover common injection flaws. DAST tests all HTTP and HTML access points and also emulates random actions and user behaviours to find vulnerabilities.
Because DAST has no access to an application’s source code, it detects security vulnerabilities by attacking the application externally. DAST does not look at code, so it can not point testers to specific lines of code when vulnerabilities are found.
Security experts are heavily relied upon when implementing DAST solutions. For DAST to be useful, security experts often need to write tests or fine-tune the tool. This requires a solid understanding of how the application they are testing works as well as how it is used. Security experts also must have a strong knowledge of web servers, application servers, databases, access control lists, application traffic flow, and more to effectively administer DAST.
Though they may sound similar, DAST differs from penetration testing (or pen testing) in several important ways. DAST offers systematic testing focused on the application in a running state. Pen testing, on the other hand, uses common hacking techniques with the owner’s permission and attempts to exploit vulnerabilities beyond just the application, including firewalls, ports, routers, and servers.
DAST is extremely good at finding externally visible issues and vulnerabilities. This includes a number of security risks from OWASP’s top ten, such as cross-site scripting, injection errors like SQL injection or command injection, path traversal, and insecure server configuration.
One of DAST’s advantages is its ability to identify runtime problems, which is something SAST can’t do in its static state. DAST is excellent at finding server configuration and authentication problems, as well as flaws that are only visible when a known user logs in.
What is Dynamic Application Security Testing or DAST?
A dynamic analysis security testing tool, or a DAST test, is an application security solution that can help to find certain vulnerabilities in web applications while they are running in production.
What are the benefits of DAST scanning/security testing?
The major benefit of DAST scanning/tools is the ability for businesses to better understand how their web apps behave and identify threats early on in the SDLC. This enables businesses to save time and money by removing weaknesses and stopping malicious attacks before they happen.
What are the advantages of Cyber Legion's DAST testing solution?
With a DAST security service, you can:
- Simulate the actions of an actual attacker to discover vulnerabilities not found by other testing techniques.
- Run tests on applications developed in any language – JAVA/JSP, Python, PHP and other engine-driven web applications.
- Provide development and QA teams with a report on critical vulnerabilities along with information that lets them recreate the flaws.
- Fix issues more quickly with detailed remediation information.
- Develop long-term strategies for improving application security across your software portfolio using guidance and proactive recommendations from our experts.
What is the purpose of dynamic application security testing?
DAST works by simulating automated attacks on an application, mimicking a malicious attacker. The goal is to find outcomes or results that were not expected and could therefore be used by attackers to compromise an application.
How does DAST is different from other Security Testing methods?
Dynamic application security testing (DAST) is a black-box testing method that scans applications in runtime. It is applied later in the CI pipeline. DAST is a good method for preventing regressions and doesn’t depend on a specific programming language.
What is the OWASP Framework?
The OWASP Security Knowledge Framework is an open source web application that explains secure coding principles in multiple programming languages. The goal of OWASP-SKF is to help you learn and integrate security by design in your software development and build applications that are secure by design.
