Managing False Positives and Tool Tuning

Managing False Positives and Tool Tuning

False positives represent one of the biggest challenges in SAST adoption. When tools flag secure code as vulnerable, developers lose trust and may ignore legitimate findings. Effective false positive management requires ongoing tuning and clear processes for handling disputed findings.

Baseline establishment helps teams focus on new issues rather than being overwhelmed by existing technical debt. During initial SAST deployment, scan the codebase and categorize findings. Mark false positives and accepted risks, creating a baseline for future comparison. New commits should only trigger alerts for issues not present in the baseline, allowing teams to prevent new vulnerabilities while planning remediation for existing ones.

Suppression mechanisms must balance security with practicality. In-code annotations allow developers to mark false positives with explanations, maintaining suppressions alongside code. Configuration-based suppressions work for broader patterns but require careful management to prevent overly permissive rules. All suppressions should require justification and periodic review to ensure they remain valid.