Optimizing DAST Performance and Coverage

Optimizing DAST Performance and Coverage

Scan optimization techniques reduce DAST execution time while maintaining comprehensive coverage. Spider configuration determines how thoroughly tools explore applications. Aggressive spidering discovers more attack surface but takes longer. Intelligent spidering uses application context to focus on high-value areas while skipping redundant pages.

// DAST scan optimization configuration
const dastConfig = {
    spider: {
        maxDepth: 5,
        maxChildren: 20,
        maxDuration: 3600,
        exclusions: [
            '.*logout.*',
            '.*\\.pdf$',
            '.*\\.jpg$',
            '.*/api/v1/deprecated/.*'
        ],
        // Intelligent crawling rules
        smartMode: {
            enabled: true,
            // Skip similar URLs
            urlSimilarityThreshold: 0.85,
            // Focus on high-value endpoints
            priorityPatterns: [
                '.*/admin/.*',
                '.*/api/.*',
                '.*/user/.*',
                '.*[?&](id|uid|user|token)=.*'
            ],
            // Limit redundant form submissions
            maxFormsPerTemplate: 3
        }
    },
    
    scanner: {
        // Parallel scanning configuration
        threadCount: 10,
        // Attack prioritization
        attackPolicy: {
            // Run critical checks first
            priorityOrder: [
                'SQL Injection',
                'Cross Site Scripting',
                'Authentication Bypass',
                'XXE Injection',
                'Remote Code Execution'
            ],
            // Skip low-value checks in time-constrained scans
            skipInQuickMode: [
                'Information Disclosure',
                'Content Type Headers',
                'Cookie Attributes'
            ]
        },
        // Smart attack generation
        intelligentPayloads: {
            enabled: true,
            contextAware: true,
            maxPayloadsPerParameter: 50
        }
    },
    
    performance: {
        // Request throttling to avoid overwhelming target
        requestsPerSecond: 50,
        // Concurrent scan limit
        maxConcurrentScans: 5,
        // Memory management
        maxMemoryUsage: '4GB',
        // Result streaming for large scans
        streamResults: true
    }
};

Coverage measurement ensures DAST tests exercise significant application functionality. Code coverage tools integrated with DAST show which code paths execute during security testing. API endpoint coverage metrics verify that all services receive security testing. User journey coverage confirms that critical business flows undergo security validation.