Managing False Positives

False positives represent SAST's greatest implementation challenge. High false positive rates lead to developer frustration, ignored findings, and eventual tool abandonment. Implement systematic false positive management from day one. Create clear processes for marking false positives, require justification documentation, and regularly review suppressed findings to identify patterns.

Educate developers on proper false positive identification. Not every finding developers dislike is false positive—some represent real vulnerabilities in code developers believe is secure. Provide training on vulnerability types, exploitation techniques, and secure coding practices. When developers understand vulnerabilities deeply, they make better decisions about true versus false positives.

Implement feedback loops between development teams and security tool administrators. When developers identify false positives, security teams should update tool configuration to prevent recurrence. This might involve recognizing custom validation functions, understanding framework protections, or adjusting analysis sensitivity. Continuous tuning based on developer feedback improves tool accuracy and developer satisfaction.