The Security Testing Landscape

Security testing encompasses multiple approaches, each designed to identify different types of vulnerabilities. Static Application Security Testing (SAST) analyzes source code without executing it, finding issues like SQL injection, XSS, and insecure cryptography. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tests running applications, discovering runtime vulnerabilities and configuration issues. Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) combines both approaches, providing deep insights into application behavior. Understanding when and how to use each testing method is crucial for comprehensive security coverage.

Modern security testing must be integrated into the development workflow through DevSecOps practices. This means security tests run automatically with every commit, pull request, and deployment. Shift-left security moves testing earlier in the development cycle, where fixes are less expensive and disruptive. Continuous security testing ensures that new vulnerabilities are detected quickly, whether they come from code changes, dependency updates, or newly discovered attack techniques.