SAST vs. DAST for Security Testing | Crashtest Security
Nov 22, 2022
9 min read
Sudip Sengupta
In this article:
Application Security Testing (AST) encompasses various tools, processes, and approaches to scanning applications to uncover potential security issues. Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) are popularly used security testing approaches that follow different methodologies of scanning application codes across different stages of a software development lifecycle.
SAST follows a white-box testing approach to analyze the source code, byte code, and binaries to identify exploitable vulnerabilities and coding errors. On the other hand, DAST implements a black-box testing method, where security engineers parse simulated attack payloads through the application’s front end without exposing internal information on the application’s internal construct. This article discusses SAST vs. DAST testing approaches, how they help detect vulnerabilities and application failures, their differences, and the most appropriate use cases.
DAST and SAST – Testing Mechanisms for Identifying Application Vulnerabilities
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools provide instant feedback on software flaws introduced in the code development process. The test is executed using predefined rules on a model of the software that combines its source code and data flows to create a replica. As the testing methodology is implemented since the early stages of a software development lifecycle, SAST helps identify coding errors before the software is compiled.
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