How can automated testing be employed to identify vulnerabilities in software during development

Question

I’m interested in incorporating automated testing to identify vulnerabilities early in the development process. What types of automated testing approaches (e.g., static analysis, dynamic analysis) are most effective for finding security issues? Also, are there specific tools that work well with CI/CD pipelines to integrate security testing seamlessly?

If anyone has experience with tools or frameworks that identify security flaws and help enforce secure coding practices, I’d appreciate recommendations.

Answer 1

In order to employ automated testing to identify vulnerabilities in software development, here's a breakdown of the testing approaches and tools you can use:

1. Static Analysis

• Examines the source code for security flaws before running the application.
• Example tools: SonarQube, Checkmarx, CodeQL.

2. Dynamic Analysis

• Tests the running application to find vulnerabilities during execution.
• Example tools: OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, AppScan.

3. Software Composition Analysis

• Scans third-party libraries for known vulnerabilities.
• Example tools: Snyk, WhiteSource, OWASP Dependency-Check.

4. Interactive Testing

• Combines static and dynamic analysis for real-time feedback.
• Example tools: Contrast Security, HCL AppScan.

5. CI/CD Integration

• Automates security tests in the development pipeline to catch issues early.
• Example tools: Jenkins, GitLab CI, Travis CI with integrated security scanners.

Comments

Dynamic analysis tools are effective at detecting runtime vulnerabilities. Including examples of common runtime issues these tools can detect, such as SQL injection or XSS, could provide more actionable insights.