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Incident Response

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Penetration Testing

Comprehensive testing to proactively identify known and unknown threats, vulnerabilities, and cybersecurity risks to your people, processes, and technology.

Vulnerability Management

Warrior Networks: Expert Penetration Testing Services

In today’s ever-evolving threat landscape, it’s crucial to ensure that your organization’s defenses are strong enough to withstand cyber-attacks. Warrior Networks offers comprehensive penetration testing services, designed to identify vulnerabilities before malicious attackers can exploit them. Our team of certified ethical hackers delivers top-tier security assessments, helping businesses stay secure and compliant with regulatory standards.

Our Penetration Testing Services

In an age where cyber threats are rampant, organizations face an array of cybersecurity challenges, especially within their security and IT departments. With limited personnel and specialized knowledge, many companies find themselves overwhelmed and focused primarily on compliance. However, comprehensive database security offers substantial advantages that can significantly enhance an organization’s overall security posture. Here’s how database security solutions, such as those offered by Trustwave, can empower organizations to tackle these challenges effectively.

Our Penetration Testing Services:

  • Network Penetration Testing: Warrior Networks conducts thorough assessments of your network infrastructure, identifying security gaps in firewalls, routers, switches, and other network components.
  • Web Application Penetration Testing: We analyze your web applications for common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and session management flaws.
  • Wireless Penetration Testing: Our experts test your wireless networks for weaknesses that could allow unauthorized access or data breaches.
  • Social Engineering Testing: We evaluate the human element of your security by testing how well your staff can resist phishing attacks and other social engineering tactics.
  • Physical Penetration Testing: Assessing the physical security of your premises, we simulate attempts to gain unauthorized access to sensitive areas and data centers.

Why Choose Warrior Networks for Penetration Testing?

  • Certified Ethical Hackers: Our penetration testing team consists of highly skilled and certified professionals who are experts in identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities.
  • Comprehensive Security Assessments: We deliver in-depth testing across all layers of your IT environment, providing a detailed report with actionable recommendations to address the risks.
  • UK-Based Operations: All our services are conducted from the UK, ensuring your data stays onshore and secure, in compliance with local data protection regulations.
  • Tailored Testing Services: We customize our penetration testing services to meet the specific needs of your business, whether you're focused on compliance, risk reduction, or safeguarding sensitive data.

The Benefits of Penetration Testing:

  • Identify Security Gaps: Discover vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.
  • Enhance Security Posture: Strengthen your defenses with detailed insights and recommendations from expert testers.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with security standards like PCI-DSS, GDPR, and ISO 27001.
  • Reduce Risk: Minimize the potential damage caused by cyber-attacks by addressing weaknesses proactively.
  • Boost Customer Confidence: Demonstrating a commitment to security helps to build trust with customers and partners.

Penetration Testing Process at Warrior Networks

  • Pre-engagement and Planning: We work closely with your team to define the scope, goals, and rules of engagement for the penetration test.
  • Reconnaissance and Information Gathering: Our team gathers critical information on your systems, applications, and networks to identify potential attack vectors.
  • Exploitation and Testing: We simulate real-world attacks to exploit vulnerabilities and measure the potential impact of a breach.
  • Reporting and Analysis: After the test, we provide a comprehensive report detailing the vulnerabilities discovered, the risks they pose, and our expert recommendations for remediation.
  • Remediation Support: We offer ongoing support to help you address the issues identified and improve your security posture.

Secure Your Business with Warrior Networks

Protect your business from the increasing threat of cyber-attacks with penetration testing services from Warrior Networks. Our proactive approach helps you identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, keeping your critical data and systems safe. With our expert ethical hackers and tailored security solutions, you can ensure that your business is well-protected against the latest cyber threats.

At Warrior Networks, we specialize in providing top-tier penetration testing services to help businesses detect and mitigate vulnerabilities before they turn into serious risks. Our UK-based team of ethical hackers is dedicated to enhancing your security posture, safeguarding your systems, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. Trust Warrior Networks to protect your business from evolving cyber threats through rigorous penetration testing.

Vulnerability Management
Threat Intelligence

Security Testing by Warrior Networks

Warrior Networks offers independent security testing services, including IT Health Checks, Penetration Tests, and Vulnerability Assessments and Investigations. Our comprehensive approach ensures that your IT infrastructure is secure and resilient against potential threats.

Independent Testing Services

We provide assistance to companies in scoping and engaging with independent testers for IT Health Checks, Penetration Tests, Vulnerability Assessments, and Investigations. Our expert team helps you respond to test findings and plan for remediation and mitigations.

Certified Testing Coordination

At Warrior Networks, we arrange testing by CHECK and CREST certified testers and coordinate with departmental test teams to ensure thorough and accurate assessments. Our services are designed to provide you with detailed insights into your security posture and actionable recommendations for improvement.

IT Health Checks

Our IT Health Check service provides a comprehensive review of your IT systems to identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with industry standards. We assess your infrastructure's security posture and provide detailed reports with actionable recommendations to improve your security.

Penetration Testing

Warrior Networks conducts thorough Penetration Testing to simulate cyber-attacks on your systems. This testing helps identify potential weaknesses and provides insights into how your security measures would fare against real-world threats.

Vulnerability Assessments

Our Vulnerability Assessments offer systematic examinations of your IT infrastructure to uncover and assess vulnerabilities. We provide you with detailed reports and guidance on how to address and mitigate these vulnerabilities effectively.

Cyber Vulnerability Investigations (CVIs)

Our Cyber Vulnerability Investigations (CVIs) delve deep into your systems to identify and mitigate cyber vulnerabilities. These investigations are critical for understanding and addressing complex security issues within your IT environment.

Application Security Testing

We offer a range of application security testing services to ensure your applications are secure:

  • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Tests running applications in real-time to find vulnerabilities.
  • Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Analyzes source code to identify security flaws.
  • Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST): Combines DAST and SAST for a comprehensive assessment.
  • Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Identifies vulnerabilities in third-party and open-source software components.
  • Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP): Implements security measures within the application to detect and prevent attacks in real-time.
Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
Threat Intelligence

What Is Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)?

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is a method for testing the security of applications. It involves testing the application at runtime to identify security vulnerabilities. Unlike other testing methodologies, DAST tools don't have access to the application and API's source code. Instead, they perform actual attacks on the application, similar to how a real hacker would do it. This makes DAST tools highly effective for automated penetration testing of web applications.

How DAST Works

By simulating attacks like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), external XML entities (XXE), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF), DAST solutions can identify and help protect against common web application vulnerabilities like the OWASP Top 10. While scanning source code can also be helpful in identifying vulnerabilities, testing an application at runtime is the most effective way to determine if external attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities. With DAST, you can identify and mitigate these security risks before they can be exploited by malicious actors.

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Why Is DAST Important?

Testing applications solely during development is inadequate for safeguarding them against potential breaches in the production stage. It is imperative to establish a comprehensive application security program to mitigate overall business risk. By employing DAST alongside other strategies, it becomes possible to identify and prevent potential attack vectors from being exploited.

DAST resolves these challenges and empowers your organization to:

  • Provide precise vulnerability reports based on the application’s current state
  • Support developer education by offering actionable remedies for security issues
  • Seamlessly integrate security testing into the software development lifecycle (SDLC)
  • Efficiently implement DevSecOps by incorporating feedback derived from DAST into SecOps and DevOps tools
  • Enhance the protection of applications and code
  • Offer high-quality vulnerability assessment reports to expedite the remediation process

In order to evaluate an application's security posture in the real world, DAST plays a crucial role in a comprehensive security testing program. As a part of the software development lifecycle, it ensures the identification and resolution of security issues before the application is launched into production.

Cloud Security

DAST BENEFITS

Fully adaptable

DAST doesn't require a specific langunage or framework - you can use it in any environment, regardless of the tools you're utilizing for your project

Minimum False Positives

The lack of false positives allows you to focus on fixing bugs & creating new features, rather than trying to resolve false positives

Shifting Left

DAST is fully integrated early into the SDLC, allowing developers to detect potential vulnerabilities very early on

Business Logic Attacks

One of the biggest benefits of DAST is that it simulates business logic attacks, simulating a real-world situation and looking for vulnerabilities in your app's logic

DAST PRO’s and CON’s

Benefits of DAST

DAST resolves these challenges and empowers your organization to:

  • Provide Precise Vulnerability Reports: DAST generates accurate vulnerability reports based on the application’s current state, offering a real-time perspective of potential security issues.
  • Support Developer Education: By offering actionable remedies for security issues, DAST supports developer education and enhances their ability to address vulnerabilities effectively.
  • Integrate Security Testing into the SDLC: DAST seamlessly integrates security testing into the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), ensuring that security is a continuous process from development to production.
  • Implement DevSecOps Efficiently: DAST facilitates the implementation of DevSecOps by incorporating feedback into SecOps and DevOps tools, promoting a culture of continuous security improvement.
  • Enhance Application Protection: DAST enhances the protection of applications and code by identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited in the real world.
  • Offer High-Quality Vulnerability Assessment Reports: DAST provides comprehensive vulnerability assessment reports, expediting the remediation process and improving overall security posture.

DAST Limitations

While DAST is a powerful tool, traditional DAST has a few limitations, including:

  • Limited coverage: Traditional DAST tools only test an application’s external behavior, such as its user interface and web services, and do not assess its internal workings. This limits their ability to identify certain types of vulnerabilities, such as those that occur in the back-end components of an application.
  • False positives: Traditional DAST tools can generate false positives, which are warnings that a vulnerability exists when it does not. This can result in wasted time and effort, as well as lead to potential security gaps if real vulnerabilities are ignored due to too many false positives.
  • Limited context: Traditional DAST tools operate without full knowledge of the application’s context, such as business logic or the intended user experience. This can result in a lack of accuracy in identifying vulnerabilities and their potential impact on the application.
  • Inability to detect all types of vulnerabilities: Traditional DAST tools may not be able to detect all types of vulnerabilities, such as those that require a complex chain of actions to exploit.
  • Requires significant expertise: Traditional DAST tools require specialized expertise to interpret the results and determine the severity of any identified vulnerabilities. This can be a significant challenge for smaller organizations or those with limited security resources.

The Role of DAST in Comprehensive Security Testing

In order to evaluate an application's security posture in the real world, DAST plays a crucial role in a comprehensive security testing program. As part of the software development lifecycle, it ensures the identification and resolution of security issues before the application is launched into production.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is a vital component of a robust application security program. By testing applications at runtime, DAST identifies vulnerabilities that static testing methods might miss. This approach ensures that security issues are detected and resolved before the application goes live, significantly reducing the risk of breaches in the production stage. Integrating DAST into your SDLC and adopting a DevSecOps approach ensures continuous security, developer education, and efficient vulnerability management, ultimately safeguarding your applications and business from potential threats.

DAST vs. SAST: Understanding the Differences and Benefits

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) and Static Application Security Testing (SAST) are both crucial components of a comprehensive security strategy. Each has its unique advantages and limitations when it comes to protecting web applications. Here's a comparison of DAST and SAST to help you understand their distinct roles and benefits.

DAST PRO’s and CON’s

Advantages of DAST Solutions

DAST solutions have unique advantages when protecting web applications:

  • Language Agnostic: DAST tools offer language-agnostic capabilities, meaning they do not require the same programming language or framework as the application being scanned. This makes them highly versatile and applicable to a wide range of applications.
  • Real-World Attack Simulation: Unlike SAST tools, DAST operates similarly to actual hackers by not having access to the source code. DAST performs actual attacks on the application, providing insights into how the application would fare against real-world threats.
  • Risk-Focused Reporting: In DAST, only issues that represent a real risk are reported. This contrasts with SAST, where it can be challenging to determine if a finding represents a real risk or not.
  • Detection of Complex Vulnerabilities: DAST detects risks that occur due to the complex interplay of modern frameworks, microservices, APIs, etc. SAST solutions are limited to code scanning and may miss these vulnerabilities.
  • Fewer False Positives: In comparison to SAST, DAST is less likely to report false positives, providing more accurate and actionable results.

Advantages of SAST Solutions

SAST solutions also play a vital role in application security:

  • Early Detection: SAST takes place earlier in the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), allowing developers to identify and fix issues in the code before the application is fully developed.
  • Code-Level Analysis: SAST scans the source code, byte code, or binary code of applications, helping to identify vulnerabilities at the code level. This is beneficial for finding issues that could lead to security breaches if left unaddressed.
  • Support for Development Practices: SAST supports secure coding practices by providing developers with insights into potential vulnerabilities in the code they write, promoting a proactive approach to security.

DAST in the SDLC

DAST can be used as early as the build phase of the SDLC. This allows for the simulation of attacker behavior without lengthy pen-testing. Although SAST takes place earlier in the SDLC, it can only find issues in the code, not the full application.

SAST Limitations

A downside of SAST solutions is that they have to support the programming language and application framework in use by the application. This limitation can restrict their applicability and effectiveness in diverse development environments.

Both DAST and SAST are essential for a robust security testing strategy. DAST offers the advantage of real-world attack simulation, language agnostic capabilities, and risk-focused reporting, making it highly effective for detecting vulnerabilities in running applications. On the other hand, SAST excels in early detection of code-level vulnerabilities and supports secure coding practices. By integrating both DAST and SAST into your SDLC, you can achieve comprehensive security coverage, identifying and mitigating risks throughout the development and deployment process.

How Does DAST Work?

DAST tools launch automated scans that simulate malicious external attacks on the application. The goal is to identify unexpected outcomes. For example, a test can inject malicious data to uncover injection flaws. A DAST tool typically tests all HTML and HTTP access points. To find vulnerabilities, the test emulates random user behaviors and actions.

A new generation of DAST solutions is emerging, which leverage AI to address the challenges of traditional DAST:

No need for manual tuning

next-generation DAST automatically creates test sets and dynamically identifies the structure of the underlying application.

No false positives

leverages machine learning algorithms and fuzz testing to analyze findings like a human penetration tester, and determine if they are real vulnerabilities or not.

Detects business logic vulnerabilities

accesses web applications like a real user and tries different control flows, until it discovers a user interface path that exposes a security weakness.

Detects zero day vulnerabilities

while traditional DAST can only detect known vulnerabilities from manually updated lists, next generation DAST leverages AI detection capabilities and real time data from other users of the platform to detect zero day attacks.

Advanced reporting

provides reports and compliance audits on par with those created by a human tester.

What is the Role of DAST in Application Security (AppSec)?

By automating testing, analysis, and reporting processes, application security testing (AST) tools identify and address security vulnerabilities. Embraced by the DevSecOps movement, these tools ensure that security is integrated at each stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

AST tools are typically categorized into four main types:

Static application security testing (SAST)

provides white-box testing which analyzes the source code while its components are at rest.

Dynamic application security testing (DAST)

provides black-box tests that models how applications are attacked from the outside.

Interactive application security testing (IAST)

provides instrumentation of the application code. The goal is to detect and report issues during runtime.

Software composition analysis (SCA)

scans the code and analyzes open source software components, looking for vulnerabilities and checking license compliance.

Incident Response

DAST vs. SAST

DAST solutions have unique advantages when protecting web applications:

  • A downside of SAST solutions is that they have to support the programming language and application framework in use by the application.
  • In DAST, only issues that represent a real risk are reported. With SAST it can be challenging to determine if a finding represents a real risk or not.
  • Modern DAST can be used as early as the build phase of the SDLC. You can simulate attacker behavior without lengthy pen-testing. SAST takes place earlier in the SDLC, but can only find issues in the code, not the full application.
  • DAST detects risks that occur due to complex interplay of modern frameworks, microservices, APIs, etc. SAST solutions are limited to code scanning.
  • In comparison to SAST, DAST is less likely to report false positives.

Dynamic analysis tools offer language agnostic capabilities, distinguishing them from SAST tools. They don't require the same programming language or framework as the application being scanned. Unlike SAST tools, dynamic application security testing solutions operate similarly to actual hackers by not having access to the source code. This characteristic grants dynamic analysis tools more real-world benefits.

Integrating DAST into the SDLC

Although it has been in existence since the mid-90s, DAST struggled to find its footing in the SDLC until recently when DevOps transformed the landscape. With the advent of dynamic analysis tools, DAST solutions can now be easily integrated with popular issue trackers like JIRA, GitHub, ServiceNow, and Slack. These solutions, just like other automated AST options, can also be incorporated with CI platforms such as Jenkins, CircleCI, TravisCI, JFrog Pipelines, or Azure DevOps. Consequently, organizations are increasingly looking to implement application security testing early in the SDLC to detect and address security concerns in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Compliance Management

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DAST Best Practices

By following these best practices, your organization can improve its overall security posture and avoid costly security breaches.

Enable Effective Collaboration with DevOps

To ensure that your organization's security is not compromised, it is important to follow certain best practices when utilizing Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools. One crucial aspect of this is to foster collaboration between the DAST and DevOps teams. By integrating the DAST tool with the ticketing and bug tracking systems used by DevOps, vulnerabilities can be easily and effectively addressed. This promotes a DevSecOps mindset, encouraging security to be a top priority in your organization.

Adopt Defensive Coding Practices

By designing preventive measures into the application during development, the application will be more secure and less vulnerable to attacks. Developers do not necessarily need formal security training to write secure code, but can benefit from basic precautions to ensure commonly exploited vulnerabilities are not present.

Use DAST as Early in the SDLC as Possible

Integrating DAST into the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) as early as possible is also key. Early testing can identify vulnerabilities before they make it into production, saving time and money on remediation efforts.

Integrate DAST with Your CI/CD Pipeline

Running DAST at every stage of the CI/CD pipeline, from early development to production deployment, can provide valuable insights and recommendations to identify and fix vulnerabilities quickly.

Warrior Network’s Next-Gen DAST Solution

Warrior Network’s stands apart from other DAST solutions in its development-centric approach. It has been purpose-built with the needs of developers in mind, offering automatic testing of applications and APIs for vulnerabilities with each and every build.
This all-encompassing solution conducts comprehensive tests on a range of targets, including web applications, internal applications, APIs (REST/SOAP/GraphQL), and serverside mobile applications. Bright integrates seamlessly with your existing workflows and tools, triggering scans on every commit, pull request, or build with unit testing. It boasts blazing-fast scans, allowing it to keep up with the fast pace of high-velocity development environments.

What sets Warrior’s Network’s apart is its intelligent interaction with applications and APIs, rather than simply guessing and crawling. Its AI-powered engine comprehends application architecture, and generates targeted and sophisticated attacks. Before reporting any findings, Bright verifies and exploits them to avoid false positives.

Endpoint Protection
24/7 Monitoring

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

SAST, a type of white-box testing, involves scrutinizing the at-rest source code to identify exploitable design and coding flaws. It enables you to evaluate the source code of your applications, bytes, and binaries. By utilizing SAST tools, external parties can be prevented from taking advantage of vulnerabilities present in the code.

A SAST scan is typically conducted using predefined rules that outline coding errors. Furthermore, it can be used to identify common security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, stack buffer overflow, and input validation errors.

It is possible to integrate SAST into the development and quality assurance process and synchronize it with integrated development environments (IDEs) and continuous integration (CI) servers.

Test Your Web App for 10,000+ Attacks

Integrate vulnerability testing into your DevOps pipeline. Find & fix vulnerabilities fast with zero false positives.

See Our Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) in Action

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Vulnerability Management

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP)

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) technology offers an additional layer of security for applications, as it detects and prevents real-time attacks. It operates by monitoring the application while it is running and stops any malicious activity that may not be identified by conventional security measures, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and antivirus software.

RASP functions by integrating security controls into either the application or the runtime environment. These controls monitor the application's conduct, identify suspicious activity, and take necessary action to stop the attack. For instance, RASP can obstruct SQL injection attacks, buffer overflows, and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

Test Your Web App for 10,000+ Attacks

Integrate vulnerability testing into your DevOps pipeline. Find & fix vulnerabilities fast with zero false positives.

See Our Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) in Action

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and see how easy AppSec can be

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

SCA tools perform automatic scanning of your application's codebase to ensure visibility into open source software usage.

These tools have the capability to identify all open source components present in your codebase, retrieve their license compliance data, and detect any common security vulnerabilities. Certain SCA tools even offer prioritization of open source vulnerabilities, along with insightful information and automated remediation measures.

Test Your Web App for 10,000+ Attacks

Integrate vulnerability testing into your DevOps pipeline. Find & fix vulnerabilities fast with zero false positives.

See Our Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) in Action

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and see how easy AppSec can be

Warrior Network

5 Types of Application Security Testing

What is Application Security Testing?

AST encompasses various methodologies aimed at identifying and removing software vulnerabilities. The security testing process entails tests, analyses, and reports that offer valuable insights into the security posture of a software application.

The application of the AST process can be extended throughout different stages of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). Its use can facilitate the detection and correction of software vulnerabilities before deployment to production, thereby minimizing the number of vulnerabilities that remain unaddressed. Additionally, implementing AST during production enables the consistent identification of serious threats.

Test Your Web App for 10,000+ Attacks

Integrate vulnerability testing into your DevOps pipeline. Find & fix vulnerabilities fast with zero false positives.

See Our Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) in Action

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5 Application Security Testing (AST) Solutions

AST won’t happen without tools. Let’s review five types of solutions that can help you test software
through the SDLC – from development to production.

Warrior Network

Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

SAST, a type of white-box testing, involves scrutinizing the at-rest source code to identify exploitable design and coding flaws. It enables you to evaluate the source code of your applications, bytes, and binaries. By utilizing SAST tools, external parties can be prevented from taking advantage of vulnerabilities present in the code.

A SAST scan is typically conducted using predefined rules that outline coding errors. Furthermore, it can be used to identify common security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, stack buffer overflow, and input validation errors.

It is possible to integrate SAST into the development and quality assurance process and synchronize it with integrated development environments (IDEs) and continuous integration (CI) servers.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

DAST is a type of black-box testing that imitates external attacks on an operating application in order to identify structural weaknesses and security flaws. By inspecting exposed interfaces, DAST endeavors to infiltrate the application from the outside to expose vulnerabilities and deficiencies.

In contrast, SAST tools scrutinize the source code of the application while it is at rest, performing a line-by-line examination. DAST, on the other hand, is executed when the application is running and can be utilized to test applications in various settings, including development and testing environments as well as production.

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)

The IAST tools and testers scan the post-build source code of your application in a dynamic environment. The test is usually performed in a test or QA environment and in real-time while the application is running. By employing IAST, you can pinpoint problematic lines of code and receive instant alerts that prompt immediate remediation.

IAST directly examines the source code after building it in a dynamic environment through code instrumentation. This process entails deploying agents and sensors into the application to analyze the code for vulnerability detection. Integrating IAST into your continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline is simple.

Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

SCA tools perform automatic scanning of your application's codebase to ensure visibility into open source software usage.

These tools have the capability to identify all open source components present in your codebase, retrievetheir license compliance data, and detect any common security vulnerabilities. Certain SCA tools even offer prioritization of open source vulnerabilities, along with insightful information and automated remediation measures.

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP)

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) technology offers an additional layer of security for applications, as it detects and prevents real-time attacks. It operates by monitoring the application while it is running and stops any malicious activity that may not be identified by conventional security measures, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and antivirus software.

RASP functions by integrating security controls into either the application or the runtime environment. These controls monitor the application's conduct, identify suspicious activity, and take necessary action to stop the attack. For instance, RASP can obstruct SQL injection attacks, buffer overflows, and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

3 Types of Application Security Testing

Application security testing can be categorized into three types: black-box, gray-box, and white-box testing.

Warrior Network

Black-Box Security Testing

When conducting black-box security testing, the tester or automated application is not privy to the internal operations of the system being tested. This enables the tester to simulate an authentic attack by an external entity.

The most significant benefit of black box testing is its comprehensive approach to testing application security, including evaluating security misconfigurations and the cohesion between security systems. A misconfiguration in the firewall, for instance, can be easily identified by black box testing, as it tries to gain access to the application as an external attacker would. Nevertheless, the downside of this approach is its inability to identify underlying application vulnerabilities.

Gray-Box Security Testing

When conducting gray-box security testing, either a tester or an automated test application possesses only limited information about the application. This mimics the situation of a privileged insider utilizing their knowledge to conduct a more complex attack, or a persistent threat engaging in comprehensive reconnaissance of the environment.

Gray box testing presents a crucial advantage in that it strikes a balance between testing depth and efficiency. It is capable of being precisely calibrated to concentrate on the most important security elements that necessitate testing. Its disadvantage is that the test may be skewed or unrealistic based on the information furnished to the tester.

White-Box Security Testing

White-box security testing allows a human tester or automated mechanism to access the inner workings of an application. An example of this type of testing is static application security testing (SAST), which scans source code for bugs and security flaws. This type of testing is beneficial because it can identify security issues such as misconfiguration, poor code quality, insecure coding practices, and business logic vulnerabilities that other tests may overlook. Despite its comprehensive approach, white-box testing may prioritize issues that cannot be easily exploited by an external attacker.

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Application Security Testing Best Practices

Effective AST requires a strategic approach. To start with, it is best to begin the process early on in the application development lifecycle, preferably during the design and planning phase. This enables the incorporation of security measures into the application from the outset, eliminating the need for retrospective measures. To achieve a comprehensive overview of the application's security status, a combination of both static and dynamic testing techniques is advisable. Testing should also be carried out on a regular basis, particularly when changes are made to the codebase. Prioritizing vulnerabilities is a critical component of the AST process, with an emphasis on tackling the most severe ones first. All stakeholders should be involved in the process, including developers, testers, and operations teams, to ensure that everyone is aware of potential risks and taking the necessary steps to mitigate them. Finally, it is essential to maintain continuous monitoring of the application and respond promptly to any new vulnerabilities identified.

Warrior Network
Threat Intelligence

Application Security Testing with Warrior Networks

To establish a comprehensive application security program, it is crucial to identify and address security vulnerabilities at an early stage and frequently. As development methodologies become more agile, and continuous integration and delivery (CICD) processes gain traction, security testing should be moved to the left, closer to developers.

To accomplish this, it is essential to implement developer-centric security testing tools such as Warrior Network’s DAST scanner. The tool is designed explicitly for DevOps and CICD, enabling developers to take ownership of the security testing process. It boasts a wide range of key features, including comprehensive testing of both web applications and APIs (SOAP, REST, GraphQL), reliable results with zero false positives, seamless integration with automation, and fast, easy-to-use feedback loops across all your pipelines. The scanner also provides straightforward remediation guidelines, facilitating quick resolution of security issues, including automatic detection of business logic vulnerabilities.

Test Your Web App for 10,000+ Attacks

Integrate vulnerability testing into your DevOps pipeline. Find & fix vulnerabilities fast with zero false positives.

See Our Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) in Action

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and see how easy AppSec can be