How to Enhance Security by Integrating SAST and DAST in CI/CD?

Introduction

In today’s fast-moving world of software development, making sure your code is secure is more important than ever. Developers are writing and pushing code fast, but it has to be safe before it goes live. A great way to keep things secure is by using SAST (Static Application Security Testing) and DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) in your CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines. These testing methods help find problems early, making your applications safer and more reliable.

In this article, we’ll talk about what SAST and DAST are, how they are different, and how to use them in a CI/CD pipeline to make your application more secure. We’ll also provide easy examples and best practices for building security into the development process.

What Are SAST and DAST?

Before we talk about how to use these tools, let’s understand what SAST and DAST are and why they’re important for security.

SAST (Static Application Security Testing)

SAST is a method that checks the source code or the built code of an application to find security issues. It is done early in the development cycle, even before the app is fully built. SAST helps find problems like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows.

The main advantage of SAST is that it finds security problems before the code is built and sent to production. This saves time and money. It also gives developers feedback while they’re writing the code, so they can fix security issues right away. Finding and fixing problems early makes the process less complicated and less costly.

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)

DAST is different because it tests an application while it is running. It doesn’t need to see the source code. Instead, it interacts with the app like a user would, finding security issues that happen during runtime. DAST is useful for spotting issues like authentication problems, server misconfigurations, and runtime security flaws.

DAST is usually done later in the process, after the app has been deployed to a testing or pre-production environment. This method helps find vulnerabilities by simulating real-world attacks, making sure the final product is secure before it goes live.

The Benefits of Combining SAST and DAST

Using both SAST and DAST gives you a complete security solution that looks at both the code and how the application works when running. Here are some benefits of combining them:

Early Detection and Prevention: SAST finds problems in the code early, while DAST catches runtime issues before they reach production.
Broader Coverage: SAST checks the source code, and DAST tests the application when it’s running, covering more areas where problems can happen.
Shift-Left Security: Combining SAST and DAST allows security checks to happen earlier in the development process, which reduces risks and saves costs.
Team Collaboration: Using both SAST and DAST makes security a shared responsibility between developers, security, and operations teams. This collaboration helps make security part of every step of the development process.

Integrating SAST and DAST into CI/CD

Adding SAST and DAST to your CI/CD pipeline can help keep your application secure by finding vulnerabilities early. Below, we explain how to do this step by step.

Step 1: Choose the Right Tools

There are many tools you can use for both SAST and DAST, including open-source and enterprise options. Popular SAST tools include SonarQube, Checkmarx, and Bandit (for Python). For DAST, common tools are OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, and Acunetix.

When choosing a tool, think about how well it integrates with your current setup, how easy it is to use, and if it can be automated within your CI/CD pipeline—automation is key to keeping things efficient.

Step 2: Automate Security Testing in the CI/CD Pipeline

Automation makes sure that security testing happens consistently. You can integrate SAST tools during the build phase of your CI/CD pipeline. This means every time a developer pushes code, the SAST tool automatically scans it for problems and gives feedback. This way, security checks happen as part of the usual workflow without extra effort.

For DAST, the testing usually happens after the app is deployed to a testing environment. The DAST tool will run automated tests against the running application, finding weaknesses. Automating both SAST and DAST lets your team spend more time fixing issues rather than finding them.

Below is an example of how to add SAST and DAST to a GitLab CI/CD pipeline using SonarQube for SAST and OWASP ZAP for DAST:

stages:
  - test
  - dast

sast:
  stage: test
  script:
    - echo "Running Static Application Security Testing (SAST) with SonarQube"
    - sonar-scanner -Dsonar.projectKey=my_project -Dsonar.sources=. -Dsonar.host.url=http://localhost:9000 -Dsonar.login=$SONARQUBE_TOKEN
  only:
    - merge_requests


dast:
  stage: dast
  script:
    - echo "Running Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) with OWASP ZAP"
    - docker run -t owasp/zap2docker-stable zap-baseline.py -t $CI_ENVIRONMENT_URL
  only:
    - master

dast_scan:
  stage: dast
  script:
    - zap-cli quick-scan https://example.com

Step 3: Set Up Quality Gates

To make sure security issues are fixed quickly, set up quality gates in your CI/CD pipeline. Quality gates are like checkpoints that have to be passed for the build to continue. For example, if SAST finds major vulnerabilities, the build will stop until those issues are fixed.

Quality gates help make sure that vulnerable code doesn’t get released, keeping your application secure.

Step 4: Provide Developer Training and Feedback

Security tools only work well if developers know how to use them and understand the results. Include developer training as part of your workflow so that everyone knows how to read the results from SAST and DAST.

Provide clear, easy-to-follow feedback when vulnerabilities are found. This helps developers fix their mistakes and learn how to write more secure code. Regular training sessions can also help keep the team updated on the best security practices.

Step 5: Continuous Monitoring and Improvement

Security isn’t a one-time task. To keep your app secure, you need to continuously monitor and improve your security practices. Make sure your SAST and DAST tools are updated to detect the latest vulnerabilities.

Also, review your CI/CD pipeline regularly to find areas to improve, like adding new security checks or making the integration process smoother. Continuous monitoring helps detect new vulnerabilities and makes sure they’re addressed quickly.

Best Practices for Integrating SAST and DAST

Start Early: Add SAST as soon as possible in the development cycle to catch issues before they become bigger problems.
Automate Everything: Automate SAST and DAST scans so they run every time new code is pushed or deployed.
Prioritize Vulnerabilities: Not all vulnerabilities are equally dangerous. Use risk assessments to decide which issues need to be fixed first. Focus on fixing the critical ones to reduce risks.
Use OWASP Top 10 as a Guide: The OWASP Top 10 list helps identify common security issues. Make sure your SAST and DAST tools are configured to look for these issues.
Create a Blameless Culture: Make sure developers feel comfortable talking about security issues without worrying about blame. This helps everyone work together to improve security.
Update Security Tools Regularly: Keep SAST and DAST tools updated so they can find the latest threats. This is important as security risks keep evolving.

Conclusion

Integrating SAST and DAST into your CI/CD pipeline is an excellent way to boost the security of your applications. By using both static and dynamic testing, you can catch vulnerabilities throughout the development process, from coding to deployment. This helps prevent security issues and builds a culture of secure coding within your team.

The key to successful integration is choosing the right tools, automating the tests, and continuously improving your security practices. With these strategies, your team can deliver secure, reliable software faster and with more confidence. By making security a part of every stage of development, you protect both your users and your organization from potential threats.