2 min read

What is static application security testing?

Kirsten Peremore Jan 5, 2025 9:01:35 AM

Cybersecurity

What is static application security testing?

Static application security testing operates as a “white box” testing approach, meaning it analyzes an application's internal workings by examining its source code, bytecode, or binary code without executing the program. The strategy allows developers to identify and address vulnerabilities early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC) before deploying the application.

A conference paper from the 2019 IEEE/ACM 41st International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering in Practice notes, “SAST performs static program analysis for finding software vulnerabilities, and is different from dynamic approaches that require penetration tests. Hence, SAST can detect potential vulnerabilities that remain uncovered after in-house testing.” By scanning for common security flaws, SAST tools can flag potential issues that align with established security standards.

How static application security testing works

Developers provide the source code, bytecode, or binary code to the SAST tool for analysis.
The SAST tool parses the code to create an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST), representing the structure and components of the code.
The tool performs control flow analysis to understand the execution paths through the code.
It conducts data flow analysis to track how data moves between variables and functions in the code.
The SAST tool applies predefined security rules and policies based on industry standards to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Using pattern matching and semantic analysis, the tools scan the AST for coding patterns that may lead to security issues.
The SAST tool generates a report detailing detected vulnerabilities, their severity, and suggested remediation steps.
Developers review the report and make necessary changes to the source code to fix identified vulnerabilities.
The updated code is re-scanned by the SAST tools to ensure that vulnerabilities have been adequately addressed.

The application of static application security testing to healthcare software

SAST is particularly beneficial to electronic health record (EHR) systems, patient management applications, and telehealth platforms. Incorporating SAST tools into these applications during development allows organizations to proactively identify coding errors that could lead to data breaches or unauthorized access to protected health information (PHI). For example, SAST can help ensure that input validation is properly implemented, preventing malicious users from exploiting weaknesses in the code to gain access to patient records.

Its integration into continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines allows for ongoing security assessments throughout the development process. New features can be added, existing code can be modified, and any introduced vulnerabilities can be quickly identified and addressed.