What is Interactive Application Security Testing

Posted by alvina on January 31st, 2018

The traditional dynamic application security testing which is used to scan vulnerabilities consumes time and needs special skills and in the modern, innovative scenario it can be a setback. To implement this is more challenging as it cannot align with the modern settings. As a futuristic testing tool for security, the answer is interactive application security testing or IAST.

Let us know more about IAST.

Passive and active IAST

You have two methodologies in IAST passive and active. Throughout the testing stages, these depend on the application within it. The difference between the two methods is technological and how they fit into the developed scenario.

Induced IAST

Also known as active IAST the detection capabilities of it are based on external sources that trigger the agent inside the application. For activation, it would need a DAST tool and IAST completes what DAST lacks. But this cannot deliver fast turnaround because of this dependence.

Self-induced IAST

Passive IAST means using the agent inside the application independently and it can monitor and analyze the code passively during the runtime of the application itself. The vulnerabilities are sought by running a code scanner. The application is not attacked by this IAST. Another security is also not affected by the testing process running at the same time. It can be used along with modern development processes and immediate results can be achieved.

Fitting of IAST into CI/CD environ

Monitoring the running application, the passive IAST can integrate into the automation process of testing. With the monitoring agent it can know the source of the tester thus data can be collected and makes gives the security results immediately. Thus it can be considered as ideal for CI/CD. The time taken is minimal and detects the vulnerabilities during the tests and detects the application immediately.

IAST advantages

1. Code coverage- it is extensive and better than DAST.
2. Vulnerabilities- run during the runtime of application and can detect sensitive data what DAST cannot.
3. Immediate feedback- the time-consuming DAST is obsolete and today IAST is the preferred tool. This helps save time and money. It provides instant result, feedback and remedial measures too.
4. Zero configuration - the IAST has no configuration and it can be considered as its biggest advantage. Built with modern techniques and environs it runs, tests, analyzes at the same time automatically and also continuously. CI/CD and DevOps are built by teams using the IAST security becomes easy. The scanning for vulnerabilities is continuous.