Application security is essential for ensuring secure software development practices and mitigating security issues within applications. AppSec platforms encompass a range of techniques, among them are application scanning tools. By embedding security in integrated development environments, continuous integration tools, repositories, and runtime environments, these scans enhance the security of the development lifecycle.

In this article, we will explore different types of scans that organizations can implement to strengthen their application security practices, identify vulnerabilities, and ensure compliance with security standards.

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Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

SAST is a white-box vulnerability scan that examines the application’s source code at rest. It helps identify security vulnerabilities and faulty code that may pose a threat.

Open Source Scanning (OSS/SCA)

Open Source Scanning, also known as Software Composition Analysis (SCA), provides visibility into the open-source components used in applications. By leveraging binary fingerprints and proprietary intelligence, it matches accurate scans against the open-source inventory and provides developers with actionable insights.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Scanning

IaC scanning focuses on identifying misconfigurations and exposed secrets within infrastructure templates like Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes manifests, Helm and more.

Container Registry Scanning

Container scanning plays a crucial role in maintaining trust in container images. It examines the components within an image or container to assess their risk posture. This helps prevent the deployment of vulnerable or compromised containers in production environments.

Secret Scanning

Secret scanning is a security feature that scans the entire history of your Git repository, including all branches, on GitHub (or other SCM). Its purpose is to identify and prevent potential security threats that may arise from the inadvertent exposure of sensitive information. This scanning process specifically targets secrets like passwords, API keys, and other credentials that should be kept confidential. By detecting these secrets, organizations can take appropriate measures to mitigate security risks and protect their sensitive data.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)

DAST is a black-box assessment that evaluates the security of applications without access to their internals or source code.