Dynamic application security testing (DAST) tools are part of a shift-left security strategy, designed to identify vulnerabilities in real-time. Choosing the right tool can be challenging, so here are some top options and their use cases.
As businesses aim to shift security earlier in development, maintaining vigilance post-launch is essential. With cyber threats increasingly targeting live applications, relying solely on post-production testing is risky. In fact, half of security professionals report that developers miss identifying 75% of security vulnerabilities.
This is where DAST comes in—a dynamic approach to testing that evaluates applications during runtime to ensure no gaps go unnoticed. While there are many DAST tools to choose from, adding one more solution to your DevOps pipeline without understanding its fit and integration with your current stack could be counterproductive. To help, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best DAST tools available.
What Is DAST and How Does It Work?
The DAST framework takes an “outside-in” approach by simulating attacks on applications, using “black box” testing that interacts with the running application without accessing its source code—just as a real attacker might.
DAST differs from SAST, which examines the application’s source code and dependencies. By sending automated requests and payloads to the app (emulating malicious attempts), DAST observes its behavior and responses, scanning for vulnerabilities such as SQL injections and cross-site scripting (XSS). When it detects vulnerabilities, DAST tools provide a report detailing the type, severity, and location of the issue, helping developers resolve them more quickly. Most DAST tools are automated and operate continuously, similar to ongoing security monitoring tools.
Integrating additional testing methods, such as SAST and SCA, enhances DAST’s effectiveness. For example, SCA tools act as targeted static security testers, focusing on open-source libraries and frameworks connected to the system. Adopting a layered testing approach provides stronger protection for your applications.
Top 10 DAST Tools
1. Intruder
Intruder’s web app vulnerability scanner scans websites and applications for security flaws and vulnerabilities. It helps assess your risk level and prioritize remediation efforts based on the severity of the vulnerabilities found.
Features
- Monitors your attack surface, identifying potential vulnerabilities and how they might be exploited
- Quick setup for scanning, ready to go within minutes
- Continuous network scanning for ongoing protection
- Excellent customer support
- Easy integration into your CI/CD pipeline for streamlined DevOps processes
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Ideal for manual penetration testing
- Affordable for individual users or small teams
Cons:
- Requires expertise in manual testing
- Limited integrations with other tools
2. OWASP ZAP
OWASP ZAP is a free, open-source tool supported by an international team of dedicated volunteers. It offers key features like active scanning, alerting, anti-CSRF tokens, authentication options, breakpoints, and passive scanning.
Features
- Automatically passively scans traffic and actively probes for vulnerabilities
- Detects a wide range of vulnerabilities, including SQL injection, XSS, and insecure direct object references
- Customizable scans through ZAP’s scripting engine and add-ons
- Generates detailed reports on vulnerabilities, including risk levels, exploit details, and remediation guidance
- Allows recording and replaying of web application sessions for testing
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Free and open-source
- Highly customizable with plugins and extensions
- User-friendly and intuitive
- Comprehensive black-box scanning
- Suitable for both beginners and advanced testers
Cons:
- Steep learning curve for advanced features
- Limited integrations for specific workflows
3. Acunetix
Acunetix offers dynamic application security testing to detect vulnerabilities and analyze web application behavior. It includes a fully automated crawler that can handle complex custom HTML5 sites and single-page applications (SPAs), supporting a zero-trust security approach.
Features
- Ultra-fast scans that immediately reveal vulnerabilities as they’re discovered
- Capability to scan multiple environments simultaneously
- Displays exact lines of code needing fixes, eliminating the need to search
- Offers both standard and premium support
- Allows unlimited user access at no additional cost
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Covers a broad spectrum of vulnerabilities
- User-friendly for quick, basic scans
- Provides detailed reports with vulnerability insights and recommendations
- Budget-friendly options for cost-conscious teams
Cons:
- Advanced features require some learning
- Fewer integrations compared to some competitors
4. Jit
Though not exclusively a DAST tool, Jit is a DevSecOps platform that orchestrates DAST tools like OWASP ZAP and other security testing methods, such as SAST and SCA, within your CI/CD pipeline. It enables DevOps teams to establish and automate security processes, simplifying the management of security controls across the SSDLC. Jit’s platform also provides real-time remediation suggestions and consolidated findings from various tools in a single dashboard.
Features
- Fast, automated scanning directly within GitHub
- Scans only newly introduced code, allowing developers to address vulnerabilities relevant to their changes
- Tracks security metrics like MTTR and production vulnerabilities
- Easily integrates any tool into Jit’s extensible orchestration framework
- Uses Jit’s Context Engine to assess whether vulnerabilities are exploitable in production, reducing alert fatigue
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Developer-friendly, with a focus on an improved development experience across platforms
- Easy identification and remediation of code issues
- Unifies and orchestrates all tools
- Cloud-based and user-friendly
- Cost-effective compared to enterprise solutions
Cons:
- Limited scalability
5. Checkmarx
Checkmarx offers key features like real-time analysis to assess running applications and timely alerts for issues arising from recent code changes. It seamlessly integrates into existing development and security workflows.
Features
- Reduces risk across all software components, including proprietary code, open-source code, APIs, and infrastructure as code
- Enhances accuracy and prioritization of vulnerability detection with additional testing options
- Focuses on critical issues by correlating findings from multiple security assessments
- Easily integrates with preferred development tools and platforms
- Provides training resources to help developers create more secure code
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Scalable and customizable
- Combines SAST, DAST, and SCA for a comprehensive security analysis
- Delivers detailed reports with actionable insights
- Well-suited for large organizations with complex security requirements
Cons:
- Requires resources for implementation and training
- Complex user interface
6. Veracode
Veracode is a robust cloud-native platform that mitigates risks across all modern software elements, including proprietary code, APIs, and infrastructure as code (IaC). It supports simultaneous scanning of hundreds of web apps and APIs, providing developers with detailed alerts in its dashboard.
Features
- Easily launch dynamic scans to quickly detect and address runtime vulnerabilities
- Scans live applications to identify vulnerabilities during runtime, covering web apps, APIs, and mobile apps
- Offers detailed reports with information on vulnerabilities, risk scores, and actionable remediation steps
- Automates security tasks and workflows across the SDLC
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Broad vulnerability coverage
- Integrated penetration testing and software composition analysis (SCA)
- Strong integrations and reporting capabilities
- Scalable and secure for enterprise needs
Cons:
- Higher enterprise-level pricing
- Steeper learning curve
- More complex setup and management
📚 Also Read: Application Security Audit: Identify & Fix App Vulnerabilities
7. AppCheck
AppCheck provides comprehensive automated testing for ad-hoc, scheduled, and continuous security assessments. It covers full OWASP vulnerability categories, including injection, XSS, RCE, zero-day vulnerabilities, and over 100,000 known security flaws.
Features
- Scans APIs, SPAs, infrastructure, and modern web applications
- Utilizes a powerful browser-based crawler
- Dynamic fuzzing technology offers deeper visibility into the attack surface
- Unlimited scans and users
- Regular updates with hourly refreshes
- Advanced out-of-band detection techniques for uncovering hidden issues
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- User-friendly interface, ideal for beginners
- Provides clear, actionable reports
- Includes interactive fuzzing and manual testing options
- Comprehensive internal and external security coverage
- Detects over 100,000 known security flaws
Cons:
- Limited integrations with other tools
- Primarily focused on black-box testing
8. Detectify
Detectify is a cloud-based EASM platform focused on surface monitoring and application scanning. Its automated discovery and continuous monitoring features help DevSecOps teams identify and address vulnerabilities, with easy integration into Slack, Jira, and Splunk workflows.
Features
- 99.7% accurate vulnerability assessments
- Continuous discovery and monitoring of all internet-facing assets you host
- Full coverage of your public DNS footprint, including ports
- Custom-built application scanning for in-depth findings
- Access to a dedicated customer success manager
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Comprehensive coverage of security issues
- Detailed reports with executive summaries
- Managed security services for seamless integration
Cons:
- Requires some setup and technical expertise
- Enterprise-grade pricing
- Less customizable compared to competitors
9. Spectral
Though not exclusively a DAST tool, Spectral, part of Cloud Guard, provides DAST testing capabilities. Powered by AI, it helps strengthen security posture by allowing developers to detect blind spots and potential issues as early as the pre-commit stage.
Features
- Automates secret protection processes during build time
- Monitors and detects API keys, tokens, credentials, security misconfigurations, and other threats in real-time
- Continuously identifies and monitors public blind spots, supply chain vulnerabilities, and proprietary code assets across multiple data sources
- Enables seamless integration of custom playbooks, detectors, and mitigation policies throughout the SDLC
- Uses advanced AI with over 2000 detectors to proactively identify potential data breaches
- Provides real-time alerts on Slack and integrates with JIRA workflows
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Designed for modern applications
- Easy integration with CI/CD pipelines
- Developer-friendly interface
- Precise API vulnerability detection
Cons:
- Limited focus beyond API security
- Relatively new technology
10. SOOS SCA + DAST
SOOS SCA + DAST combines both SCA and DAST features in a single platform. It enables users to address open-source vulnerabilities with SCA while simultaneously scanning web apps and APIs based on OpenAPI, SOAP, or GraphQL standards. The unified dashboard allows for continuous monitoring of license issues, policy violations, and security concerns across all projects.
Features
- Patented deep tree scanning quickly identifies and resolves open-source vulnerabilities during each build
- Manage, suppress, and provide attestations for issues across multiple projects and branches
- Automates tracking of open-source license exposure
- Supports SBOM management in Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) or CycloneDX formats
- Integrated dashboard to oversee security issues (SCA, DAST, Containers, SAST, IaC, and SBOMs)
- Easy integration with CI/CD systems and Issue Manager
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Cloud-based and easy to use
- Clear reports with prioritized vulnerabilities
- Cost-effective for smaller teams
Cons:
- Limited integrations with other tools
- Less extensive vulnerability coverage compared to some competitors
Benefits of Having a DAST Tool
- Real-world and real-time testing: DAST solutions simulate real-world attacks, providing real-time insights into how an application would respond to actual threats.
- Full application coverage: DAST tools interact with all exposed application interfaces, ensuring complete coverage.
- Ease of use: Since DAST doesn’t require access to the source code, it’s easier to use, particularly for third-party applications where the source code may not be available.
- Detection of runtime vulnerabilities: DAST tools are particularly effective at identifying vulnerabilities that surface only during runtime, such as authentication and server configuration issues.
- Scalability: These tools can be automated and integrated into the SDLC, enabling easier scaling of security testing across multiple applications.
- Meeting regulatory compliance: Many industry regulations, such as HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC2, mandate dynamic testing methods to ensure proper data protection and application security.
Key Features Your DAST Tool Should Have
- Complete automated coverage: Your tool should continuously scan all exposed application interfaces to identify potential vulnerabilities.
- Integration: Ensure that your DAST tool integrates seamlessly into your existing DevSecOps pipeline, helping streamline your security testing process. DevSecOps platforms like Jit allow you to consolidate your security strategy, automating and managing all your security tools and controls in one platform.
- Real-time insights: Your tool should provide detailed, accurate reports with remediation suggestions based on real-time data, enabling you to prioritize and automate an effective risk mitigation workflow without causing disruption or operational overhead.
- Comprehensive data: Make sure your DAST tool minimizes false positives, offering only accurate and actionable alerts.
FAQ’s
What is Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)?
DAST is a security testing methodology that simulates real-world attacks to identify vulnerabilities in running applications. It operates by testing an application during runtime without accessing its source code, mimicking how attackers would exploit security flaws such as SQL injections or cross-site scripting (XSS).
How does DAST differ from Static Application Security Testing (SAST)?
While SAST examines an application’s source code and dependencies for vulnerabilities, DAST takes a black-box approach by testing the application in its running state. DAST identifies runtime vulnerabilities, such as issues that only appear when the application is actively in use, which SAST might miss.
Why is DAST important for modern security practices?
DAST is crucial because it provides real-time insights into how an application would respond to actual threats. It helps identify runtime vulnerabilities that could be exploited after the application is deployed, making it an essential part of a comprehensive security strategy, especially as cyber threats increasingly target live applications.
How do DAST tools help with regulatory compliance?
Many industry regulations, including HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC2, require dynamic testing methods to ensure that applications are secure and data is protected. DAST tools can help meet these requirements by continuously identifying vulnerabilities in applications during runtime and ensuring that security gaps are addressed.
How can DAST tools improve my DevOps pipeline?
DAST tools can streamline the security testing process within your DevOps pipeline by automating vulnerability detection and providing real-time remediation suggestions. By integrating DAST into your CI/CD pipeline, you can proactively address vulnerabilities before they affect production environments, reducing risks and operational overhead.
Can DAST tools help in scaling security testing across multiple applications?
Yes, DAST tools can be automated and integrated into the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), making it easier to scale security testing efforts across multiple applications. They enable teams to continuously monitor and detect vulnerabilities in a scalable manner, ensuring comprehensive protection for all applications.
What is the role of DAST in a layered security approach?
DAST is a crucial part of a layered security approach. By complementing other security methods such as Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Software Composition Analysis (SCA), DAST provides real-time, runtime security insights, helping to ensure that all potential vulnerabilities are detected and addressed, both during development and post-launch.
Conclusion
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools are essential for identifying vulnerabilities in real-time, especially as applications become more complex and exposed to evolving cyber threats. By taking an outside-in approach and simulating real-world attacks, DAST tools provide valuable insights into an application’s security posture during runtime. Integrating DAST with other security methods like SAST and SCA enhances its effectiveness and ensures comprehensive protection. Choosing the right DAST tool requires careful consideration of your specific needs, existing workflows, and scalability. However, once integrated effectively, DAST tools can help mitigate risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and ultimately contribute to a more secure software development lifecycle.