The SAST (Static Application Security Testing) methodology includes tools and technologies designed to detect the presence of flaws and vulnerabilities in the source code of an application. As opposed to dynamic testing, this methodology is based on a so-called static test of the code. In other words, it is an integral part of the “Security by design” process according to which the security of an application’s development is at the heart of its design, upstream of its release.
A SAST campaign can then be used, for example, to detect weak random number generator code, find buffer overflows, spot SQL injection possibilities, point out cross-site scripting flaws and identify various potential hotspots that malicious actors could exploit.