Application Security Testing
Best Practices

What is Application Security Testing and Why is it Important?

Application security testing is the systematic evaluation of software source code and runtime environments to identify vulnerabilities, which is critical for protecting enterprise data and preventing catastrophic financial losses from cyberattacks.

Application security testing evaluates the structural integrity of software systems to uncover weaknesses exploited by malicious actors. It involves a series of technical methodologies, including code reviews, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing. As global business operations transition entirely to application-based services, these platforms become primary targets for threat actors. Successful attacks on vulnerable applications lead directly to massive data breaches, system downtime, severe financial losses, and irreparable reputational damage.

Best Practices for Application Security Testing

Executing application security testing effectively requires organizations to implement comprehensive strategies, involve security experts early, and automate continuous testing throughout the software development lifecycle.

Develop a rigorous security testing strategy covering all stages of the software development lifecycle. This strategy must include a combination of automated and manual testing techniques, utilizing both static analysis and dynamic analysis to uncover deep architectural flaws.

Integrate security personnel early in the development process to ensure secure architecture is embedded from the start. This proactive approach identifies potential vulnerabilities before they become prohibitively expensive to remediate. This principle is especially vital when organizations execute major digital initiatives, such as attempting to accelerate SAP S/4HANA transformations or migrating to cloud environments.

Deploy a variety of testing techniques, such as black-box, white-box, and gray-box testing, to identify diverse types of vulnerabilities. Combining these methodologies provides a highly comprehensive view of the application’s true security posture.

Actively test for widespread vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF), as these represent the most frequently exploited attack vectors used by cybercriminals.

Execute regular security testing throughout the application lifecycle to identify and mitigate new vulnerabilities introduced by recent code commits. This ensures the application remains secure as developers add new features and functionality.

Integrate security testing directly into the development pipeline using continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools. This practice helps organizations strengthen DevSecOps by identifying vulnerabilities instantly and preventing insecure code from reaching production.

Prioritize vulnerabilities based on objective severity metrics and potential business impact. Executing a structured SAP vulnerability management strategy ensures security operations centers focus their limited resources on the most critical threats first.

Inspect third-party components and open-source libraries used within the application to ensure they are free of vulnerabilities and do not introduce severe supply chain risks into the enterprise environment.

Perform regular updates and application patching to address newly discovered vulnerabilities. Establishing a structured SAP Patch Day process ensures the underlying architecture remains hardened against modern exploit techniques.

Document and communicate all security testing findings to developers, IT management, and security operations teams. Standardized reporting ensures vulnerabilities are tracked to remediation and stakeholders maintain full visibility over the application risk profile.

Types of Application Security Testing

There are several types of application security testing techniques that organizations can use to identify vulnerabilities and ensure the security of their applications. Here are some of the most common types of application security testing:

SAST involves analyzing the application’s source code and identifying potential vulnerabilities, such as insecure coding practices, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting. SAST tools can analyze the entire codebase, including libraries and frameworks used in the application, to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

DAST involves analyzing the application while it is running and sending input to the application to identify vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting. DAST tools can also identify other vulnerabilities, such as authentication and authorization issues, and can be used to simulate attacks on the application to identify potential weaknesses

IAST combines the benefits of both SAST and DAST by analyzing the application’s source code while it is running. IAST tools can identify vulnerabilities in real-time and provide feedback to developers to help them address the issues before they become more difficult and expensive to fix.

Penetration testing involves simulating attacks on the application to identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. Penetration testing can be performed manually or using automated tools, and can be used to identify vulnerabilities such as weak passwords, unsecured configurations, and unpatched vulnerabilities.

Mobile application security testing involves analyzing mobile applications for vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. Mobile application security testing can include testing for vulnerabilities such as data leakage, encryption weaknesses, and insecure storage of sensitive data.

Container security testing involves analyzing containers used in the application to ensure that they are secure and do not introduce new vulnerabilities. Container security testing can include analyzing container images for vulnerabilities, identifying container configuration issues, and testing for runtime vulnerabilities.

Cloud security testing involves analyzing cloud-based applications and services for vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. Cloud security testing can include analyzing cloud configuration settings, identifying cloud storage vulnerabilities, and testing for access control issues.

Characteristics of End-to-End Application Security Testing

End-to-end application security testing refers to the comprehensive testing of an application’s security throughout its entire lifecycle, from design and development to deployment and operation. Here are some characteristics of end-to-end application security testing:

End-to-end application security testing involves testing every aspect of an application’s security, including its architecture, design, source code, and runtime environment. This ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and addressed at every stage of the application’s lifecycle.

End-to-end application security testing is an ongoing process that should be integrated into the development and deployment pipeline. This ensures that security issues are identified and addressed as soon as they arise, reducing the risk of attackers exploiting vulnerabilities.

End-to-end application security testing involves collaboration between developers, security teams, and other stakeholders. This ensures that everyone is aware of potential security risks and that security is incorporated into every aspect of the application’s development and deployment.

End-to-end application security testing relies heavily on automation to identify vulnerabilities and ensure consistent testing across all stages of the application’s lifecycle. Automated testing tools can be used to test for common vulnerabilities and provide feedback to developers in real-time.

End-to-end application security testing is risk-based, meaning that vulnerabilities are prioritized based on their severity and potential impact on the application and the organization. This ensures that resources are focused on addressing the most critical vulnerabilities first.

End-to-end application security testing is scalable, meaning that it can be adapted to suit the needs of applications of all sizes and complexity levels. This ensures that even large and complex applications can be thoroughly tested for security vulnerabilities.

End-to-end application security testing involves documenting all findings and ensuring that stakeholders are aware of the application’s security posture. This helps to ensure that vulnerabilities are addressed and that everyone involved in the application’s development and deployment is aware of potential security risks.

Onapsis Application Security Testing Control

Onapsis Control for Application Security Testing

Automating application security testing with Onapsis Control enables organizations to build security directly into development pipelines and resolve SAP custom code errors instantly.

Powered by research and insights from the Onapsis Research Labs, Onapsis Control provides advanced SAP application security testing specifically designed for proprietary SAP environments. Security teams utilize the platform to achieve the following:

  • Reduce time spent on code reviews: Enable automated code scanning assessments and eliminate manual processes to identify vulnerabilities quickly and accurately. Step-by-step instructions accelerate the remediation process for developers.
  • Reduce costly errors in production: Gain deep visibility into application transports to block or mitigate critical errors. The platform prevents insecure code and misconfigured transports from reaching production systems, saving significant operational costs.
  • Prioritize code issue resolution based on impact: Utilize predefined test cases to scan millions of lines of code in minutes. The platform prioritizes mitigation efforts using objective impact and probability ratings across security, compliance, and code performance categories.
  • One-click resolution for common code errors: Accelerate code review cycles by deploying automated remediation tools to find and fix common structural errors in bulk code instantly.

Further Reading

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Onapsis offer any tools for secure software development?

Onapsis offers specialized tools for secure software development through the Onapsis Control platform. This platform provides automated application security testing to identify vulnerabilities and enforce secure coding standards directly within the software development lifecycle. By deploying Onapsis Control, organizations prevent insecure code and transport errors from reaching production enterprise systems.

How does Onapsis help with managing vulnerabilities in business applications?

Onapsis helps manage vulnerabilities in business applications by automating code scanning assessments to identify structural flaws and insecure configurations accurately. The platform prioritizes these identified vulnerabilities based on objective severity metrics and potential business impact. This capability enables security operations centers to execute a highly structured SAP vulnerability management strategy, focusing remediation efforts on the most critical threats first.

How does Onapsis support secure development practices for cloud-based systems?

Onapsis supports secure development practices for cloud-based systems by integrating automated security testing directly into continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. This ensures custom code and third-party components undergo thorough evaluation for cloud-specific vulnerabilities before operational deployment. This proactive approach helps organizations securely accelerate SAP S/4HANA transformations and modern cloud infrastructure migrations.

Which cybersecurity tools offer support for secure development processes in enterprise applications?

Cybersecurity tools that offer support for secure development processes include Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), and Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) solutions. Platforms designed for enterprise environments consolidate these testing methodologies to provide a comprehensive view of the true application security posture. Security teams utilize these automated tools to uncover deep architectural flaws and strengthen DevSecOps workflows.

How does Onapsis ensure ongoing compliance for business applications?

Onapsis ensures ongoing compliance for business applications by continuously scanning source code against predefined test cases mapped to major regulatory standards. The platform evaluates millions of lines of code to verify strict adherence to security and data loss prevention mandates. By generating standardized documentation, organizations achieve automated compliance and provide auditors with complete visibility over the application risk profile.