Qualys DAST is a top dynamic application security testing (DAST). This testing involves safely evaluating a running application from the outside to detect security flaws. It works by actively simulating attacks on running applications to detect security weaknesses, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other common web vulnerabilities.

In this blog, you will explore Qualys DAST, Qualys DAST or SAST, how Qualys DAST operates, key features of Qualys DAST, an overview of the Qualys dashboard, specific compliance features and reporting tools, challenges and limitations, and finally, alternatives to Qualys Dynamic Application Security Testing.

Let’s get started

What is Qualys DAST?

Qualys Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is a cloud-based tool that automatically detects security problems in web applications and APIs. It plays a key role in modern app security, with automatic scanning features, wide coverage, and detailed reports on its security status.

Qualys DAST offers extensive scan coverage and compliance features, among many others, making it a good choice for organizations that host multiple web applications and APIs. Furthermore, users new to web application security testing can find Qualys DAST especially useful.

You should invest time in properly learning how to use the tool to its full potential. Fortunately, Qualys provides ample resources and support to help users navigate their platform effectively.

Is Qualys DAST or SAST?

It offers a DAST solution that rigorously tests web applications and APIs during runtime without needing access to their source code. It differs from the SAST approach of directly scrutinizing application source code.

Qualys DAST, Dynamic Application Security Testing, actively seeks out security vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs while they run. Instead, it mirrors real-world hacking techniques, uncovering exploitable vulnerabilities and offering a practical insight into the application's security status.

Conversely, SAST, or Static Application Security Testing, carefully examines the application's source code. It finds faults, weaknesses, and important security risks in the source code.

How Does Qualys DAST Work?

Qualys DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) employs a "black box" testing methodology, which means it scrutinizes applications without requiring access to the source code. This approach enables it to uncover vulnerabilities just as an attacker would.

It looks for strange patterns in the app's code and monitors how the app behaves when it's running. This helps to find both known and new threats. By adding Qualys WAS (Web Application Scanning) to the CI/CD pipeline with plugins, developers can check for security risks while they're still developing, which helps to spot any issues sooner.

Additionally, it facilitates continuous scanning of production web applications and APIs, which is crucial as code modifications can introduce new vulnerabilities over time. To effectively manage web application and API security at scale, this process involves several key steps:

1. Scanning

The DAST tool examines the target web application to pinpoint entry points and evaluate the overall security posture, including identifying various components such as URLs, forms, and APIs.

Continuous monitoring can uncover both known and emerging security threats, providing a comprehensive assessment of the application's vulnerability landscape.

2. Attack Simulation

The tool emulates real-world attacks by sending requests to the application and trying to exploit vulnerabilities, including testing for common threats like SQL injection (SQLi), cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF).

3. Vulnerability Detection

The DAST tool carefully examines the application's responses to determine the presence of vulnerabilities or security weaknesses, skillfully distinguishing between authentic vulnerabilities and false positives.

4. Reporting

The tool furnishes a comprehensive report detailing the test findings, including information on discovered vulnerabilities and recommendations for remediation. This report aids developers in rectifying issues and supporting the application's security.

Key Features of Qualys DAST

Qualys DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) has many important features that greatly improve its ability to find weaknesses in web applications and APIs. These notable features include:

1. Scalability and Automation

Adding Qualys WAS (Web Application Scanning) offers enterprise-level scalability, facilitating unlimited scans. This empowers users to automate testing for their production apps and APIs on a recurring basis, be it quarterly, monthly, weekly, or even daily. With support for multi-site scanning, it enables bulk scanning of thousands of production apps per week.

2. Efficient Management of Scan Results

You can easily check scan results from the Qualys WAS Dashboard. Using tags to group applications makes it easier to schedule and scan. You don't have to deal with each application individually. This makes managing web applications or APIs simpler. You can change schedules by adding or removing tags.

3. Protection of Production Data

Qualys WAS mitigates the risk of data corruption or deletion during scans by avoiding running authenticated scans in production or utilizing least privilege account credentials for authentication. Moreover, it makes it easy to create POST data blacklists, which prevent tests on specific forms. It also lets you set up allow or deny list rules for testing certain URLs.

4. Integration and Compliance

It seamlessly integrates with other platforms like Splunk and ServiceNow AVR, increasing its utility within an enterprise's existing workflows and processes. It also supports exporting scan reports to BugBounty platforms or importing BugBounty vulnerabilities, facilitating centralized management of web app and API vulnerabilities.

5. Comprehensive Scanning Capabilities

Qualys WAS is not just for initial scanning. It's a tool for the whole life of web applications and API security. It can detect problems in real time, common security issues, wrong configurations, exposed personal info (PII), web malware, and more. It's designed for modern web applications and APIs, whether they're based in the cloud or on-premises.

Overview of Qualys DAST Dashboard

The dashboard is the central hub where you can view and manage all the information related to your web applications and APIs. It displays the scan results, showing the identified vulnerabilities and their severity.

On this dashboard, you can also organize your applications using tags. This feature helps you manage and schedule scans more efficiently without handling each application individually.

Moreover, it is designed to be user-friendly. The information is presented in a clear and concise manner, making it easy to understand the security status of your applications and APIs. This allows you to identify and prioritize the vulnerabilities that must be addressed quickly.

Specific Compliance Features and Reporting Tools

Qualys DAST helps organizations maintain regulatory compliance by detecting security vulnerabilities that may cause non-compliance. This includes standards such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

It provides a broad set of reporting tools that deliver detailed insights into your web application and API security status. These reports not only help in identifying and remediation vulnerabilities but also assist in demonstrating compliance with various standards.

You can generate reports tailored to different audiences, from technical reports for your IT team to executive summaries for management. This ensures that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of your compliance posture. In addition, you can use the reporting tools for easy tracking and management of remediation efforts, making it simpler to maintain and improve your compliance status over time.

Challenges and Limitations in Qualys DAST

While Qualys DAST offers robust capabilities for web application security testing, it also presents several challenges and limitations that organizations should consider:

1. Limitations of Black Box Testing Methodology

Due to its black box testing approach, Qualys DAST may not uncover vulnerabilities deeply embedded within application logic or back-end components that are inaccessible without source code access.

2. Challenges with Uncovering New and Complex Threats

While effective at identifying common vulnerabilities, Qualys DAST may struggle with detecting emerging or complex threats that deviate from known patterns, potentially leaving applications vulnerable to evolving attack vectors.

3. Potential for False Positives and Negatives

Depending heavily on automation can cause vulnerabilities to be flagged incorrectly (false positives) or actual threats to be missed (false negatives). This can impact the accuracy and efficiency of vulnerability assessment.

4. Complexity and Learning Curve

Users new to web application security may find Qualys DAST overwhelming, requiring them to tackle a steep learning curve to utilize its capabilities effectively.

Alternatives to Qualys DAST

Numerous Qualys DAST alternatives offer unique functionality to detect web application and API vulnerabilities. It's crucial to consider factors such as the vulnerabilities you want to find, your application's scale, and integration with your security setup when looking at these alternatives:

1. Akto

Akto is a proactive API security platform that provides comprehensive API security testing. While Qualys DAST focuses on web applications, Akto specializes in API security testing as it boasts a robust testing library and supports Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) as well, making it a strong alternative to Qualys DAST, especially for organizations prioritizing API security.

2. Indusface WAS

Offers comprehensive web application security testing, encompassing vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and compliance checks. Indusface WAS distinguishes itself from Qualys DAST with its focus on providing deeper penetration testing capabilities and compliance checks, which may appeal to organizations needing more rigorous testing and regulatory alignment.

3. Invicti (formerly Netsparker)

Renowned for its automated web application security testing, Invicti delivers continuous monitoring and scanning for real-time vulnerability detection. Compared to Qualys DAST, Invicti emphasizes continuous monitoring and real-time detection, providing proactive security measures that may benefit organizations needing immediate threat responses and ongoing vulnerability management.

4. Acunetix

A cloud-based web vulnerability scanner provides automated scanning across various vulnerabilities, including OWASP Top 10 issues. Acunetix competes with Qualys DAST by offering a robust cloud-based solution focusing on comprehensive vulnerability scanning, particularly targeting the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, appealing to organizations needing detailed vulnerability assessments.

5. Intruder

It focuses on automated web application security testing to uncover vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs. Intruder's specialization in automated testing and its specific focus on both web applications and APIs sets it apart from Qualys DAST, making it suitable for organizations seeking dedicated, automated vulnerability detection tailored to web assets.

Final Thoughts

Qualys DAST performs active testing by simulating attacks, enabling it to identify a wide range of vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and others, during the application's runtime.

Alternatives like Akto provide specialized features that might better suit certain needs, especially for API security. It conducts thorough testing to identify and address vulnerabilities that static analysis might miss. For organizations seeking to enhance their security strategy with an API-centric approach, Akto stands out as an effective solution, providing actionable insights to ensure the robust protection of APIs in an evolving security environment.