How to implement DAST in GitLab?

To implement DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) in GitLab, you can leverage GitLab's built-in security testing features, specifically designed to streamline the process. Here's a basic guide:

Enable Auto DevOps: GitLab provides an Auto DevOps pipeline that includes DAST automatically. By enabling Auto DevOps, DAST will run on your deployed applications without additional configuration.

Add DAST to Your Pipeline: If you prefer a custom CI/CD pipeline, include a DAST scan by adding the DAST job to your .gitlab-ci.yml file. GitLab provides predefined templates, so you only need to configure the target URL of the running application.

Configure Variables: Set the DAST_WEBSITE environment variable to point to the application's URL that DAST should scan.

Review Results: Once the pipeline runs, DAST will perform the scan and provide results in the security dashboard, flagging vulnerabilities like XSS and SQL injection.

By integrating DAST into GitLab, you can continuously test applications for vulnerabilities throughout the development lifecycle.