What is the Problem with SAST?

While SAST (Static Application Security Testing) offers significant benefits, it also comes with a few challenges:

False Positives: One of the main issues with SAST is false positives, which flag non-vulnerable code as problematic. This can overwhelm developers and lead to wasted time on issues that do not pose real security risks.

Limited to Code-Level Issues: SAST can only detect vulnerabilities present in the source code. It may miss issues related to runtime behavior, external configurations, or vulnerabilities that arise when the application is interacting with external systems, which are better detected by DAST.

Integration Complexity: Integrating SAST into existing development workflows can be complex, especially in large projects with diverse codebases. Proper configuration is needed to ensure accuracy and relevance.

Despite these challenges, SAST remains crucial for early vulnerability detection in the software development lifecycle.