December 24, 2024

How to Prioritize the Vulnerabilities Found in SAST/DAST Scans?

Vulnerabilities discovered in SAST (Static Application Security Testing) and DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) scans can overwhelm teams without a clear prioritization strategy. Effectively prioritizing these vulnerabilities ensures critical issues are addressed promptly, reducing security risks while maintaining development speed.

In this blog, TRIOTECH SYSTEMS has outlined practical steps and expert tips to prioritize vulnerabilities and streamline your remediation process.

Steps to Prioritize Vulnerabilities Found in SAST & DAST Scans:

Step 1: Categorize Vulnerabilities by Severity

The first step is to classify vulnerabilities based on their severity levels—critical, high, medium, and low. This categorization is usually provided by the scanning tools but should be verified by your security team.

Critical: Immediate threats to system integrity (e.g., SQL injection, remote code execution).
High: Serious risks that can lead to data exposure or downtime (e.g., improper access controls).
Medium: Potential vulnerabilities that need attention but aren’t urgent (e.g., outdated libraries).
Low: Minor issues that can be addressed later (e.g., overly verbose error messages).

Expert Tip: Cross-reference vulnerability severity with business-critical applications to ensure that vital systems are prioritized.

Step 2: Assess Exploitability and Impact

Not all vulnerabilities pose the same level of risk. Evaluate the following factors:

Exploitability: How easily can the vulnerability be exploited? Assess whether exploitation requires insider knowledge, specialized tools, or public exploits.
Business Impact: Determine the potential consequences, such as data breaches, financial loss, or regulatory penalties.

Focus remediation efforts on vulnerabilities that are both highly exploitable and impactful.

Step 3: Map Vulnerabilities to Compliance Requirements

Compliance standards like OWASP Top 10, PCI DSS, or GDPR often dictate which vulnerabilities must be addressed first. Identify vulnerabilities that affect your organization’s compliance status and prioritize them accordingly.

Pro Tip: Use compliance reporting features in your SAST/DAST tools to flag relevant vulnerabilities automatically.

Step 4: Group Similar Issues for Bulk Fixes

Scanning tools often detect patterns of vulnerabilities (e.g., multiple instances of unvalidated inputs). Group these similar issues to fix them efficiently.

For example:

SAST Findings: Refactor input validation functions to address multiple code-level vulnerabilities.
DAST Findings: Configure application firewalls to block recurring types of malicious traffic.

Step 5: Align Prioritization with Business Goals

Work closely with stakeholders to align the remediation plan with organizational objectives. Consider:

High-priority applications that directly affect revenue.
Development schedules and resources.
Ongoing security initiatives.

Example: Prioritizing a SAST/DAST Report

Executive Summary:

Critical: SQL injection (SAST, Critical, Immediate fix required).
High: Cross-site scripting (DAST, High, Fix within 14 days).

Remediation Plan:

Address SQL injection vulnerabilities in all input-handling functions.
Apply secure coding guidelines to prevent XSS issues.
Update dependencies flagged as medium-severity vulnerabilities.

For detailed reporting strategies, check out our guide:

How to Report SAST and DAST Results to Key Stakeholders.

Tools and Strategies for Effective Prioritization:

Risk Scoring Tools: Use CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) to standardize the prioritization process.
Automated Scanning Tools: Optimize your tools to automatically tag vulnerabilities with priority levels.
Centralized Dashboards: Use dashboards to track and monitor remediation progress across teams.

Conclusion: Why Prioritization Matters

Prioritizing vulnerabilities found in SAST/DAST scans is essential to maintaining robust application security. By categorizing, assessing risks, and aligning with business objectives, you can efficiently mitigate threats and improve overall system resilience.

At TRIOTECH SYSTEMS, we help organizations implement comprehensive application security solutions—from advanced vulnerability detection to strategic remediation.

Let us help you secure your applications with confidence.

Contact us today! Get in touch here.