Navigating Compliance with DAST
Businesses rely heavily on applications to drive operations and connect with customers. With this increased reliance on applications comes an increased risk of cyber threats.
One important aspect of cybersecurity for such businesses is compliance with industry regulations and standards. In this week’s edition of All Things AppSec, we will focus on navigating compliance with DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing).
Several key regulations directly impact an organization's application security, including GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, etc. Let’s take a closer look at a few of them.
1. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in the European Union (EU) that protects the privacy of individuals' personal data. The GDPR applies to any organization that processes personal data of EU residents, regardless of where the organization is based.
One of the key requirements of GDPR is that organizations must implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security of personal data. This includes application security measures such as access controls, encryption, and vulnerability testing. Organizations must also report any data breaches to the supervisory authority within 72 hours.
2. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a privacy law that provides California residents with certain rights related to their personal data. The CCPA applies to any organization that does business in California and meets certain criteria related to revenue or data processing.
Under CCPA, organizations must provide California residents with the right to know what personal data is being collected about them, the right to have that data deleted, and the right to opt-out of the sale of their personal data. Organizations must also implement reasonable security measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access or disclosure.
3. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a US federal law that regulates the use and disclosure of individuals' protected health information (PHI) by healthcare providers, health plans, and other entities.
HIPAA requires covered entities to implement reasonable and appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI. This includes application security measures such as access controls, encryption, and vulnerability testing.
4. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is a set of security standards established by major credit card companies to protect against credit card fraud. PCI-DSS applies to any organization that accepts credit card payments.
PCI-DSS requires organizations to implement security controls to protect cardholder data, including application security measures such as secure coding practices, access controls, and vulnerability testing. Organizations must also conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration testing to identify and remediate any security vulnerabilities.
Why is DAST important for compliance?
Compliance with industry regulations and standards is essential for any organization that handles sensitive data.
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in hefty fines, legal action, and damage to your organization's reputation. DAST plays a crucial role in compliance by identifying security vulnerabilities that could put your organization at risk of non-compliance.
DAST is specifically mentioned in several industry regulations and standards, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Both of these regulations require regular security testing to ensure compliance.
In addition to compliance requirements, DAST is also important for ensuring the security of your digital assets. By identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited, you can prevent data breaches and other security incidents that could damage your organization.
How can DAST help organizations meet their regulatory obligations?
1. Identifying vulnerabilities
DAST works by simulating attacks on an application and identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors. By identifying vulnerabilities, DAST helps organizations meet their regulatory obligations related to security testing.
Let’s consider PCI DSS which requires regular vulnerability scans and annual penetration testing to ensure compliance. DAST can be used to perform both types of testing and help organizations identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
2. Providing comprehensive testing
DAST provides comprehensive testing that covers a wide range of security issues, including injection flaws, cross-site scripting, and broken authentication and session management. This type of testing helps organizations meet their regulatory obligations related to security testing by providing a thorough assessment of their applications. Having a comprehensive vulnerability index helps DAST tools such as Beagle Security provide you an advantage over other tools in this aspect.
For example, HIPAA requires regular security testing, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, to ensure compliance. DAST can be used to perform both of these types of testing and provide a comprehensive assessment of an organization's security posture.
3. Offering real-time testing
DAST offers real-time testing, which means that vulnerabilities can be identified and remediated before they are exploited. This type of testing helps organizations meet their regulatory obligations related to security testing by providing a timely assessment of their applications.
For example, GDPR requires organizations to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security of personal data. Real-time testing with DAST can help organizations meet this obligation by identifying vulnerabilities that could put personal data at risk.
4. Providing remediation guidance
DAST provides detailed reports that include remediation guidance, which helps organizations meet their regulatory obligations related to vulnerability management. The reports provide a clear understanding of the vulnerabilities that were identified and offer guidance on how to remediate them. Using a DAST tool such as Beagle Security that provides contextual reports(early beta) is the best way to go for better remediation guidance.
For example, PCI DSS requires organizations to remediate vulnerabilities that are identified during security testing. DAST reports can be used to identify vulnerabilities and provide guidance on how to remediate them, helping organizations meet this obligation.
5. Meeting compliance requirements efficiently
DAST helps organizations meet their regulatory obligations efficiently by automating the security testing process. This type of testing can be performed more frequently and at a lower cost than manual testing, which helps organizations ensure compliance without incurring excessive costs. DAST tools such as Beagle Security provide specific compliance reports that can go a long way in helping you meet your compliance requirements.
Organizations that are required to comply with regulations such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, etc. can use DAST to perform regular vulnerability scans and penetration testing efficiently and cost-effectively.
6. Integrating with other security tools
DAST can be integrated with other security tools to provide a more comprehensive security testing program. For example, DAST can be used in conjunction with SAST (Static Application Security Testing) to provide a complete assessment of an organization's application security posture.
By integrating DAST with other security tools, organizations can meet their regulatory obligations related to security testing while also improving their overall security posture.
DAST is a valuable tool for organizations looking to meet their regulatory obligations related to cybersecurity.
By identifying vulnerabilities, providing comprehensive testing, offering real-time testing, providing remediation guidance, meeting compliance requirements efficiently, and integrating with other security tools, DAST helps organizations ensure compliance and protect sensitive data.
Incorporating DAST into your security testing programs is an integral factor that can help meet your regulatory obligations and improve overall security posture.