Redefining interactive application security testing

The availability of the latest major Seeker release, an interactive application security testing (IAST) solution redesigned to enable DevSecOps and continuous delivery of secure web applications, has been announced by Synopsys.

Seeker integrates seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines and monitors web applications during preproduction testing cycles. Using patented technology, Seeker is the only application security solution that detects and automatically verifies whether vulnerabilities are exploitable, providing developers with accurate, actionable information in real time.

Amy DeMartine, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, stated: “With 34% of developers saying they build multiple times per day or during check-in, application security testing must run in these same time frames or risk grinding the development machine to a halt. Dynamic application security testing (DAST) has long been a burden for organizations trying to test security at development speeds.”

Seeker’s approach continuously mitigates application security risk in a tight feedback loop, complementing DAST scans and penetration tests that occur later in the development cycle and often require dedicated, out-of-band testing cycles and manual results verification and triage. To address software dependency risk, Seeker integrates Black Duck Binary Analysis (formerly Protecode SC) to automatically detect known vulnerabilities and license conflicts in open source components.

Seeker is also provides sensitive data tracking to help achieve compliance with standards and regulations like PCI DSS and GDPR. Seeker is easy to deploy out of the box and supports large-scale, cloud-based, and microservices-based application architectures.

Andreas Kuehlmann, General Manager of the Synopsys Software Integrity Group, added: “Seeker is designed specifically for organizations embracing DevOps and leveraging automation to deliver continuous software improvements to their customers. Due to its continuous monitoring, unrivaled accuracy, and contextualized remediation guidance, Seeker removes the manual elements of security testing and enables developers to take ownership of application risk.”

Key features of Seeker 2018.07 include:

• Active vulnerability verification for accuracy: Seeker is reportedly the only IAST solution that provides automated active verification to confirm that detected vulnerabilities are exploitable. This verification is achieved through patented technology that replays original HTTP(S) requests with tainted parameters and monitors the resulting application dataflow. The result is a near-zero false positive rate, which is significantly lower than that of other IAST and DAST solutions and reduces the cost of manual verification.
• Sensitive data tracking: Seeker is the only IAST tool that enables security teams to identify and track sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, usernames, and passwords, to ensure that it is handled securely and not stored in log files or databases with weak or no encryption. Sensitive data tracking helps organizations comply with data security regulations including PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.
• CI/CD integration and flexible deployment: Seeker can be deployed in virtually any type of automated or manual testing environment with minimal configuration required. Seeker fits seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines with native plugins and easy-to-use web APIs for bug tracking, build, and test automation tools. Seeker supports standard, microservices-based, and cloud-based application architectures and is scalable for large enterprise requirements.