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Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) simulates real-world attacks against a running application to uncover security flaws that only appear in a live environment. Unlike Static Application Security Testing (SAST), DAST has no access to source code—it interacts with the application’s interfaces (e.g., HTTP endpoints) to discover vulnerabilities.

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What Is Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)?

DAST evaluates an application from the outside in, detecting issues that might be missed when scanning code alone.
DAST is best suited for QA or pre-production environments. Running DAST in production can reveal critical flaws—but must be done with caution to avoid service disruptions.
Key characteristics:
  • Executed against a live, deployed application
  • No access to source code or binaries
  • Ideal for catching misconfiguration and runtime issues
  • Focuses on externally visible vulnerabilities

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Common Vulnerabilities Detected by DAST

DAST tools target many OWASP Top 10 risks. The table below shows typical findings:
VulnerabilityDescriptionOWASP Category
Cross-Site ScriptingInjection of malicious scripts into client pagesA03:2021 – XSS
SQL InjectionMalicious SQL statements altering database queriesA03:2021 – Injection
Command InjectionExecution of system commands via user inputsA05:2021 – Security Misconfigurations
Insecure ConfigurationsWeak server settings, default credentials, etc.A05:2021 – Security Misconfigurations

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Pros and Cons of DAST

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Advantages

AdvantageDetails
Technology IndependenceWorks across languages and frameworks—no code parsing required.
Low False-Positive RateAccording to the OWASP Benchmark Project, DAST tools report fewer false positives.
Configuration Issue DiscoveryExposes runtime misconfigurations that static analysis might overlook.

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Limitations

LimitationDetails
Limited ScalabilityRequires expert-crafted test cases; difficult to automate fully at scale.
No Code VisibilityCannot pinpoint the exact line in source code where a flaw originates.
Performance OverheadScans can take hours or days, delaying feedback and increasing remediation costs.
The image is an informational graphic about DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing), highlighting its features, advantages, and limitations in identifying security vulnerabilities in applications. It contrasts DAST with SAST (Static Application Security Testing) and lists specific vulnerabilities DAST can detect, such as cross-site scripting and SQL injection.

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DAST vs. SAST

Comparing Static vs. Dynamic analysis:
AspectSASTDAST
Analysis TypeStatic source-code scanningRuntime interaction with a live application
VisibilityPinpoints issues to specific code linesIdentifies externally visible flaws only
False-Positive RateCan generate more false positives without contextGenerally lower when properly configured
Use CaseEarly in SDLC, developer feedbackQA, pre-production, and (with caution) production
Running DAST against production workloads can impact performance. Schedule scans during low-traffic windows and ensure proper monitoring.

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Next Steps

In the following lesson, we’ll use OWASP ZAP to perform a dynamic scan on an application deployed in a Kubernetes cluster. You’ll learn how to:
  1. Configure OWASP ZAP for automated scanning
  2. Interpret scan reports to prioritize fixes
  3. Integrate DAST into a CI/CD pipeline

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