Introducing Custom Scripts: A New Level of Flexibility in HCL AppScan DAST

Modern applications are complex, with unique architectures and vulnerabilities that demand a tailored approach to security testing. Traditional Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools often lack the flexibility to adapt to the diverse and complex use cases of these applications, leaving potential vulnerabilities undiscovered. 

To address this challenge, HCL AppScan now offers Custom Scripts – a powerful feature that provides enhanced precision and control over application security testing. By allowing you to dynamically modify requests and responses during testing, Custom Scripts give you the flexibility to adjust your security scans to meet the specific use cases of your applications. 

Available in both HCL AppScan Standard and HCL AppScan Enterprise, this capability empowers you to fine-tune how HCL AppScan interacts with your application, significantly improving both the coverage and accuracy of your security tests.

The Role of Custom Scripts

Each application may have its own set of use cases, and not all of them can be automatically covered during security testing. To meet these specific needs, changes to the DAST configuration are often required. Since not all configurations are available out-of-the-box (OOB), Custom Scripts is a new feature that offers the flexibility to extend DAST capabilities, ensuring comprehensive coverage for the different use cases of an application.

With the built-in JavaScript runtime, HCL AppScan now enables the execution of custom code before sending requests or after receiving responses. This added functionality ensures that all security testing needs are met with greater flexibility.

How Custom Scripts Work

Custom Scripts can be tailored to meet your specific needs, enhancing your DAST scan's behavior and results. Whether you need to manipulate request headers, inject logic, modify data, or handle dynamic tokens, Custom Scripts allow for granular customization, making your scans more accurate and efficient.

This feature offers precise control over the scanning process, applying to various scenarios without changing the underlying application.

Some of the typical use cases include:

• Compute Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC)
• Support for proprietary login methods, for instance adjusting HTTP parameters/headers, etc.
• Send random values

For example, consider a situation where your application uses complex authentication tokens or requires specific session management. With Custom Scripts, you can programmatically generate or manipulate these elements before the request is even sent, ensuring HCL AppScan interacts with your application correctly. This is crucial for testing functionalities that were previously difficult or impossible to reach.

After receiving a response, you can use Custom Scripts to perform advanced analysis beyond the standard HCL AppScan checks. You can extract specific data from the response and modify it as needed, ensuring your security tests are comprehensive. 

This dual functionality allows security teams to adapt their testing strategies to the dynamic nature of modern applications, providing more comprehensive coverage and helping to identify vulnerabilities that may be missed by static scanning methods.

Key Benefits of Custom Scripts

The power of Custom Scripts lies in their flexibility and the precise control they bring to the scanning process. Instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, these scripts align the testing process with the unique requirements of the business. 

• Personalized Approach: Security scans can be customized to address the unique behaviors and configurations of an application, ensuring more accurate and relevant results.
• Faster Remediation through Targeted Scanning: By focusing scans on critical areas of the business, Custom Scripts accelerate vulnerability detection and remediation, enabling security teams to address issues more quickly and effectively.
• Maximized Application Coverage: Full visibility and control over security testing ensures that no aspect of the application goes untested, even in the most complex workflows.
• Dynamic Request and Response Handling: Real-time adjustments to requests and responses help identify vulnerabilities in modern applications that rely on dynamic authentication, custom headers, or time-sensitive data.

Conclusion

The future of application security testing is dynamic, adaptable, and intelligent. Custom Scripts from HCL AppScan represent a significant step in that direction. We empower security professionals to take their testing to the next level by offering granular control to overcome exploration challenges and unmatched flexibility to fine-tune your testing processes.

Discover a new level of control and effectiveness in your application security testing with Custom Scripts and all the industry-leading solutions from HCL AppScan.