Security Testing and Mitigation: Questions & Answers for Developers

Q&A: Security Testing Methods and Threat Mitigation

Published

Man thinking about Security Testing Methods
Photo: Strategy Planning. Credit: Pexels from Pixabay

Security testing and mitigation are not one-time tasks—they are ongoing processes integrated into the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC). From automated SAST scans and manual reviews to runtime protection via IAST and RASP, every stage of development offers opportunities to detect and eliminate vulnerabilities. By combining proactive testing, continuous analysis, structured threat modeling, and team education, organizations can strengthen their security posture and deliver applications that stand resilient against modern cyber threats.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do you use to perform code review?

Automated static analysis security testing and manual code inspection

Combining automated tools with manual reviews helps catch both common vulnerabilities and subtle logic errors that tools may miss.

2. Which tools help you achieve runtime protection?

IAST and RASP

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) and Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) detect and respond to threats during application execution.

3. What is the main objective of vulnerability analysis?

Identifying application flaws

Vulnerability analysis finds weaknesses in an application so they can be fixed before attackers exploit them.

4. What type of code can you test with static application security testing?

Source code

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) analyzes source code without running it to detect security issues early in development.

5. Which applications do you evaluate with dynamic analysis?

Fully built applications in production

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) examines running applications to identify security flaws under real-world conditions.

6. What is the purpose of security testing?

Providing a secure baseline for development

Security testing ensures a foundational level of protection, allowing safer ongoing development and updates.

7. What type of software should you focus on testing with software component analysis (SCA)?

Open source

SCA identifies vulnerabilities in open-source components and libraries used within applications.

8. Which type of analysis should you perform to help accelerate new feature development?

Continuous security analysis

Regular security checks during development allow teams to release features quickly without compromising safety.

9. What is a key mitigation strategy?

Threat modeling

Threat modeling proactively identifies risks, allowing you to design effective security controls.

10. What is the most important best practice for preventing code vulnerabilities?

Team training

Educating developers on secure coding practices helps prevent vulnerabilities before they are introduced.