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Application Security Glossary

SAST (Static Application Security Testing)

SAST (Static Application Security Testing) is a white-box method that analyzes an application's source code, bytecode, or binaries without running it, tracing how untrusted data flows through the program to find vulnerabilities like SQL injection and cross-site scripting early in development.

SAST examines code at rest. Rather than executing the program, it parses the source (or compiled artifacts) and reasons about its structure, control flow, and data flow to surface security-relevant patterns such as injection, hardcoded secrets, unsafe deserialization, and weak cryptography. Findings map to standards like the OWASP Top 10 and CWE.

Modern SAST engines commonly build an abstract syntax tree (AST) or use pattern matching, then perform taint analysis: they mark data from untrusted sources (HTTP parameters, file input) and follow it to sensitive sinks (a database query, an HTML response). If tainted data reaches a sink without sanitization, the tool reports a potential vulnerability with the source-to-sink path.

Because it needs no running app, SAST fits naturally into IDEs, pre-commit hooks, and CI pipelines, giving developers feedback while the code is fresh. Its main trade-offs are false positives (flagging code paths that are safe in practice) and no visibility into runtime or configuration issues, which is why teams pair it with runtime and dependency scanning.

Frequently asked questions

What is SAST?
SAST, or Static Application Security Testing, is a technique that inspects source code, bytecode, or binaries without executing them to find security flaws such as injection, hardcoded secrets, and unsafe data handling before the code is deployed.
How does SAST work?
SAST parses code into a structured model (often an AST), then applies pattern matching and taint analysis to trace untrusted input from its source to a sensitive sink, flagging paths where dangerous data reaches a query, command, or output without sanitization.
SAST vs DAST?
SAST analyzes code from the inside without running it (white-box) and can pinpoint the exact vulnerable line, while DAST tests a running application from the outside (black-box) by sending inputs and observing responses. They find different classes of issues and are typically used together.

Related terms

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing)SCA (Software Composition Analysis)Code Security Scanner
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