97 Things Every Application Security Professional Should Know

Chapter 89. Automation, Automation, and Automation for AppSec

Michael Xin

In the technology world, automation is the key to improving speed and efficiency, and the same is true in the security world. Automation in AppSec refers to the use of special tools and techniques that can automatically perform important security tasks for applications. These tasks include, but are not limited to, scanning for vulnerabilities, finding weak points in security, and testing how well an application can withstand potential attacks. Instead of relying on manual and time-consuming processes, automation allows developers and security professionals to quickly and efficiently identify and fix security issues. Automating these processes saves time, improves accuracy, and helps organizations proactively address security concerns in their applications.

Automation is significant in application security for several crucial reasons. First, the widespread adoption of CI/CD practices has revolutionized the software development process, emphasizing the need for automation. With CI/CD, organizations aim to release new features and updates quickly and frequently to stay competitive. For instance, industry giants such as Amazon and Airbnb deploy code changes over 125,000 times daily. It is nearly unimaginable to manually ensure the security of each deployment in such a high-volume environment. Automation allows ...