Simon Bennetts, a distinguished engineer at Jit, discusses the open-source security testing tool ZAP. They explore ZAP's features, its ability to integrate with CI/CD and shift security left, building a successful open-source project, scripting with ZAP, and its future in the AI-powered world of bots.
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Quick takeaways
ZAP is a dynamic application security testing tool focused on web applications that interacts via HTTP, HTTPS, and websockets.
Simon Bennett, the creator of ZAP, developed it as an open source project to address the lack of maintained web security tools and provide developers and security professionals with a reliable option.
ZAP's transparency, extensibility, scripting capabilities, and integration with other tools make it a go-to DAST tool for automation and customized security testing.
Deep dives
Zap as a Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Tool
Zap is a dynamic application security testing tool, focused on web applications. It interacts with web applications via HTTP, HTTPS, and web sockets. Zap performs attacks on applications, simulating the actions of a malicious attacker. However, it does not intentionally cause any harm. Zap is recommended to be used only on applications that the user has permission to test.
The Birth of Zap: From Developer to Security Tester
Zap was born out of a developer's need to test the security of an online application. Simon Bennett, the creator of Zap, encountered vulnerabilities in a web application he developed, leading him to explore and learn about security. He discovered OWASP and the top 10 common risks to web applications. Frustrated by the lack of maintained open source web security tools, he decided to create Zap as an open source project that developers and security professionals could use.
Key Differentiators and Strengths of Zap
Zap's open source nature and community-based approach are major differentiators. The tool is highly extensible and offers a powerful API, automation framework, and scripting capabilities. It excels in automation, making it the go-to dynamic application security testing (DAST) tool for many. Zap's transparency and scripting interface grant users extensive control over the tool, allowing for customized security testing and analysis.
Integration and Compatibility with Other Tools
Zap is designed to integrate well with other tools, whether they are open source or commercial. It provides an API that allows seamless interaction with various tools and systems. Zap can be easily integrated into CI/CD pipelines and works with popular CI tools like Jenkins and Argo. Its ability to generate various reports and integrate with bug trackers further enhances its compatibility with other tools.
Contributing to Zap and Community Involvement
Zap welcomes contributions from developers, security professionals, and anyone interested in web application security. There are various ways to get involved, such as coding, documentation, testing, and writing blog posts. The Zap community offers guidance and support through its contributing guide and welcomes contributions from individuals and organizations. In addition to code contributions, financial support and sponsorships are also encouraged to further enhance the resources available for Zap development.
Simon Bennetts, a distinguished engineer at Jit, discusses one of the flagship projects of OWASP: the Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) open source security testing tool. As ZAP’s primary maintainer, Simon traces the tool's origins and shares some anecdotes with SE Radio host Priyanka Raghavan on why there was a need for it. They take a deep dive into ZAP’s features and its ability to integrate with CI/CD, as well as shift security left. Bennetts also considers what it takes to build a successful open source project before spending time on ZAP’s ability to script to provide richer results. Finally, the conversation ends with some questions on ZAP’s future in this AI-powered world of bots.
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