CCSP Exam Prep: SAST, DAST, IAST, and SCA Explained Simply
There are four main ways to find security weaknesses in software. This post breaks down each approach in plain language for people studying for the CCSP cloud security certification. Even without a technical background, you can learn what makes each method different and when it gets used.
SAST (Static Analysis) scans source code without running the program — like proofreading a document before printing it. It catches issues early in development. DAST (Dynamic Analysis) does the opposite: it runs the software and tries to attack it from the outside to find real-world vulnerabilities.
IAST (Interactive Analysis) combines both, placing a monitoring tool inside the running application while also testing from outside. SCA (Software Composition Analysis) focuses on third-party open-source libraries your project depends on, checking whether any of them have known security flaws. Understanding the differences between all four is a common topic on the CCSP exam.
Key points
- SAST scans code without running it — best used early in development
- DAST attacks a live, running app from the outside to find exploitable gaps
- IAST monitors from inside the app while it runs, combining SAST and DAST strengths
- SCA checks whether any open-source libraries your project uses have known vulnerabilities
- For the CCSP exam, focus on when each method applies and what it can or cannot detect
Quick term guide
- cloud
- A remote computer you use over the internet instead of your own device.
- diff
- A view that shows exactly what changed in the code.
- source code
- The instructions that make a website or app work.
- vulnerabilities
- Weaknesses in a computer system that hackers can exploit.
- IAST
- A hybrid security method that places a monitor inside a running app to catch issues in real time
- monitoring tool
- Software that checks whether an app, website, or server is working normally.
- testing
- The process of checking that software does what it's supposed to do, usually by running it and looking for errors.
- open-source
- Software whose code is shared publicly so others can inspect, use, or change it.