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HCL AppScan Source
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  1. Home
  2. Developing

    Learn how to develop by using the product.

  3. Triage and analysis

    Grouping similar findings allows security analysts or IT auditors to segment and triage source code problems. This section explains how to triage AppScan® Source assessments and analyze results.

  4. Modifying findings

    Modified findings are findings that have changed vulnerability types, classifications, or severities - or that have annotations. The Modified Findings view displays these findings for the current application (the application that is active as a result of opening an assessment for it). In the My Assessments view (available only in AppScan® Source for Analysis), the Modified column indicates if a finding has changed in the current assessment.

  5. Making modifications from a findings table

    You may want to modify findings via a findings table if you will be making the same changes to multiple files. If you will be modifying an individual finding, use a findings table or the Finding Detail view.

  • Developing

    Learn how to develop by using the product.

    • Scanning source code and managing assessments

      This section explains how to scan your source code and manage assessments.

    • Triage and analysis

      Grouping similar findings allows security analysts or IT auditors to segment and triage source code problems. This section explains how to triage AppScan® Source assessments and analyze results.

      • Displaying findings

        The Findings view, or any view with findings, displays a findings tree (a hierarchical grouping of assessment criteria) and a findings table for each scan. The item that is selected in the findings tree determines the findings that are presented in the table.

      • The AppScan® Source triage process

        The triage process includes manipulating findings through bundles, filters, and exclusions - and comparing assessment results.

      • Sample triage

        This example describes an AppScan® Source triage workflow used by a security analyst. Triage workflow may vary according to your business needs.

      • Triage with filters

        AppScan® Source for Analysis reports on all potential security vulnerabilities and may produce many thousands of findings for a medium to large code base. When you scan, you may find that the findings list contains items that are not important to you. To remove certain findings from the Findings view, you can choose a predefined filter or you can create your own filter. A filter specifies the criteria that determine which findings to remove from view.

      • Triage with exclusions

        After a scan, you may decide that some findings are irrelevant to your current work, and you do not want them visible in the findings table when you triage the scan results. These exclusions (or excluded findings) no longer appear in the Findings view and the assessment metrics update immediately with the changed results. Filter and bundle exclusions added to a configuration only take effect on subsequent scans.

      • Working with bundles

        Bundles (a grouping mechanism for findings) allow you to import a snapshot of findings from AppScan® Source for Analysis to AppScan Source for Development. Once findings are in bundles, you can use AppScan Source for Development to open the project that contains the bundle, import the bundle, or open a saved bundle file (file_name.ozbdl).

      • Modifying findings

        Modified findings are findings that have changed vulnerability types, classifications, or severities - or that have annotations. The Modified Findings view displays these findings for the current application (the application that is active as a result of opening an assessment for it). In the My Assessments view (available only in AppScan® Source for Analysis), the Modified column indicates if a finding has changed in the current assessment.

        • Making modifications from a findings table

          You may want to modify findings via a findings table if you will be making the same changes to multiple files. If you will be modifying an individual finding, use a findings table or the Finding Detail view.

          • Changing the vulnerability type

            Vulnerability types can be changed for individual findings or a group of findings.

          • Promoting finding classifications

            A finding with a classification of suspect security finding or scan coverage finding can be promoted to a definitive finding.

          • Modifying severity

            Selecting a new severity level changes the severity for each selected finding. For example, AppScan® Source might report that an API is of medium severity, but your corporate policy identifies it as more severe. You can modify the severity to meet your requirements, but note that AppScan Source remediation assistance does not contain the modification.

          • Annotating findings

            Notes® can be used as reminders for you to take further action on a finding - or to convey information about the finding to someone else. You can add a note to a single finding or to a group of findings.

        • Modifying findings in the Finding Detail view

        • Removing finding modifications

          If you have modified findings, you can remove the modifications (revert back to original values) using the methods described in this topic.

      • Comparing findings

        Use the Diff Assessments action or the AppScanDelta utility to compare assessments. When two assessments are compared, the differences between the two are displayed in the Assessment Diff view or in an .ozasmt file. The results summarize new, fixed/missing, and common findings.

      • Custom findings

        To augment your analysis results, you can create custom findings. These are user-created findings that AppScan® Source for Analysis adds to the currently-open assessment or selected application. Custom findings impact assessment metrics and can be included in reports. Once created, a custom finding is automatically included in future scans of the application.

      • Resolving security issues and viewing remediation assistance

        AppScan® Source alerts you to security errors or common design flaws and assists in the resolution process. The AppScan Source Security Knowledgebase - and internal or external code editors - help with this process.

      • Supported annotations and attributes

        Some annotations or attributes that are used to decorate code are processed during scans. When a supported annotation or attribute is found in your code during a scan, the information is used to mark the decorated method as a tainted callback. A method marked as a tainted callback is treated as if all of its arguments have tainted data. This results in more findings with traces. Supported annotations and attributes are listed in this help topic.

    • AppScan® Source trace

      With AppScan® Source trace, you can verify input validation and encoding that meets your software security policies. You can look at the findings that produce input/output traces and mark methods as validation and encoding routines, sources or sinks, callbacks, or taint propagators.

    • AppScan® Source for Analysis and defect tracking

      AppScan® Source for Analysis integrates with defect tracking systemsIBM® Rational Team Concert™ to deliver confirmed software vulnerabilities directly to the developer desktop. Defect submission to a defect tracking system contains a textual description of the bug and a file that contains only the findings submitted with the defect.

    • Findings reports and audit reports

      Security analysts and risk managers can access reports of select findings or a series of audit reports that measure compliance with software security best practices and regulatory requirements. This section explains how to create reports of aggregate finding data.

    • Creating custom reports

      In the Report Editor, you create report templates used to generate custom reports.

Making modifications from a findings table

You may want to modify findings via a findings table if you will be making the same changes to multiple files. If you will be modifying an individual finding, use a findings table or the Finding Detail view.

  • Changing the vulnerability type
  • Promoting finding classifications
  • Modifying severity
  • Supported annotations and attributes
  • Changing the vulnerability type
    Vulnerability types can be changed for individual findings or a group of findings.
  • Promoting finding classifications
    A finding with a classification of suspect security finding or scan coverage finding can be promoted to a definitive finding.
  • Modifying severity
    Selecting a new severity level changes the severity for each selected finding. For example, AppScan Source might report that an API is of medium severity, but your corporate policy identifies it as more severe. You can modify the severity to meet your requirements, but note that AppScan Source remediation assistance does not contain the modification.
  • Annotating findings
    Notes® can be used as reminders for you to take further action on a finding - or to convey information about the finding to someone else. You can add a note to a single finding or to a group of findings.
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