ASPM platforms provide centralized visibility by aggregating data from tools like DAST, SAST, and SCA, but they don’t perform security testing themselves. Taking a DAST-first approach ensures that results fed into ASPM are based on validated, exploitable vulnerabilities uncovered in live applications.
AppSec tools are evolving and so is the confusion around what each tool contributes to an organization’s overall security posture. Dedicated application security posture management (ASPM) platforms have emerged as a way to consolidate visibility across security tools, but their primary role is vulnerability data aggregation and they’re not a substitute for the testing technologies they integrate with.
Application security posture management is a relatively new category of tools that aggregate findings from multiple AppSec sources to provide centralized risk visibility. ASPM tools help security teams understand what assets they have, track vulnerabilities across pipelines, and prioritize remediation. However, they depend on integrations with testing tools like DAST, SAST, and SCA to supply actionable data.
Existing ASPMs may, on occasion, also bundle an open-source SAST, DAST, or SCA scanner to have at least some testing functionality out of the box. Similarly, a few existing AppSec vendors include modern ASPM-like features that combine results from multiple scanners, including DAST and API security findings. “I like to think of it as the production of primary data (finding vulnerabilities) from the scanners, and then the analysis and interpretation of the data in the ASPM,” explains Jonny Stewart, Director of Product Management at Invicti. “There’s a growing need to analyze and prioritize the data, as everyone has more vulnerabilities than resources to remediate them. I expect the next addition to ASPM offerings to be automated remediation or at least suggestions for remediation, potentially driven by AI.”
When to use ASPM:
ASPM strengths:
ASPM limitations:
DAST tools scan live applications in runtime to find real, exploitable vulnerabilities from the outside in. DAST simulates how an attacker would interact with your application, testing for issues like cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, authentication flaws, and logic bugs. Solutions like Invicti go further with proof-based scanning to confirm vulnerabilities and eliminate false positives.
When to use DAST:
DAST strengths:
DAST limitations:
SAST tools analyze source code, binaries, or bytecode to detect potential vulnerabilities before the application is compiled or deployed. While helpful for early-stage scanning and enforcing secure coding practices, SAST often struggles with false positives and lacks context about how code behaves in production.
When to use SAST:
SAST strengths:
SAST limitations:
SCA identifies and evaluates the open-source components and third-party libraries in your application. It flags known vulnerabilities in dependencies and helps ensure license compliance. While static SCA tools are essential for managing supply chain risk, they typically don’t validate whether those vulnerabilities are reachable or exploitable in your environment.
When to use SCA:
SCA strengths:
SCA limitations:
SCA is usually understood as static analysis of software libraries and this is how most standalone tools work, but application components can also be detected at runtime based on fingerprinting and other methods. Vulnerability scanners that detect outdated or known vulnerable libraries and tech stack components are, in effect, performing dynamic (or runtime) SCA.
ASPMDASTSASTSCARuntime analysisNoYesNoNoSource code access requiredNoNoYesSometimesFinds exploitable vulnerabilitiesNoYesNoNoFalse positives riskDepends on testing toolsLow (for advanced DAST tools)HighModerateDeveloper-ready remediation dataLimited (depends on specific tools)YesYesYesBest forRisk visibilityReal-world validationShift-left scanningOpen-source hygiene
As AppSec stacks get more complex while the scale and speed of development keeps growing, it’s more important than ever to cut through the noise and focus on real, exploitable risk. DAST remains the only technology that tests running applications the way an attacker would—without assumptions but with validation. With advanced DAST technologies such as Invicti's proof-based scanning, teams can:
While ASPM platforms help visualize AppSec posture and consolidate tooling, they rely entirely on the fidelity of the tools feeding them. A DAST-first approach ensures that those insights are rooted in actual application behavior, not static assumptions or theoretical issues.
Invicti integrates with ASPM platforms as a source of DAST results but also delivers capabilities ASPM alone can’t provide:
More than that, the Invicti platform itself can act as an integrated AST and ASPM combo by aggregating results from its native DAST, IAST, API security, and dynamic SCA alongside partner-supplied results for SAST, static SCA, and Container Security.
If you’re looking for an ASPM, you’re really looking for a way to separate AST noise from signal. Far from replacing security testing tools, ASPM should extend their value—and that value starts with accurate, validated, low-noise vulnerability data from tools like Invicti.