Magic Quadrant for Application Security Testing
Gartner defines the application security testing (AST) market as the buyers and sellers of products and services designed to analyze and test applications for security vulnerabilities. This market is highly dynamic and continues to experience rapid evolution in response to changing application architectures and enabling technologies. The market comprises tools offering core testing capabilities (static, dynamic and interactive testing; software composition analysis) and various optional, specialized capabilities. AST tools are offered either as software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based subscription offerings, or less often, as on-premises software.
No strategic planning assumptions provided.
Vendors must, among other requirements:
A: This research covers the Application Security Testing (AST) market, which includes buyers and sellers of products and services designed to analyze and test applications for security vulnerabilities. The research evaluates vendors offering core AST capabilities (SAST, DAST, IAST, SCA) and optional specialized capabilities (API testing, ASPM, container security, developer enablement, fuzzing, IaC testing, mobile AST, and software supply chain security). The Magic Quadrant focuses on transformational technologies delivering on future needs of end users, with emphasis on emerging technologies and approaches, as well as AST tools that address new requirements from modern application architectures, cloud-native development, and DevSecOps initiatives.
A: Security and risk management leaders should use this research to evaluate and select AST vendors that can help them meet tighter deadlines and test more complex applications by integrating and automating AST in the software life cycle. This research is particularly valuable for organizations looking to support enterprise DevSecOps and cloud-native application initiatives, those seeking to rationalize their application security investments, and teams wanting to better integrate security practices into development workflows. Development leaders can use this research to find tools that provide high-assurance, high-value findings while fitting into the development process at earlier stages with increasing levels of automation.
A: Vendors must offer both Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Software Composition Analysis (SCA) as core capabilities. SAST must analyze application source, bytecode or binary code for security vulnerabilities during the programming/testing phases. SCA must identify open-source and commercial components and scan for known vulnerabilities, out-of-date libraries, and license issues. For SAST, vendors must support common development languages like Python, Java, C#, PHP, and JavaScript. The offering must focus primarily on security testing with templates for OWASP Top Ten and other vulnerability standards, and provide developer support for vulnerability remediation.
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A: Ability to Execute focuses on the vendor's current market performance and operational capabilities. It evaluates their existing products/services, financial viability, sales effectiveness, market responsiveness, marketing execution, and customer experience. This axis measures how well vendors are currently delivering value and executing in the market today. Completeness of Vision, in contrast, focuses on the vendor's strategic direction and future positioning. It evaluates their understanding of market trends, strategic planning for products and go-to-market approaches, innovation capabilities, and geographic expansion strategies. This axis measures how well vendors are positioned to meet future market needs and drive market evolution. Essentially, Ability to Execute is about present performance while Completeness of Vision is about future strategic positioning.