SAP SE revamps application security scanning using simulation and automation

SAP’s award-winning FioriDAST project mimics user and attacker behavior to safeguard its web applications.

While hackers target companies of all sizes, a tech giant like SAP may have a bigger bull’s eye on its back because of the sensitive data it manages and the critical role its ERP applications play in global businesses. 

As a result, SAP is always evolving its security measures to stay ahead of cyber threats.

The company recently launched a dynamic application security scanning system to detect vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches, phishing and ransomware attacks, and insider threats. Called “FioriDAST,” the in-house project uses advanced automation to scan the company’s web-based applications while they are running and mimic the interactions of both end-users and attackers.

“With FioriDAST, we’re setting a new standard for application security with SAP,” says Vladislav Dexheimer, SAP Architect Expert. “We can now scan 600 web applications per day within the SAP S/4HANA Cloud and in other SAP product areas.” 

The limits of commercial application security scanning tools

SAP’s main motivation for developing FioriDAST was that existing commercial DAST (dynamic application security scanners) tools were not comprehensive enough for today’s evolving cyber threats.

Conventional DAST tools excel at finding common application vulnerabilities like SQL injections and XSS (cross-site scripting), but they can fall short in detecting sophisticated zero-day exploits, business logic flaws, and API security issues. 

“We developed FioriDAST to address vulnerabilities that are overlooked by commercial dynamic security scanners and leave us open to potential cyber threats,” says Dexheimer.

To surpass convention and build a specialized, scalable, user-friendly scanning system, SAP had to merge different technologies, including simulation, automation, and API testing.  

Diverse technologies set FioriDAST apart

SAP did not take its mission to reinvent dynamic security scans lightly and deployed a medley of technologies to better protect its web applications.

Some of the essential features of FioriDAST include:

• A crawling engine that mimics user interactions: FioriDAST simulates user interactions (clicking on links, filling out forms) to detect vulnerabilities that may only appear during specific user actions. This simulation feature improves scan coverage without needing prerecorded functional tests by developers.
• Automation and integration: FioriDAST was designed with automation at its core. It integrates into existing CI/CD pipelines to minimize human intervention and it speeds up app development because automated security scans are built into the process from the start.
• Technical innovations: The project integrated the open-source web application security scanning tool Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) and implemented browser execution logic for client-side testing to understand how web applications behave from the user’s perspective. API fuzz testing techniques were also applied to improve scanning accuracy.
• Specialized testing and continuous monitoring: The FioriDAST tool introduced specialized application security scanning tests for often overlooked vulnerabilities. For instance, FioriDAST can run a complete analysis of API interactions and test for inconsistent authorization checks that, if undetected, could give attackers access to private data. Additionally, FioriDAST continuously loops any application vulnerabilities back into the development cycle.
• User friendly for developers: FioriDAST was designed to require minimal configuration by default, making it easy for developers to incorporate into their existing workflows.

More secure applications benefit the whole company

Since its deployment in July of 2022, the FioriDAST project has improved the company’s overall security posture.

Given that FioriDAST was built to protect web applications, it’s no surprise that application security is the main area impacted.

“We’ve reduced application vulnerabilities because we can identify complex security issues earlier in the development process,” he explains. “This proactive approach prevents us from making costly fixes to applications that have already shipped.”

While having a more automated, dynamic application security system has its own cybersecurity rewards, FioriDAST has also helped SAP SE become a more streamlined and cost-effective company.

“We’ve saved several thousand person-days across the organization, leading to a considerable decrease in manual security testing and time-to-market for applications,” says Dexheimer. 

Financially, the FioriDAST project has been cost-effective because it avoids the licensing costs of commercial tools and reduces the vulnerabilities and costs associated with security breaches and data loss.

For its work to reduce vulnerabilities in web applications, SAP has earned a 2024 CSO Award, which honors security projects that demonstrate outstanding thought leadership and business value.

Becoming an industry standard for application security scanning

While the FioriDAST project has been a success for SAP, it is not a flawless system. Dexheimer and team are working on eliminating any configuration bugs, making FioriDAST issue reports clearer and more detailed, and implementing AI capabilities into web-crawling algorithms.

SAP also plans to expand the tool’s usage within the company’s cloud solutions, such as SAP Business Technology Platform and SAP SuccessFactors.

Dexheimer says SAP will continue integrating cutting-edge technologies – such as machine learning for improving scans and responding to active attacks – to make FioriDAST an industry standard for application security.