Accelerate Accuracy: Intelligent Findings Analytics (IFA) for DAST with AI and Optimization

In lightning-fast software release cycles, application security testing must be fast and accurate, with actionable results. But traditional Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools often struggle with that balance, — slowing down delivery pipelines, overloading teams with false positives, or missing key vulnerabilities altogether. That’s where HCL AppScan’s Intelligent Findings Analytics (IFA) for DAST is changing the game.

IFA introduces a new layer of intelligence to the AppScan DAST engine, improving test accuracy, reducing false positives, and optimizing scan performance. With two core innovations — Error Page Detection powered by GenAI and Test Optimization — DAST IFA enhances both the precision and efficiency of dynamic testing.

AI for Smarter Error Detection

A major challenge in DAST is the detection and validation of error pages. These pages often indicate how an application reacts to faulty inputs — such as malformed requests or injected attack payloads — and can expose serious underlying issues like improper error handling, misconfigured security headers, or data leakage.

But error pages don’t always behave predictably. Some closely mimic normal pages or return vague responses, making them hard for traditional scanners to flag. This can result in false positives, —or worse, false negatives that go unnoticed.

To tackle this, HCL AppScan now uses GenAI via Azure OpenAI as part of DAST IFA to validate these hard-to-classify cases. Here’s how it works:

1. When a suspicious response is detected, and AppScan’s heuristics alone are insufficient to determine if it’s an error page, IFA sends a prompt to a GenAI model to evaluate the content.
2. The AI determines whether the page indicates a true error, such as a backend exception or database misconfiguration, based on context, structure, and language patterns.
3. If the GenAI confirms it as an error page, the scan continues without falsely flagging the issue.

This approach dramatically reduces false positives while uncovering subtle security flaws that may otherwise be missed. Because GenAI is only invoked when standard methods fail, the impact on scan speed is negligible, — but the accuracy gains are significant.

Test Optimization: Flexible Speed Without Compromising Insight

While deep scans are vital during final security assessments, developers and AppSec teams often need quick feedback earlier in the development cycle. A full scan can involve thousands of test cases and take hours to complete, especially in complex or evolving applications. That’s where Test Optimization comes in.

With IFA, AppScan offers a multi-level optimization slider that lets users prioritize scan speed over test volume. The levels — Fast, Faster, and Fastest — intelligently filter out lower-priority tests and focus on the most likely, high-severity vulnerabilities.

Here’s what makes Test Optimization powerful:

• Speed Configurability: Choose optimization levels based on your development stage. For early sprint testing or quick security posture checks, Fastest mode can return results in a fraction of the time.
• Statistical Filtering: IFA uses advanced data models and historical analysis to select tests that provide maximum value for minimal scan time.
• Real-World Relevance: Tests are not selected randomly — the engine prioritizes coverage of common attack vectors, including those highlighted in OWASP Top 10 and SANS 25.

With this flexibility, you can scan early and often without bogging down development. Later in the SDLC, you can always perform a comprehensive full scan for thorough validation before release.

Unified by IFA: Precision Meets Efficiency

What makes both of these capabilities — AI-powered error detection and test optimization — so impactful is that they operate under the same umbrella: Intelligent Findings Analytics. IFA is designed to enhance DAST performance from both ends: improving scan results by removing false positives and improving speed by reducing unnecessary tests.

Together, they deliver:

• Higher scan confidence with reduced noise
• Faster feedback loops for agile development
• Smarter use of resources across security and engineering teams
• AI-augmented validation for edge cases and ambiguous vulnerabilities

Built for the Digital+ Enterprise

With IFA integrated into HCL AppScan DAST, security testing is no longer the bottleneck it once was. Whether you’re securing APIs, web apps, or microservices — and whether you’re testing weekly or daily — AppScan empowers teams to move faster without compromising security.

Learn more or sign up for a free trial today.