Contrast Assess vs New Relic IAST

Contrast Assess is an Interactive Application Security Testing tool that analyzes application code while the software runs. An agent instruments the application with sensors and examines libraries, frameworks, custom code, configuration, runtime control and data flow, HTTP traffic, and back-end connections. Its approach combines static, dynamic, and interactive testing. Assess can identify vulnerabilities in custom code, open-source libraries, frameworks, and application configurations, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and insecure configurations. It continuously monitors applications and APIs, and presents vulnerability lists with remediation guidance, application scores, route coverage, flow maps, and compliance and policy reports. It is designed for developers and AppSec teams to use in IDE, test, and QA environments. Integration with Contrast SCA can identify vulnerable third-party libraries and determine whether their vulnerable methods are called by the running application. Supported languages include Java, Kotlin, Scala, .NET Framework, .NET Core, C#, VB.NET, Node.js, Python, Go, and PHP. Contrast states that source code and binaries stay on customer servers. Assess supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows environments; pricing is on request, and hosted and on-premises customers require application licenses.

New Relic IAST probes running application code for vulnerabilities that could be exploited, helping DevOps and security teams address risk through the software development lifecycle. Dynamic assessment simulates attacks and can provide proof of exploit without code changes. New Relic APM agents deliver the capability, which can be enabled with a configuration setting change; supported languages are Go, Java, Node.js, and Ruby. Guided remediation can identify the code location, stack trace, HTTP trace, encountered URLs, exploit mechanism, and parameters involved. IAST is integrated with New Relic Vulnerability Management for ongoing discovery, fixing, and verification of high-risk vulnerabilities. Findings receive severity scores using CVSS version 3, with Low, Medium, High, and Critical ranges. The tool supports authenticated and API testing, CI/CD pipelines, and ticketing systems. A free New Relic plan is available, but IAST analysis is billed through an optional Compute Add On based on Compute Capacity Units consumed during analysis. Pricing for other plans is available on request.