Application security from the first commit to production.
F Creative Studio 360 helps organisations in any country put security into how software is written, built and released, including static, dynamic, interactive and composition testing.
A perimeter does not inspect the code.
Traditional security watches the network and tests after the software is finished. Application security watches the code, the libraries and the running application while they are still being changed. Each request is checked on its own merits, which is the idea behind NIST zero trust guidance.
F Creative Studio 360 does this work for development teams in any country. A client repository, pipeline or application is only touched when that organisation has authorised it.
- The application is the boundary
- A firewall does not see a flawed login, a broken access check, or a library with a known flaw. Those sit in the software itself.
- Earlier findings are cheaper to fix
- A weakness caught while the code is being written is a change in that change. The same weakness found in production is an incident, a release delay, or both.
- Security sits with the people who ship
- A scan that arrives after the release is too late to change the release. Feedback has to land where the code is written.
- Evidence for wherever you operate
- The same checks can support a customer questionnaire, PCI DSS, or another obligation, depending on what applies to the application.
What the work covers
Testing is planned against the OWASP Top 10 and the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard. Open-source findings are matched to the CVE list and the National Vulnerability Database, and rated with CVSS.
- Static testing
- Source, bytecode or binaries are reviewed without running the application. This is where insecure patterns and missing checks usually show up first.
- Dynamic testing
- A running application is exercised from the outside, including authentication, sessions and configuration, without needing the source.
- Interactive testing
- The application is watched from inside while it runs, so a finding can be tied to the line of code that produced it, with fewer false alarms.
- Composition analysis
- Open-source libraries and other third-party components are matched to known vulnerabilities and licence obligations, then ranked so the risky ones are updated first.
Where the checks sit
The checks go into the pipeline you already run, including GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Bitbucket Pipelines and AWS CodePipeline. Results can be sent to Jira, Slack or Microsoft Teams when that is how the team already works.
- 1
Before the change is committed
A check for secrets and obvious weaknesses, so they do not enter the repository.
- 2
On the pull request
Static testing and composition analysis, with comments on the change and a rule for what is allowed to merge.
- 3
In the build
Dependency verification, container checks and interactive testing where the pipeline can run them.
- 4
Before and after release
Dynamic testing of the application and its APIs, then monitoring of what is actually in production.
What you receive
- A view of where security sits in the lifecycle today, and where it does not.
- Findings from code, running applications and third-party libraries, rated by impact.
- Gates in the pipeline you already use, with a clear rule for what blocks a release.
- A record you can show a customer or an auditor.
- A way to keep the checks running as the application changes, when that is part of the engagement.
Standards the work can align to
F Creative Studio 360 plans the programme around the references that apply where you operate. The usual baseline is OWASP, OWASP SAMM and the NIST Secure Software Development Framework. A release gate can block on severity, a CVSS threshold, a licence rule, or an exception you have already approved.
Alignment is not a certification, and F Creative Studio 360 does not claim to be a partner of the pipeline tools named above. The tools are the ones your team already runs.
Common questions
What does application security cover?+
F Creative Studio 360 reviews how an application is written, built and run. That includes static testing of the code, dynamic testing of the running application, interactive testing while it executes, and composition analysis of open-source libraries. The checks are placed in the development lifecycle, not saved for a single test at the end.
Where do you deliver this?+
For organisations in any country. The engineering work is the same. The evidence is written against the obligations that apply where you operate, such as the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard, PCI DSS, or a customer security questionnaire.
What is the difference between static and dynamic testing?+
Static testing reads the code without running it, so insecure patterns can be found early. Dynamic testing uses the running application the way an outsider would, which is where configuration and session problems show up. Most programmes use both, and add composition analysis so a vulnerable library is not missed.
Can this run in our existing pipeline?+
Yes. F Creative Studio 360 places the checks in the pipeline you already use, including GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Bitbucket Pipelines and AWS CodePipeline. Findings can be sent to the tracker your team already works in. The rule for what blocks a release is agreed with you.
How do we know if a library is vulnerable?+
Composition analysis compares the libraries in the codebase with published vulnerability records, including the CVE list and the National Vulnerability Database, and scores them with CVSS. It also notes licence obligations. The result is a list of what to update, not a raw dump of every dependency.
How is this different from a penetration test?+
A penetration test is an authorised attempt against an agreed system at a point in time. Application security is the set of checks that run as the software is planned, written, built and released. Many organisations use both. Testing of a production application is only included when it is in the written scope.
Is this a one-off review?+
It can be. When you want engineers in the team on a continuing basis, that is AppSec as a Service. F Creative Studio 360 scopes either one before work starts. There is no obligation to continue after the first engagement.
How much does it cost?+
It depends on the number of applications, the languages, and whether the work is a first assessment, pipeline integration, or an ongoing programme. A scoping conversation with F Creative Studio 360 is the way to get a quote.
Start with the applications you ship.
F Creative Studio 360 will look at the code, the pipeline and the reason for the work, then say whether the next step is an assessment, a set of release gates, or an ongoing programme.