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Triage and analysis
Grouping similar findings allows security analysts or IT auditors to segment and triage source code problems. This section explains how to triage AppScan® Source assessments and analyze results.
Working with bundles
Bundles (a grouping mechanism for findings) allow you to import a snapshot of findings from AppScan® Source for Analysis to AppScan Source for Development. Once findings are in bundles, you can use AppScan Source for Development to open the project that contains the bundle, import the bundle, or open a saved bundle file (file_name.ozbdl).
Viewing findings in bundles
When you add findings to a bundle, the findings appear as a row in the bundle. If you open the bundle, you see all findings that the bundle contains.

Developing
Learn how to develop by using the product.
- Scanning source code and managing assessments
  This section explains how to scan your source code and manage assessments.
- Triage and analysis
  Grouping similar findings allows security analysts or IT auditors to segment and triage source code problems. This section explains how to triage AppScan® Source assessments and analyze results.
  - Displaying findings
    The Findings view, or any view with findings, displays a findings tree (a hierarchical grouping of assessment criteria) and a findings table for each scan. The item that is selected in the findings tree determines the findings that are presented in the table.
  - The AppScan® Source triage process
    The triage process includes manipulating findings through bundles, filters, and exclusions - and comparing assessment results.
  - Sample triage
    This example describes an AppScan® Source triage workflow used by a security analyst. Triage workflow may vary according to your business needs.
  - Triage with filters
    AppScan® Source for Analysis reports on all potential security vulnerabilities and may produce many thousands of findings for a medium to large code base. When you scan, you may find that the findings list contains items that are not important to you. To remove certain findings from the Findings view, you can choose a predefined filter or you can create your own filter. A filter specifies the criteria that determine which findings to remove from view.
  - Triage with exclusions
    After a scan, you may decide that some findings are irrelevant to your current work, and you do not want them visible in the findings table when you triage the scan results. These exclusions (or excluded findings) no longer appear in the Findings view and the assessment metrics update immediately with the changed results. Filter and bundle exclusions added to a configuration only take effect on subsequent scans.
  - Working with bundles
    Bundles (a grouping mechanism for findings) allow you to import a snapshot of findings from AppScan® Source for Analysis to AppScan Source for Development. Once findings are in bundles, you can use AppScan Source for Development to open the project that contains the bundle, import the bundle, or open a saved bundle file (file_name.ozbdl).
    - Creating bundles
      Bundle creation occurs in the Bundles view or a view that contains a findings table. You can add findings to an existing bundle or a new bundle.
    - Adding findings to existing bundles
    - Viewing findings in bundles
      When you add findings to a bundle, the findings appear as a row in the bundle. If you open the bundle, you see all findings that the bundle contains.
    - Saving bundles to file
      You can save a bundle as a file to open in AppScan® Source for Development. A bundle also allows you to import a snapshot of findings from AppScan Source for Analysis to AppScan Source for Remediation.
    - Submitting bundles to defect tracking and by email
      The findings in bundles can be submitted to your corporate defect tracking system - or sent by email. Once you place findings in a bundle, you can submit these findings as bugs for developer remediation.
    - Adding notes to bundles
  - Working with static analysis fix groups
    Fix groups are a new approach to managing, triaging, and resolving issues found in static analysis scans. After running a static scan, AppScan® Source organizes issues into fix groups based on vulnerability type and the required remediation task.
  - Modifying findings
    Modified findings are findings that have changed vulnerability types, classifications, or severities - or that have annotations. The Modified Findings view displays these findings for the current application (the application that is active as a result of opening an assessment for it). In the My Assessments view (available only in AppScan® Source for Analysis), the Modified column indicates if a finding has changed in the current assessment.
  - Comparing findings
    Use the Diff Assessments action or the AppScanDelta utility to compare assessments. When two assessments are compared, the differences between the two are displayed in the Assessment Diff view or in an .ozasmt file. The results summarize new, fixed/missing, and common findings.
  - Custom findings
    To augment your analysis results, you can create custom findings. These are user-created findings that AppScan® Source for Analysis adds to the currently-open assessment or selected application. Custom findings impact assessment metrics and can be included in reports. Once created, a custom finding is automatically included in future scans of the application.
  - Resolving security issues and viewing remediation assistance
    AppScan® Source alerts you to security errors or common design flaws and assists in the resolution process. The AppScan Source Security Knowledgebase - and internal or external code editors - help with this process.
  - Supported annotations and attributes
    Some annotations or attributes that are used to decorate code are processed during scans. When a supported annotation or attribute is found in your code during a scan, the information is used to mark the decorated method as a tainted callback. A method marked as a tainted callback is treated as if all of its arguments have tainted data. This results in more findings with traces. Supported annotations and attributes are listed in this help topic.
- AppScan® Source trace
  With AppScan® Source trace, you can verify input validation and encoding that meets your software security policies. You can look at the findings that produce input/output traces and mark methods as validation and encoding routines, sources or sinks, callbacks, or taint propagators.
- AppScan® Source for Analysis and defect tracking
  AppScan® Source for Analysis integrates with defect tracking systemsIBM® Rational Team Concert™ to deliver confirmed software vulnerabilities directly to the developer desktop. Defect submission to a defect tracking system contains a textual description of the bug and a file that contains only the findings submitted with the defect.
- Findings reports and audit reports
  Security analysts and risk managers can access reports of select findings or a series of audit reports that measure compliance with software security best practices and regulatory requirements. This section explains how to create reports of aggregate finding data.
- Creating custom reports
  In the Report Editor, you create report templates used to generate custom reports.

Viewing findings in bundles

When you add findings to a bundle, the findings appear as a row in the bundle. If you open the bundle, you see all findings that the bundle contains.

About this task

Findings from multiple projects in bundles may appear differently. A finding in a bundle appears green and italicized when not found in the most recent scan.

Consider the following example of Application X.

Procedure

Application X contains Project A and Project B.
Scan Application X.
Create a bundle that contains findings from Project A and Project B.
Scan Project B. In the Bundles view, findings from Project B appear and findings from Project A appear in green and italics.

Results

A finding highlighted in green and italics is a fixed/missing finding. A fixed/missing finding is a finding in a bundle but not in the current assessment. A finding is identified as fixed/missing because it was resolved, removed, or the source file was not scanned. In the Bundles view, the Excluded column identifies if the bundle is excluded.