How to Meet ISO 27001:2022 Requirements with StackHawk’s Shift-Left DAST

ISO 27001:2022 fundamentally changed application security requirements for organizations. The first major update since 2013 reorganized controls and explicitly addressed secure SDLC practices. New Annex A Control 8.25 requires security throughout the entire software development lifecycle. Organizations must demonstrate vulnerability scanning at multiple points: development, testing, and post-deployment.

StackHawk’s CI/CD-native DAST supports pre-production ISO 27001 compliance:

• Shift-left security testing embeds vulnerability scanning directly into the SDLC
• Runtime testing in pre-production environments satisfies requirements for security testing throughout development
• Automated, continuous scanning provides audit evidence of systematic security processes
• Configuration-as-code creates repeatable, documented security controls.

Understanding ISO 27001:2022 Application Security Requirements

The Core SDLC Requirements (Annex A 8.25)

ISO 27001 requirements for secure SDLC include:

• Separate development, test, and production environments
• Define security requirements in specification and design phase
• Apply secure system architecture and engineering principles
• Perform system and security testing on deployed code (regression testing, code scanning, penetration tests)
• Use project management principles to address risks at any stage
• Define secure coding guidelines for each programming language
• Build developer expertise in secure coding and vulnerability remediation
• Create secure repositories with restricted access to source code
• Set up secure version control with formal change management
• Apply security requirements to outsourced development

Vulnerability Scanning Requirements

Annex A 8.8 – Management of Technical Vulnerabilities

• Identify vulnerabilities using industry-recognized sources
• Evaluate risks and assign risk rankings
• Initiate appropriate corrective measures
• Demonstrate systematic, repeatable processes for vulnerability management

Annex A 8.29 – Security Testing in Development and Acceptance

• Perform vulnerability scanning throughout the SDLC
• Conduct penetration testing to verify security requirements
• Test before deployment and continuously after

What ISO 27001:2022 Really Means for AppSec

Security must be integrated throughout the SDLC, not bolted on at the end. Organizations need documented, repeatable processes. Continuous vulnerability scanning is required, not just annual pentests. Organizations must demonstrate that security testing doesn’t slow down development velocity. Audit evidence must show systematic application of security controls.

Questions organizations must answer “yes” to:

• Do you perform vulnerability scanning at multiple points in your SDLC?
• Can you demonstrate that testing happens automatically and consistently?
• Do you have documented processes for identifying, prioritizing, and remediating vulnerabilities?
• Can you prove security testing keeps pace with development velocity?
• Do you have audit trails showing when applications were tested and what was found?

The Multi-Methodology Reality

Although ISO 27001 does not stipulate which tools to use, in practice you’ll likely need multiple security testing methods to achieve compliance:

• SAST for code-level analysis during development
• SCA for third-party component vulnerabilities
• DAST for runtime testing of deployed applications
• Advanced DAST or penetration testing for business logic and complex vulnerabilities

How StackHawk Supports ISO 27001:2022 Compliance

1. Embed Vulnerability Scanning Throughout the SDLC

ISO 27001 Requirement: Annex A 8.25 (Secure Development Lifecycle), A 8.29 (Security Testing in Development and Acceptance)

The challenge: ISO 27001:2022 requires vulnerability scanning at multiple stages: during development, in testing, and post-deployment. Traditional DAST tools only test in production and miss the development and acceptance phases. Manual penetration testing can’t happen on every code change. Organizations need automated testing that keeps pace with CI/CD velocity and must demonstrate continuous security validation, not point-in-time assessments.

How StackHawk embeds testing throughout the SDLC:

CI/CD-native testing satisfies the “throughout the SDLC” requirement. StackHawk runs directly in CI/CD pipelines during every build and tests applications in development and staging environments before production. Scans complete in minutes (not hours), matching development velocity. Automated triggers on every commit ensure consistent testing.

StackHawk provides runtime vulnerability detection by testing running applications with real HTTP requests. It finds exploitable vulnerabilities including OWASP Top 10, business logic flaws, and authorization bypasses. It proves exploitability through active testing (not just flagging potential issues) and tests all modern API protocols: REST, GraphQL, gRPC, SOAP.

Pre-production and post-production testing covers all required phases:

• Development phase: Tests in local/dev environments as developers write code
• Acceptance phase: Validates security requirements in staging before deployment
• Production phase: Can run ongoing scans in production for continuous monitoring

This satisfies the ISO requirement for testing “throughout” the lifecycle.

Configuration-as-code ensures repeatable processes. Scan configurations are defined in YAML files and version-controlled alongside application code. This creates a consistent, documented approach across all applications and proves systematic security processes for auditors.

The compliance benefit:

• Demonstrates vulnerability scanning at all required SDLC stages
• Automated testing proves security is systematically applied
• Scan configurations provide documented security processes
• Pipeline integration shows testing doesn’t impede development velocity
• Audit trails document when each application was tested and results

2. Implement Documented Risk Management Processes

ISO 27001 Requirement: Annex A 8.8 (Management of Technical Vulnerabilities), Clause 6.1 (Risk Assessment)

The challenge: ISO requires systematic processes for identifying, evaluating, and treating vulnerabilities. Ad-hoc security testing doesn’t constitute a documented “process.” Organizations must show risk rankings and prioritization methodology. They need evidence that vulnerabilities are addressed based on risk, not randomly. Manual vulnerability management processes don’t scale across hundreds of applications.

How StackHawk provides systematic risk management:

Automated vulnerability identification happens with every scan. Findings are mapped to OWASP categories, CWE IDs, and industry standards. Consistent identification methodology applies across all applications. Integration with vulnerability databases provides up-to-date threat intelligence.

Risk-based prioritization includes severity ratings (Critical, High, Medium, Low) based on exploitability and impact. StackHawk provides context about which vulnerabilities are actively exploitable, information about affected endpoints, authentication requirements, and attack vectors. This helps organizations prioritize remediation based on actual risk.

Documented remediation processes include quality gates that can block deployments based on vulnerability severity. Fix verification through re-scanning confirms vulnerabilities are resolved. Integration with Jira and Slack creates formal remediation workflows. Audit trails show when vulnerabilities were found, assigned, fixed, and verified.

Measurable outcomes include Mean Time to Remediation (MTTR) metrics, vulnerability trends showing whether risk is decreasing, fix rates demonstrating effectiveness of remediation processes, and testing coverage metrics showing percentage of applications under active scanning.

The compliance benefit:

• Documented processes for all three phases: identification, evaluation, treatment
• Risk rankings based on industry standards and exploitability
• Evidence of systematic approach across entire application portfolio
• Audit trails proving vulnerabilities are addressed appropriately
• Metrics demonstrating continuous improvement in vulnerability management

3. Apply Secure Coding Standards and Developer Training

ISO 27001 Requirement: Annex A 8.25 (Secure coding guidelines), A 6.3 (Security awareness, education, and training)

The challenge: ISO requires defining secure coding guidelines for each programming language. Organizations must build developer expertise in finding and fixing vulnerabilities. Generic security training doesn’t translate to actionable code improvements. Developers need just-in-time education relevant to their specific vulnerabilities.

How StackHawk enables developer education:

Vulnerability-specific remediation guidance includes detailed explanation of each vulnerability, language and framework-specific fix recommendations, code examples showing how to remediate the issue, and links to OWASP and API security best practices.

Just-in-time learning means developers learn about vulnerabilities in the context of their own code. They receive immediate feedback when code introduces security issues. Remediation guidance is delivered directly in CI/CD, Jira, and Slack. This makes security training practical and actionable.

StackHawk reinforces secure coding practices through repeated exposure to vulnerability types, teaching patterns to avoid. Fix verification ensures developers understand remediation correctly. Trend data shows whether specific vulnerability types are decreasing, demonstrating the effectiveness of security programs.

Technology-specific guidance means StackHawk understands modern frameworks and API architectures (REST, GraphQL, gRPC). It provides context relevant to specific tech stacks, tests authentication, authorization, and business logic appropriate to architecture, and aligns with ISO requirements for language-specific secure coding guidelines.

The compliance benefit:

• Demonstrates developer education through vulnerability remediation activity
• Provides evidence of secure coding guidance relevant to languages in use
• Just-in-time training shows continuous security education
• Fix rates prove developers are applying security knowledge
• Declining vulnerability trends demonstrate training effectiveness

4. Manage Third-Party and Outsourced Development Security

ISO 27001 Requirement: Annex A 8.25 (Security in outsourced development), A 5.19 (Information security in supplier relationships)

The challenge: ISO requires the same security standards for outsourced and third-party code as internal development. Organizations often lack source code access for third-party applications and APIs. They must demonstrate security testing even when development is external and need to validate that outsourced development meets security requirements.

How StackHawk tests third-party code:

Black-box testing works without source code access. DAST doesn’t require access to source code and can test any web application, API, or service regardless of who built it. Technology-agnostic testing works regardless of development practices. This validates security without needing internal development access.

Testing third-party APIs and integrations means StackHawk tests external APIs your applications depend on, validates security of third-party services, identifies vulnerabilities in vendor-supplied code, and demonstrates due diligence in supply chain security.

Consistent security standards mean you can apply the same scanning policies to internal and outsourced applications, enforce the same quality gates and vulnerability thresholds, and demonstrate equivalent security requirements regardless of development source. Audit trails show all applications tested to the same standards.

Vendor compliance evidence includes scan results you can provide to vendors requiring remediation, documentation of security requirements for outsourced development contracts, proof that security testing occurred even for externally developed code, and support for ISO requirements for defining security expectations with suppliers.

The compliance benefit:

• Demonstrates security testing of outsourced and third-party code
• Proves equivalent security standards across all development sources
• Provides evidence for supplier relationship security requirements
• Testing without source code access enables validation of external development
• Audit trails show comprehensive coverage including third-party systems

5. Maintain Audit Evidence and Documentation

ISO 27001 Requirement: Clause 7.5 (Documented information), All Annex A controls requiring evidence

The challenge: ISO auditors require documented evidence that security controls are implemented. Organizations must prove security processes are followed consistently. Manual testing creates documentation gaps and incomplete audit trails. Organizations need to demonstrate continuous application of security controls over time.

How StackHawk generates audit evidence:

Automated audit trail generation means every scan is automatically logged with timestamp, configuration, and results. Complete history shows what was tested, when, and what was found. Pipeline integration provides an immutable record of testing in CI/CD. Version-controlled configurations show the evolution of security testing approaches.

Evidence for all required controls includes:

• A 8.25 (Secure SDLC): Pipeline logs prove testing throughout development
• A 8.29 (Security testing): Scan results demonstrate vulnerability scanning
• A 8.8 (Vulnerability management): Finding lifecycle shows identification, evaluation, treatment
• A 6.3 (Security training): Remediation activity demonstrates developer education
• A 5.19 (Supplier security): Scan logs show third-party application testing

Comprehensive testing records document which applications and APIs were tested, when scans occurred (date, time, pipeline job), what was found (vulnerabilities with severity, CWE, OWASP mappings), how findings were addressed (remediation actions, verification scans), and who was involved (code owners, developers who fixed issues).

Configuration documentation includes scan configurations documented in YAML, quality gate policies clearly defined, standards and thresholds consistently applied, and change history showing when security policies were updated.

Compliance reporting provides testing coverage metrics (percentage of applications under active scanning), vulnerability trends showing risk reduction over time, remediation metrics demonstrating timely treatment of vulnerabilities, and evidence of continuous improvement in security posture.

The compliance benefit:

• Complete audit trail for ISO 27001 certification and surveillance audits
• Documented evidence that all required security controls are implemented
• Proof that security processes are applied systematically and consistently
• Historical data demonstrates continuous compliance (not just point-in-time)
• Reports provide evidence for specific control requirements

Getting Started With StackHawk for ISO 27001 Compliance

Assess your current ISO 27001 readiness:

• Do you perform vulnerability scanning at multiple points in your SDLC (development, testing, post-deployment)?
• Can you demonstrate documented, repeatable processes for vulnerability management?
• Do you have audit evidence showing security testing happens consistently?
• Are you testing in appropriate environments (not just production)?
• Can you prove security testing keeps pace with your development velocity?
• Do you have evidence of developer security training and secure coding practices?

ISO 27001:2022 requires a comprehensive approach to application security throughout the SDLC. Vulnerability scanning must occur during development, in testing, and after deployment. Organizations need documented, repeatable, automated processes.

StackHawk’s shift-left DAST provides CI/CD-native testing that satisfies ISO requirements. Configuration-as-code and audit trails create the compliance evidence auditors need. ISO 27001 certification demonstrates commitment to information security management. Organizations that embed security testing throughout the SDLC achieve both compliance and better security outcomes.

StackHawk enables ISO 27001 compliance without slowing development velocity. The time to implement systematic application security testing is before your next audit. Schedule a demo to see how StackHawk’s shift-left DAST enables ISO 27001:2022 compliance with automated vulnerability scanning throughout your SDLC.