No single method finds everything. Static analysis reads your code, dependency scanning checks libraries, dynamic scanning probes a running app, pen tests chain flaws by hand, bounties add outside eyes, and red teams test detection and response. Use the table below to match a method to the problem you worry about.
The coverage table
| Method | Looks at | Good at finding | Weak at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static analysis (SAST) | Your source code | Injection patterns, unsafe functions | Runtime configuration, missing access checks |
| Dependency scanning (SCA) | Libraries and packages | Known vulnerable or risky components | Flaws in your own logic |
| Dynamic scanning (DAST) | A running web app or API | Exposed behaviors, common web flaws | Code paths it cannot reach or log into |
| Penetration test | The system, by a human | Chained weaknesses, logic and access flaws | Wide, repeated coverage over time |
| Bug bounty | Whatever researchers choose | Fresh perspectives, odd edge cases | Guaranteed coverage |
| Red team | People, process and detection | Whether an intrusion is noticed and stopped | Finding every individual vulnerability |
Reading the table
- Automated methods are broad and repeatable. They run on every commit or every night. NIST SP 800-115 notes that vulnerability scanning identifies known vulnerabilities but has high false positive rates, so results need validation.
- Human methods are deep and occasional. NIST SP 800-53 says penetration testing goes beyond automated vulnerability scanning and is conducted by people with demonstrable skills and experience.
- They feed each other. NIST 800-53 notes that vulnerability analysis results can support penetration testing, and that control assessments such as red team exercises provide further sources of vulnerabilities to scan for.
How to choose
- List your worries: a library flaw, a stolen session, a data leak between customers, a missed intrusion.
- Find the row that matches each worry.
- Cover the cheap, repeatable rows first: SCA, SAST, DAST in CI.
- Add a pen test for the system as a whole, on a schedule you can defend.
- Add a bounty or red team when the basics are fixed fast.
A common mistake
Teams run one method often and call the program complete. Ten scans a day of one kind will never find a broken access check that needs a human to try two accounts. See what fuzzing, SAST and DAST each find for a deeper look at three of the rows.
Try it yourself
Open the demo and see how a vulnerability platform pulls findings from different sources into one view. Look at what each source contributes and what is still missing.
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen.
Quick check
Which method should a small team start with?
Start with the repeatable, automated ones: dependency scanning and a code or web scan in CI. Add a pen test once you have something worth testing as a whole.
Can a red team replace a pen test?
They answer different questions. A red team tests whether an intrusion is detected and stopped, and a pen test tries to find and exploit as many weaknesses as the scope allows.
Safeguard covers the dependency and SBOM row with reachability analysis and policy gates, and you can run a free scan to see it.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
