Security tools identify weaknesses in an application by analyzing it from its source code or during runtime. They are effective at finding certain types of vulnerabilities, but not well-suited for others as there are a class of application weaknesses that cannot be adequately tested by a security tool. However, they form part of an effective security testing strategy when combined with a focused manual testing practice. SD Elements can help teams achieve this effective strategy by identifying which security requirements are not covered by a scanning tool, and which ones require further manual testing.

SD Elements integrates with two types of scanning tools: