Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) has become a core practice in modern cybersecurity, particularly for securing web applications, one of the most common modern software types. This research explores the historical evolution of web application security testing resources and publications over time. A key focus is the chronological focus of these works and the narrative this talks to in regard to security testing. This study fills a gap in academic literature, as meta-analyses of technical security testing methodologies and related published works are uncommon. The only comparative work that was discovered was Doğan Et al.’s 2014 ‘A survey on web penetration test’. This work looked at this topic from a quantitative Structured Literature Review (SLR) approach and although effective in answering research questions, the overall study looked more to academic research trends in web security. This research expands on this to rather focus on the historical evolution over time of web security outside of academia. Findings indicate that the late 90’s, specifically around 1997, is where we see the first formal publications primarily for web security.Most formalized methodologies, training, groups and best practices for web application DAST formed between 2002 to 2008, with the use of static published guides and community knowledge being the learning standard until the mid-2010’s when the rise of cyber learning and development platforms began maturing. We have plotted a chronological line of these events to better understand this evolution. The study highlights a shift from static information-sharing mediums (whether online or print) to dynamic, web-based platforms (platforms, source-code community publications) in response to the rapidly changing security landscape. This has allowed improved the ability to access information from centralised locations rather than having to collate web security resources but also has increased the level of commercialisation due to subscriptions and courses within platforms being an increasingly popular source for web security testing thought leadership and training. This research contributes to the academic understanding of how web application security testing has evolved over time, allowing for expansion for future analysis of application security testing, particularly in evolving education trends and methodologies.

Security Testing Methodology Web Application