EVALUATION CHECKLIST

7 Questions to Ask Before You Pick an AppSec Vendor

Use this checklist to pressure-test any vendor across your whole development cycle.

Get the Checklist
Look past the findings
Most demos show what a tool detects. Learn how to test what happens to a finding once it reaches your team.
Cover the full cycle
Check coverage across prevent, detect, validate, and remediate, so gaps don’t surface after you’ve signed.
Compare with confidence
Use the same seven questions on every vendor, so your shortlist comes down to evidence instead of polished demos.
01
PREVENT →
Does it catch issues in the PR?
Findings raised while the author still has the change open are far easier to fix than ones that surface weeks after merge.
02
DETECT →
What does it miss?
Ask for a direct list of what’s covered and what isn’t, then see how each tool separates real risk from noise on your repos.
03
VALIDATE →
Is it actually exploitable?
Possible isn’t proven. Ask how each tool confirms exploitability and whether testing keeps pace with how often you ship.
04
REMEDIATE →
Does the fix get merged?
A finding is the start of the work. Ask who gets it, what comes with it, and how closure is verified, not assumed.
Download the checklist and get a scorecard, red flags for every question, and a four-step plan for a side-by-side proof of concept on your own repos.

Evaluate evidence, not demos