Qualys introduced TotalAppSec, an AI-powered application risk management solution designed to unify API security, web application scanning and web malware detection across on-premises, hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The platform provides holistic security visibility, enabling businesses to detect and mitigate threats with greater accuracy while integrating security into DevSecOps workflows.

Kunal Modasiya, vice president of product management, GTM and growth at Qualys, explained that traditional application security solutions operate in silos, leading to fragmented risk assessments and leaving gaps in coverage.

“Application security has historically been treated as independent layers — web apps, APIs and the infrastructure supporting them,” he said. “Attackers don’t think that way. They chain vulnerabilities across layers to maximize impact.”

TotalAppSec addresses this challenge by integrating web application security testing, API security testing and deep learning-powered malware detection into one platform, leveraging AI-driven analysis to identify hidden security risks and prioritize them based on real-world exploitability.

According to Modasiya, this approach enables security teams to focus on high-impact vulnerabilities rather than treating all security issues equally.

Tackling API, Web Application Vulnerabilities

As web applications and APIs remain prime entry points for cyberattacks, security teams must rethink their approach to risk assessment.

Traditional tools can lack visibility into shadow APIs and unmonitored web applications, exposing businesses to unknown risks.

TotalAppSec addresses this by continuously scanning for undocumented and forgotten assets while integrating security testing for web apps and APIs.

“Adversaries exploit vulnerabilities across multiple layers — web applications, APIs and third-party integrations,” Modasiya said. “Security teams must ensure full asset visibility, conduct comprehensive testing and prioritize vulnerabilities holistically rather than in isolation.”

One of the key features of TotalAppSec is its deep learning-powered web malware detection to identify unknown malware and zero-day threats, even when no existing signatures are available.

“We’re leveraging AI to not just scan for known vulnerabilities but to detect emerging threats in real-time,” Modasiya said.

Addressing API Security Risks

Modasiya emphasized businesses must take a proactive approach to API security, starting with comprehensive API discovery to continuously identify known, unknown and shadow APIs that may be operating outside security oversight.

He stressed the importance of automated API security testing, which allows organizations to detect vulnerabilities such as misconfigurations and improper access controls, particularly those outlined in the OWASP API Top 10.

To prevent unintended data exposures, businesses should also implement configuration drift monitoring to ensure APIs remain compliant with OpenAPI specifications and do not deviate from secure configurations over time.

Additionally, he highlighted the need for access control validation, ensuring that APIs enforce strict authorization mechanisms to prevent privilege escalation attacks, such as those associated with Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA).

“APIs introduce a dynamic attack surface, and misconfigurations can lead to sensitive data exposure and privilege escalation,” Modasiya said.

Risk-Based Prioritization

TotalAppSec’s TruRisk scoring system provides a risk score that correlates vulnerabilities across web apps, APIs and infrastructure.

“Instead of separate, incomplete risk scores, TotalAppSec consolidates risks across layers to provide a real-world risk assessment based on actual exploitability,” Modasiya said.

This risk-based approach helps security teams avoid wasting time on low-impact vulnerabilities and instead focus on fixing issues that could lead to cascading security failures.

“For example, a publicly exposed API with weak authentication running on an outdated server could create a high-risk attack chain,” Modasiya said. “By correlating these risks, TotalAppSec ensures organizations fix vulnerabilities that matter most.”

The real-time risk prioritization also helps businesses reduce operational disruptions and prevent breaches before they happen.

“Organizations need a way to continuously assess the compounding risks within their application stack,” Modasiya added.

Aligning Security With DevSecOps for Faster Remediation

The platform is designed to fit into DevSecOps workflows, providing real-time fix validation, to help teams remediate vulnerabilities quickly while maintaining continuous security across the development lifecycle.

“To successfully integrate security into DevSecOps, companies need automated testing and feedback loops that don’t disrupt development,” Modasiya said. “Security can’t be an afterthought — it has to be built into the process.”

TotalAppSec integrates with ITSM and CI/CD tools like Jenkins and ServiceNow and supports compliance monitoring for PCI-DSS, GDPR, and OpenAPI adherence.

“We’re bringing together security, automation and AI in a way that helps businesses protect their applications without slowing them down,” Modasiya said.