What phase of the SDLC uses Dynamic Code Analysis tools to evaluate application security and test for known vulnerabilities?

Dynamic code analysis tools are primarily utilized during the code testing phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This phase is dedicated to ensuring that the developed code behaves as expected and meets the specified requirements. Testing not only verifies functionality but is also crucial for evaluating application security.

During code testing, dynamic code analysis helps identify vulnerabilities and security issues while the code is running. These tools can examine the application in real-time, providing insights into how the code interacts with its environment and the data it processes. This dynamic approach allows for the detection of certain types of vulnerabilities that static analysis might miss, such as runtime errors, memory leaks, and authentication issues.

In contrast, other phases of the SDLC focus on different aspects of the application development process, such as gathering requirements or designing solutions, which do not involve direct evaluation of the code's security in a dynamic context. Therefore, the use of dynamic code analysis tools is specifically aligned with the objectives of the code testing phase, emphasizing the importance of security testing before deploying the application.