Fixing the application security blindspot with Contrast ADR

Imagine you're a lifeguard at a beach, but you're only allowed to watch from a helicopter or from a camera mounted on the boardwalk. Sure, you’ll see some splashing — maybe even a shark fin or two — but if something happens beneath the waves when you’re looking the other way, you’re completely in the dark.

That’s how most security teams operate when it comes to application-layer threats. Traditional tools like EDR and WAF are great at scanning the surface — endpoints, traffic patterns, system behavior. But when something sneaky happens deep inside the application, they’re often blind to it. WAFs are stuck filtering noisy traffic with limited context, while EDRs don’t look beyond the OS. This leaves a gaping blindspot — and it’s exactly where modern attacks love to hide.

Why traditional security tools come up short

Let’s break it down.

WAFs were built to protect web applications from common threats — some SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), etc. But they rely heavily on static signatures and pattern matching. So when attackers get clever with obfuscation or abuse app logic in unexpected ways, WAFs start firing off alerts without truly understanding what’s going on. That leads to a flood of false positives — a nightmare for security operations center (SOC) teams trying to triage.

EDRs, on the other hand, focus on endpoint activity — things like process creation, file changes and system calls. But if an attacker exploits a vulnerability in custom application code — say, a business logic flaw — an EDR won’t see it. It’s not designed for that layer.

Recent research backs this up. We wanted to see how well different security tools actually worked against real-world attacks. So, our research team at Contrast Labs put them to the test. We tried various types of attacks that target the inner workings of applications. Think of these attacks like someone trying to break into your house in different ways:

• Trying to steal data (SQL injection)
• Taking control of the system (Log4Shell and Trojan shell)
• Sneaking into files they shouldn't see (path traversal, File Read/Write attempts)
• Giving commands they're not supposed to (command injections)
• Even trying to create accounts or shut down the whole system

We tested our Contrast ADR platform alongside other common security tools: EDR (which watches computers) and WAF (which watches website traffic).

Here’s what we found:

• EDR tools often missed the attacks altogether. It was like the security cameras weren’t even pointed in the right direction to see the break-in.
• WAF tools did see some of the attacks and sounded an alarm. They were good at catching some common break-in attempts, like trying to steal data. But they missed some really serious attacks, the ones where attackers could take complete control of the system. It's like the alarm going off for someone ringing the doorbell but not for someone breaking down the back door.
• Sometimes, the WAF tool would also sound an alarm for something that wasn’t really a threat. Imagine the alarm going off because a friend came to visit, not an intruder. This makes it hard to know which alarms to take seriously.
• Our Contrast ADR tool caught all the serious attacks. It was like having security cameras inside the house, showing exactly what the intruders were doing. And it could also tell the difference between a real threat and something harmless.

In short, our testing showed that many common security tools can miss important attacks or give too many false alarms, while Contrast ADR gives a much clearer picture of what’s really happening inside your applications.

In sum, 

• EDRs miss attacks that exploit application logic.
• WAFs generate a ton of alerts but struggle to tell which ones actually matter.

Seeing from the inside: What makes Contrast ADR different

Contrast Security Application Detection and Response (ADR) flips the script. Instead of watching from the outside and guessing what’s going on inside the app, it works from the inside out. It uses lightweight sensors embedded right into the application runtime, giving it a direct view of what’s happening — in real time.

This “instrumentation” approach means ADR can:

• Capture full stack traces for every function call.
• Monitor known and unknown vulnerabilities under active attack.
• Track behavior of third-party libraries and dependencies.
• Establish normal behavioral baselines and flag anomalies.

All of this data is collected and refined automatically — no manual correlation required. It’s clear, actionable and directly tied to what’s going on inside the app.

What this means for security teams

With Contrast ADR, security teams can stop chasing shadows and start focusing on real threats. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Catch the tricky stuff — zero days, custom code vulnerabilities, logic flaws.
• Cut through the noise — only get alerts for verified threats tied to actual application behavior.
• Investigate faster — full context is already there: stack traces, requests, code locations.
• Shrink dwell time — malicious activity is caught at the app level before it moves deeper.
• Work proactively — spot exploitation attempts and act fast, with options for real-time alerts or response actions.
• Simplify post-mortems — with detailed attack data baked in, incident reviews are easier and more complete.

Plays well with others

ADR doesn’t ask you to rip and replace your existing stack. It integrates seamlessly with your current SOC workflows and tools, feeding rich, app-layer attack data straight into your SIEM. That means better correlation, more complete visibility and stronger defenses — without starting from scratch.

Shining light on the application blindspot

Application-layer threats aren’t going away — in fact, they’re growing more common and more complex. But with Contrast ADR, you’re no longer stuck guessing what’s going on beneath the surface.

It’s time to fill in the gaps and take control of your application security.

Ready to see what you've been missing? Try out the Contrast ADR sandbox and experience firsthand how deep visibility makes all the difference.