Contrast Security Collaborates with IBM Consulting to Tackle the Application-Layer Blind Spot

Contrast Security and IBM Consulting have joined forces to address one of the most urgent gaps in enterprise cybersecurity: the application layer. As companies accelerate development, pushing code as fast as several times a day, attackers are shifting their focus to APIs, business logic, and custom code. Application security tools traditionally focus on the development and build sections of the SDLC, lacking visibility into production application issues.

Customer use case:

A major enterprise launches a high-profile software release, complete with a global announcement. Within hours, AI-assisted attackers probe the new application and uncover a critical vulnerability. Contrast ADR detects the attack in real-time and blocks it before it can spread and exploit, which could have resulted in a negative business impact. The telemetry goes immediately to IBM’s Application Security Services, which leverages multiple layers of AI to enrich the data and identify the exploit path. To prevent such an attack from happening again, Contrast AI SmartFix generates a contextually accurate fix. Within minutes, the enterprise receives a pull request. Their team reviews and merges it. Analysts across IBM’s Application Security Service continue to monitor the environment and confirm that there are no further signs of intrusion. There’s no breach; the app stays live and there's no business impact.

Built for the Speed of AI-Driven Development

Static scanners and legacy workflows were not built for today's AI-driven development pace. Lengthy SAST and DAST scans simply cannot be completed in rapid, hours-long development cycles, forcing teams to choose between speed and security. Contrast detects vulnerable code and real attacks inside running applications, achieving 360-degree protection throughout the production lifecycle. Through IBM Consulting’s Application Security Services, the data is triaged and routed to developers without slowing down delivery. This helps enable fast and secure software development to drive efficiency and enhanced results.

According to IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, exploiting public-facing applications was among the most common entry points for cyberattacks in 2024. Adversaries are increasingly targeting APIs and business logic, which are rarely covered by traditional tools. The trend continues to grow.

Contrast’s Software Under Siege 2025 report confirms the pattern. Application-layer attacks now occur every 3 minutes on average. Most organizations still lack the runtime context needed to detect or stop them.

A Unified Approach to Runtime Application Security

This collaboration brings Contrast’s Application Detection and Response (ADR) platform into IBM’s Application Security Services. Contrast delivers live visibility into applications and APIs as they run. IBM enriches that telemetry using proprietary AI and Predictive Threat Intelligence (PTI), enabling teams to prioritize the threats that matter most.

Together, IBM Consulting and Contrast deliver a security feedback loop that connects runtime visibility, enterprise context, and developer workflows. Security becomes real-time, actionable, and aligned with how modern software is built.

“With Contrast’s telemetry and IBM Consulting’s AI-driven triage, we’re closing the gap between runtime risk and developer action,” said Suketu M., Solution Architect at IBM. “Our clients get visibility into active application threats, prioritized with enterprise context and remediated using the tools and workflows they already rely on.”

IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Services clients can view all their threat telemetry: across infrastructure, endpoints, and applications in a single, centralized portal. The system supports escalation workflows, ticketing integration, and direct collaboration with IBM Cybersecurity Services analysts.

Contrast shows real-time attack telemetry: inside running applications and APIs. Security and development teams can triage and remediate (with or without AI) based on what is actually happening in production, rather than relying on static test results.

How the Integrated Approach Functions

1. Proactive Risk Reduction Through Real-Time Application Visibility: By leveraging Contrast ADR’s in-app threat sensors, the joint solution delivers continuous, code-level visibility into application vulnerabilities and active threats—far beyond what perimeter-based tools can offer. This enables earlier detection and faster response to potential breaches, reducing risk exposure in real time.
2. Accelerated Threat Prioritization with AI-Driven Correlation: IBM’s proprietary agentic AI system, ATOM, and its predictive threat intelligence (PTI) capability help enhance decision-making by correlating telemetry from Contrast with global threat intelligence. This advanced, context-aware triage ensures that security teams focus on the threats that matter most, improving efficiency and reducing alert fatigue.
3. Streamlined Remediation with Developer-Centric Workflows: The solution seamlessly integrates with development tools like Jira, automatically generating and assigning actionable remediation tasks. This accelerates resolution timelines, minimizes disruption, and drives measurable improvement in mean time to remediation (MTTR).
4. Unified Security Oversight via a Centralized Portal: Through IBM Consulting’s integrated service portal, customers gain a holistic view of their threat landscape—combining real-time application telemetry, analyst insights, and incident tracking in one place. This centralized approach enhances cross-team collaboration, governance, and overall security posture.

Why Contrast and IBM Consulting 

Contrast delivers the runtime intelligence needed to see what is happening inside software. IBM  Consulting provides the operational model, AI enrichment, and delivery infrastructure required to scale across the enterprise.

Together, the collaboration gives customers:

• Complete visibility into application-layer threats
• Accelerate Mean Time to Remediation (MTTR)
• Fast and efficient triage based on real-world data
• Real-time guidance to developers and AppSec teams
• Security workflows that match the speed of modern DevOps
  
  

With IBM Consulting and Contrast, security no longer slows development down. It moves with it.