Security is the greatest asset in the technology world today. While everyone is seeking privacy at all cost, the men in black are searching new means to perpetrate danger; it could be through phishing sites or simply hacking computers. So, if you are exposed to technology and think you can out smart hackers, slow down chief, you are susceptible to attack.
In this piece, I will take you on a techy ride on how to protect yourself or organization with free scanning apps.
In case you are a newbie to tech stuff, I will take it slow.
What are Web Application Vulnerability Scanners?
These are automated tools that secure your website and applications against hackers by fishing out security vulnerabilities which include: cross-site scripting, SQL injection, command execution, directory traversal and insecure server configuration.
These vulnerability scanners detect potential security vulnerabilities by communicating with a web application through the front end. Because these automated tools do not have access to the source code, they perform attacks to identify vulnerabilities. However, as common to every testing tool, Web Application security scanners are not totally flawless. These tools have their ups and downs, which I will be highlighting.
Here are the benefits of automated web security:
- These automated tools can trigger a malicious user by attacking and poking. It then finalizes its analysis by sifting what results are not part of the expected set.
- These tools can easily identify vulnerabilities because attackers use the same tools.
- They can test for potential security flaws.
- Automated web scanning allows scanning web applications and multiple websites at the same time, simultaneously
- These tools keep hackers away by finding their weaknesses before they do. This way, you are a step ahead of the enemy.
- They notify you of security threats and impending danger, thereby minimizing the effects of vulnerability outbreak.
Nevertheless, these free web security scanners ate also susceptible to danger because they also have limitations:
- In most cases, free tools do not have the latest update on language a specific security flaws, making them susceptible to competent attackers who are equipped with recently updated languages.
- The tools have limited understanding of applications with dynamic content such as JavaScript, Flash, etc.
- A survey recently reported that these free tools overlook top application technologies which include: JSON, REST and Google WebTookit in AJAX applications, Flash Tempting and HTML 5, mobile apps and SOAP technologies used in Web services and complex work flows.
- The tools can not execute all forms of attack for a particular vulnerability, making it quite impossible to completely secure an app. The tools are known to have predefined list of attacks, making them limited in their abilities.
- If you are a beginner in this field, you cannot identify a good security scanner. This will put your computer at risk, except you wish to activate at least five free tools if the first found nothing.
- Finding logical flaws such as the use of weak cryptographic functions and leaked information can be a painstaking task for the tools.
- Technical flaws are not left behind. If the web application doesn’t give you enough clues, the vulnerability cannot be caught.
- Undisciplined users, such as some university networks who don’t teach computers or anything related, are susceptible to malware with the free tool. This is because updated malware on non-patched computers are difficult to clear off.
- It’s no gainsaying, that all free tools are weak against the competent and broad-targeting attackers. Hackers could test their attacks on popular scanning tools to search for loopholes in websites made by people who make use of security scanners.
Inasmuch as the free security apps have limitations, it doesn’t stop you from enjoying the benefits. You can’t possibly prevent all the computer viruses and malware on your own. Like it or not, you do need them!
List of FREE Vulnerability Scanning Apps
Vega
This Java scripted open source scanner can help you find and validate SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting and other vulnerabilities. It runs on Linux, OS X and Windows. You can extend this scanner by using a powerful API. Its core functions include: website crawled, consistent UI, intercepting proxy, content analysis, customizable alerts and of course, vulnerability scanner.
Zed Attack Proxy
This scanner is exclusively designed for the experienced such as developers and functional testers. It provides you with a set of tools that allow you to manually detect security vulnerabilities. Its core functions include: intercepting proxy, supporting web sockets, automatically updating options, integrating and growing market place of add-ons, supporting web sockets and of course, passive scanning.
Wapiti
This free scanner acts like a fuzzier to detect vulnerabilities and allows you to inspect the security of your web applications. This scanner can detect vulnerabilities such as file disclosure, backup files giving sensitive information, potentially dangerous files and weak configurations that can be bypassed. Unlike other scanners, wapiti is fast and easy to use. It can suspend or resume an attack. It can also generate vulnerability reports in various formats-HTML, XML, JSON, etc.
Skipfish
This scanner carries out its security check through dictionary-based probes. Its key features include high speed and easy usage. This tool supports Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS X and Windows environments.
Webscarap
This Java written scanner analyzes applications that use HTTP and HTTPS protocols for communication. This framework is known for revealing hidden fields found in HTML pages making them visible.
Ratproxy
This passive web application is commonly used for sensitive detection of vulnerabilities. This framework offers several important advantages over traditional methods. For instance, it has no risk of disruptions. Therefore, it can be safely employed against production systems at will. This tool also provides a consistent and predictable coverage making it easily assessable to users.
Grabber
Although this security scanner is not as fast when compared to other scanners, it is simple and portable. Because it isn’t so fast, it can only be used to test small web applications. It can detect vulnerabilities such as cross site scripting, Ajax testing, file inclusion, and SQL injection.
Grendel
This scanner is an automatic tool for detecting security vulnerabilities in web applications. This free tool is available for Windows, Linux, and Macintosh.
Watcher
This tool passively finds web application vulnerabilities. This scanner is a great option for cloud and hosting environments. It is also safe for production environments because unlike other scanners, it does not provoke dangerous traffic.
There are others but I specifically prescribe those because they are tested and trusted. If you are a business owner, ensure you install more than one, at least five to ensure your security. You don’t want to risk your privacy been invaded by night marauders, do you? If you are not tech savvy, there are some which are quite easy to use, such as Grabber. However, bear in mind that it isn’t as sophisticated as the others.
Protect your computers for free!
