10 Open Source Security Testing Tools to Test Your Website

The Internet has evolved, but so have hacking activities. Every now and then there is some news about a website being hacked or a data breach. Technology has come a great way, but so does hacking. Just like the digital world, hacking methods and tools have also become more complicated and also threatening.

Better late than sorry! It’s essential to keep your website or web applications foolproof against malicious actions. What you require to do is to use some security testing tools to identify and estimate the extent of security issues with your web application(s).

The primary purpose of security testing is to conduct functional testing of a web application under observance and discover as many security issues as possible that could potentially point to hacking. All of this is executed without the requirement to access the source code.

There are several free, paid, and open-source tools available to examine the vulnerabilities and flaws in your web applications. The best thing about open-source tools, besides being free, is that you can customize them to match your specific terms.

So, here is the list of 10 open source security testing tools for examining how secure your website or web application is:

1. NetSparker

NetSparker functions as a one-stop-shop for all web security needs. Available as both hosted as well as a self-hosted answer, this platform can be easily combined completely in any kind of test and dev environment. NetSparker has a trade-marked Proof-Based-Scanning technology that uses automation to recognize vulnerabilities and verify false positives, thus eradicating the need for unnecessary investment of huge man-hours.

2. ImmuniWeb

ImmuniWeb is a next-gen platform that uses Artificial Intelligence to allow security testing. This AI-enabled penetration testing platform gives a holistic benefits package for security teams, developers, CISOs, as well as CIOs. Having a one-click virtual patching system, this platform supports continuous compliance monitoring. It boasts a proprietary Multilayer Application Security Testing technology and examines a website for compliance, server hardening, and privacy.

3. Vega

It is a free, open-source vulnerability scanning and testing tool formulated in Java. Vega is GUI enabled and operates with OS X, Linux, and Windows platforms. It’s an automated scanner powered by a website crawler that promotes quick tests. The intercepting proxy aids tactical inspection by examining and monitoring client-server communication. Vega can identify web application vulnerabilities like blind SQL injection, shell injection, reflected and stored cross-site scripting, etc. Its discovery modules are written in JavaScript and can be used to build new attack modules as and when needed with APIs.

4. Wapiti

Wapiti is a command-line application that crawls through web pages to identify such scripts and forms where data can be inserted. It performs a black box scan and injects payloads in the detected scripts to verify if it is vulnerable. With support for both GET and POST HTTP attack methods, this tool produces vulnerability reports in various formats and features different levels of verbosity. It discovers vulnerabilities like file disclosure, database injection, file inclusion, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), weak .htaccess configuration, etc. It is capable to differentiate between permanent and reflected XSS vulnerabilities and raises warnings whenever an anomaly is detected.

5. Google Nogotofail

It is a network traffic security testing tool. It examines applications for known TLS/SSL vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Nogotofail gives a flexible and scalable way of scanning, identifying, and fixing weak SSL/TLS connections. It verifies whether or not they are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks. It can be installed as a router, VPN server, or proxy server and operates for Android, IOS, Linux, Windows, Chrome, OS, OSX, and any other device that is employed to connect to the internet.

6. Acunetix

Acunetix, with its vulnerability scanner, established automated web application security testing. The Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner emphasizes innovative black-box scanning and SPA crawling methods in the form of AcuSensor and DeepScan respectively. The multi-threaded, DeepScan crawler has the capability to manage an uninterrupted scan of WordPress installation for above thousand vulnerabilities. A Login Sequence Recorder allows the tool to scan password-protected fields, whereas an in-built vulnerability management system helps with the production of various technical and compliance reports.

7. W3af

It is a web application audit and attack framework that is efficient against over 200 vulnerabilities. By recognizing vulnerabilities such as SQL Injection, Cross-site scripting, Guessable credentials, unhandled application mistakes, and PHP misconfigurations, assists in limiting the complete exposure of a website to malicious elements. With both graphical and console-based interfaces, W3af ensures the possibility of audit a web app’s security in less than five clicks. It can be utilized to send HTTP requests and cluster HTTP responses. If a website is protected, it can employ authentication modules to scan them. Output can be logged into a console, a file, or transmitted via email.

8. SQLMap

SQLMap is a penetration testing tool, powered by a discovery engine for automating identification and exploitation of SQL injection flaws. Including support for a broad spectrum of database management systems and SQL injection methods, SQLMap automatically recognizes hash-based passwords and promotes the orchestration of a dictionary-based attack to crack them. With seven levels of verbosity support, it allows ETA support for each query and returns granularity and flexibility for both users’ switches and features. Its fingerprint and enumeration features are important in streamlining an effective penetration test run.

9. ZED Attack Proxy (ZAP)

ZAP is a free, open-source penetration testing tool that is generated and maintained under the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) by some global volunteers. Suitable for both automated and manual security testing, ZAP is available for Windows, Unix/Linux, and Macintosh platforms. It stands as a “middle-man proxy” between a tester’s browser and the web application and is utilized to intercept and modify the transmitted messages. Its key features are traditional and AJAX spiders, Fuzzer, Web socket support, and a REST-based API.

10. BeEF (Browser Exploitation Framework)

BeEf stands for Browser Exploitation Framework and is effective in identifying an application’s weakness using browser vulnerabilities. It utilizes client-side attack vectors to verify the security of an application and can publish browser commands like redirection, changing URLs, creating dialogue boxes, etc. BeEf increases its scan circumference beyond the usual network perimeter and client system to examine where does the security system stand of a web browser stands.

Also Read: What Is Automated Penetration Testing And How Does It Help?

Conclusion

This sums up the list of the top 10 open source testing tools for web applications. Hope this was helpful, and you have found the right tool for your website.

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