Numerous popular retail sites have been hacked in the past; in fact, hackers are always active and trying to get access to data and information which can be used in illegal ways. This is one reason why companies should have their web applications tested by Lean Security, an Australian based managed security services that also offers web application testing and penetration services.

Companies can make use of web application security scanners which are security programs that perform black box testing on website applications and can help identify security vulnerabilities.  Below, Lean Security experts have shared 3 of the best open sourced web application vulnerability scanners for businesses.

The Best Web Application Scanners That Your IT Department Needs

Executives fear these scanners can access their source code, but in actuality the software just find the vulnerability within the application and offer solutions to solve it.       

Grabber

This software program will be able to detect any number of security vulnerabilities in your web applications. The web application scanner performs thorough scans and shows the exact location of the vulnerability. Security experts use this software to detect the following;

Ø  SQL Injection

Ø  Cross Site Scripting

Ø  File Inclusion

Ø  Ajax Testing

Ø  Backup File Check

Ø  JS Source Code Analyzer

There’re some limitations to this scanner. As compared to most others, Grabber isn’t as fast but the program makes up for it by being simple and portable. Security experts at Lean Security recommend using the Grabber software to test only small web applications.

Vega

This is another great and free open sourced testing scanner and web vulnerability scanner. Vega can be used to perform security testing of any web application. It’s compatible with OS X, Linux and Windows and is written in a Java and GUI based environment. The software helps find:

Ø  SQL Injection

Ø  Directory Listing

Ø  Header Injection

Ø  Shell Injection

Ø  File Inclusion

Ø  Cross Site Scripting

Ø  And other web application vulnerabilities

Arachni

Another great open sourced tool, Arachni helps provide a penetration testing environment and can detect a wide range of web application security vulnerabilities, such as:

Ø  XSS

Ø  SQL Injection

Ø  Local File Inclusion

Ø  Remote File Inclusion

Ø  Un-validated Redirect

Such software programs are useless if you don’t have a trained IT department or don’t know the basics of how web application security testing works. Having a professional security service such as Lean Security in your corner will help immensely, whether the issue is cloud, mobile or web based. Learn how Lean Security is able to identify common as well as ‘zero day’ security issues and solves them before hackers have even half of a chance to exploit your web applications.