What is Web Application Scanning & What are its Types?
Web App Pentesting

What is Web Application Scanning & What are its Types?

In today’s digital age, data breaches have become regular and must be avoided at all costs. If not avoided, this can damage trust and reputation among the business user base. Web applications have become an essential part of our lives. Whether it’s banking or shopping for your favorite items online. The growing usage of web applications to perform these tasks has also increased the chances of potential risks happening. This is where web application scanning comes to the rescue of businesses and firms. This blog aims to provide a comprehensive guide on web application scanning, its benefits, challenges, and the tools used. An Introduction to Web Application Scanning Web application scanning is a process in which automated tools identify and pinpoint potential risks in web applications that cyber criminals could exploit. It is important to mitigate these risks, especially before the web application is introduced in the market. This helps the business maintain trust and reputation. This is also needed for businesses to avoid any kind of data theft on the internet. A cybersecurity firm scans and recommends various steps to mitigate these potential risks in a report. Vulnerabilities like SQL injection and misconfigurations affect web applications and cost money to businesses and firms. Want to look at a real web application scanning report? Just click the button below and download one right now!   Latest Penetration Testing Report Download What does Web Application Scanning Do? It is a process that involves scanning web-based applications to identify their security posture and mitigate potential risks. Here is what web applications do: 1. Identifies Vulnerabilities During a web application scanning, various vulnerabilities are uncovered and these vulnerabilities could potentially harm the application. Here are some vulnerabilities that could affect the applications: 2. Simulates Attacks The automated scanning tools simulate real attacks on the web app. This means it shows hackers and cyber criminals could potentially exploit the gaps and weaknesses. This helps in identifying how the application would respond to the attacks and thus a solution could be devised and improve the security of that application. 3. Provides Detailed Reports After simulating the attacks, the automated tools provide detailed reports of the application’s security posture. This report generally includes the below-stated information. 4. Helps Ensure Compliance Various industries require various compliance requirements like GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, etc. To get these compliance certifications, industries, and businesses need to conduct regular security assessments. Web application scanning helps firms with compliance requirements and meet specific standards. 5. Supports Continuous Security With the continuous increase in rising vulnerabilities, there is also an evolving need for security measures for web-based applications. To counter-attack these vulnerabilities continuous web application scanning is necessary. The Benefits of Web Application Scanning   This scanning method offers various benefits that help businesses and firms protect their web applications from potential security risks. Here are some key benefits: Benefit Description Early Detection of Vulnerabilities Identifies security issues early, allowing them to be fixed before exploitation. Cost-Effective Security Prevents costly incidents by addressing vulnerabilities during development. Enhanced Security Posture Maintains strong security by regularly identifying and fixing vulnerabilities. Compliance with Regulations Helps meet industry regulations requiring regular security assessments. Protection of Sensitive Data Safeguards personal and financial information by addressing vulnerabilities. Want to secure your web applications from various security risks? Qualysec Technologies provides the best web application scanning. So, if you want to keep your application and business running smoothly, click below!   Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business. Schedule a Call The Challenges for Web Application Scanning It is an essential process that helps organizations build their security posture but it also comes with various challenges. The challenges for web application scanning include: Web App Scanning vs. Web Vulnerability Scanning The basic difference between the two scanning methods is based on the environment in which it is done. During a Web application scanning the application is scanned for vulnerabilities and potential security flaws. While a web vulnerability scanning is a process that is based on the web environment to find flaws. The web environment includes servers, networks, and databases. Here is a list of differences between web application scanning and web vulnerability scanning: Aspect Web Application Scanning Web Vulnerability Scanning Scope Focuses on identifying vulnerabilities specific to web applications. Focuses on vulnerabilities in web applications, servers, networks, and other components. Purpose Its purpose is to secure web applications by detecting flaws and security risks. Provides a complete security scan of vulnerabilities associated with web applications. Common Tools OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, and Metasploit. Nessus, OpenVAS, and Qualys. Types of Vulnerabilities Vulnerabilities include SQL injection, XSS, and misconfigurations. Includes web-specific vulnerabilities as well as network and servers. Depth of Analysis Provides in-depth analysis of application-specific vulnerabilities. Provides an analysis of the security posture, and vulnerabilities. Automation vs. Manual This process uses automated tools. It is usually done using automated tools but manual testing could also be done. Output Detailed reports on application vulnerabilities. Comprehensive security reports. Common Web App Scanning Tools There are various types of tools available for scanning. These tools are used for various purposes and the scope of the testing that is required. Some of the web application scanning tools are listed below: Types of Web Application Scanning Web application scanning can be typically categorized into two types, which are: 1. Static Application Security Testing (SAST) SAST analyzes various aspects of the application. These aspects include source code and bytecodes of the application that’s being tested. It is termed a static tool because these tools perform the analysis without executing it. It scans for security flaws during the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). The vulnerabilities often include coding errors and flaws. 2. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) DAST identifies vulnerabilities in the web application effectively. The tool finds these vulnerabilities by simulating attacks on the application and analyzes how the application responds. This is helpful for attacks such as SQL injection and Cross-site scripting (XSS). How to