As per reports from IBM, organizations that use both AI and automation application security testing tools experienced a data breach lifecycle that was 108 days. This was shorter compared to organizations that have not deployed these technologies.
Even after knowing the massive difference that automated vulnerability scanning tools can make, many organizations are hesitant to integrate application security tools in the software development life cycle.
Selecting the right application security testing tool involves careful consideration of factors such as scope, ease of use, integration, scalability, reporting, community support, cost, accuracy, updates, and compliance.
With several application security tools available for you to try and test, there are a few important features that you need to consider when selecting web application scanning tool and software for your organization. Similarly, testers and developers need to know about these features of application security tools. This empowers them to utilize these application security tools and services in the best way possible to secure apps from being exploited for sensitive data through cyber attacks.
Important Features of Web Application Security Products
Choosing the right automated software security product is crucial to safeguard your online assets. When evaluating application security products from various providers, it's essential to consider several important features to ensure comprehensive protection for your web apps.
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Comprehensive Threat Detection: Look for automated web app security services that offer advanced threat detection mechanisms. These products should be capable of identifying and mitigating a wide range of threats, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and DDoS attacks.
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Real-time Monitoring: Opt for application security solutions that provide real-time monitoring and alerting capabilities. This enables you to respond swiftly to security incidents and minimize potential damage.
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Web Application Firewall (WAF): A strong web application firewall is essential, this ensures the product includes personalization of tests based on your requirements and can adapt to emerging threats.
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Scalability: Choose products that can scale with your business. As your web applications grow, your vulnerability testing tools should easily accommodate increased traffic, and confidential data and test web applications for security risks.
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User-friendly Interface: An intuitive user interface makes it easy to manage and monitor security measures using automated application testing tools. Look for cloud-based applications scanning tools and products that are user-friendly and provide actionable insights.
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Regular Updates: Top application security companies often release frequent updates to address new vulnerabilities. Opt for a cloud-based applications security scanning product that receives regular updates to stay ahead of evolving security vulnerabilities.
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Compliance Support: If your business operates within regulated industries, check if the product offers compliance support for standards like PCI DSS, GDPR, or HIPAA.
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Reporting and Analytics: Reporting and analytics features help you assess the effectiveness of your application security measures and make informed decisions for improvements.
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Integration Capabilities: Consider whether the product seamlessly integrates with your existing CI/CD pipelines and software development life cycle. This will ensure smooth integration and workflow for your software development and security teams.
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Support and Training: Assess the level of support and training the application security provider provides. Good customer support can be invaluable during critical incidents.
Automated web application security tools and services should offer comprehensive protection, real-time monitoring, scalability, and user-friendly features. Regular updates, compliance support, integration capabilities, and strong customer support round out the essential features to consider when making your choice.
You can choose to integrate Cyber Chief in your software development and application security vulnerability testing process. It can easily scan vulnerabilities in your web application, APIs and cloud infrastructure.
Cyber Chief is easy to navigate and has a quick set-up which will save your development team a lot of time, which they can re-focus on more critical issues. It provides a detailed analysis report for the security issues that are identified. Along with this, your team can know the possible fixes they can use for securing their applications.
It offers authenticated software security testing and identifies security vulnerabilities that can lead to exploitation of sensitive data. No application security tools or software can provide complete protection through continuous development, it is recommended that organizations should not take application security testing lightly. Employing automated application security scanning tools in SDLC and CI/CD is a great way to protect applications from data breaches.
Top 6 Application Security Service Providers
1. Cyber Chief
Cyber Chief is a great web app API vulnerability testing tool that you can add to your software development process. It provides your development teams with code security analysis and possible solutions that can help fix vulnerabilities. It is an automated web application scanning tool that can be easily integrated into your current development infrastructure. The automated applications security test tool will help your organization improve their application security efforts.
Advantages of Cyber Chief:
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Schedule and conduct automated scans for web apps, mobile apps and APIs.
Assesses cloud security posture compliance.
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Provides detailed reports of security flaws in applications.
Possible remediation report for software applications.
User-friendly interface.
Quick and easy set-up.
To see how Cyber Chief can help your organization and development team with cloud services and application security, you can book a demo call.
2. Veracode
Veracode is a software security testing tool that can perform static, and dynamic application security testing and interactive application security testing and software composition analysis. This security testing tool can check your web app's code, and vulnerability issues, and also conduct penetration testing. It supports various languages and provides detailed analysis reports. These can be valuable for your development teams to fix security issues.
Pros
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Prioritizes vulnerabilities based on risk level and severity
Provides remediation guidance
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Detailed analysis report on application security issues and possible fixes.
Free Trial Available
Cons
Complicated User Interface
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Relatively higher false positive rate reported by users.
Cost
Veracode offers a customized price quote based on the testing requirements of particular businesses. You can get in touch with Veracode's sales team to get a detailed quote on the cost for your organization.
3. Qualys
Qualys is a renewed cloud-based application and network security testing software. This vulnerability scanning tool can perform security scans and provide your development teams with in-depth analysis reports and possible remediation.
Pros
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Automated application security scanning and report creation.
Provides possible remediation.
Manage cloud assets.
Free Trial Available
Cons
Challenging domain and network integration set-up.
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Complicated user interface and application navigation set-up.
Narrow 2FA options.
Cost
Qualys cloud platform for web application vulnerability testing and network scanning requires its customers to opt for its annual payment options. However, these are determined by the apps and IP addresses and user licences the organization wishes to take. To know the details, you can connect with their sales representative.
4.GitLab
Though GitLab is known as a DevOps platform, it offers web application vulnerability scanner options. Its capabilities include static application security testing, dynamic application security testing, API security testing, and container and dependency scanning.
Pro
Quick and Easy Integration.
Easy-to-navigate interface
Source Control
Cons
Challenging third-party software integrations
Inaccurate information for CI/CD error messages.
Cost
Premium (Includes Major GitLab Features): $24/user
Ultimate (Access All Features): $99/user
5. Trend Cloud One
Trend Micro Cloud App Security is a cloud-based security platform. It helps in scanning and analysing security issues for SaaS-based platforms such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and more. It can conduct security testing for web apps and identify and prevent unauthorized access and hijacking.
Pros
Quicky deployment of applications
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Real-time scanning and protecting against unwanted activities.
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Provides security protection for application deployment and design issues.
Cons
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Challenging to navigate the user interface for modifications and other options.
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Appears offline for remote endpoints with weak internet connectivity.
Tends to display occasional false positives.
Cost
Trend Cloud One offers an estimated cost calculator on its website that can help you know the cost of the cloud application security vulnerabilities testing platform.
6. Acunetix
Acunetix is an automated application security testing tool. It can easily scan and comb your software applications' layers for security issues. Its optional component, AcuSensor offers Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), combining dynamic and static application security testing for applications. It helps security teams by scrutinising your application for SQL Injection, and HTML5 and can detect DOM-based XSS. Provides compliance for OWASP Top 10, PCI, HIPPA and other compliance reports
Pro
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Can scan and identify vulnerabilities for PHP, NET, and other plugins.
Identifies site-based security issues.
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Offers Manual Pentest as a service.
Free Trial Available
Cons
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Unable to detect second-order vulnerabilities without existing application.
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Challenging setup for API and web application scanning.
Cost
The approximate cost for web application security testing of Acunetix ranges from $4,500 to $26,600, depending on the pricing editions you opt for. These are their annual price ranges, without the option to change the audit the number of units opted for.
Which Application Security Testing Tool Should You Choose?
With a plethora of automated web application and security testing tools and platforms available from various Appsec companies and application security providers, it can be challenging to make the right choice. Here are some important factors that you need to consider before choosing an application security testing tool for your web apps and APIs:
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Scope of Testing: Determine the scope of your application security testing needs. Are you looking for static application security testing tools, dynamic application security testing tools and services or both? Some tools offer a combination of these techniques, providing comprehensive coverage.
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Ease of Use: Look for automated testing tools that have user-friendly interfaces and straightforward setup processes. This will save time and reduce the learning curve for your development and security teams.
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Integration Capabilities: Another important factor that you need to consider is the seamless integration with your existing software development lifecycle and CI/CD pipelines. Compatibility is crucial for smooth workflows.
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Scalability: Consider whether the application security program will be able to upscale your security requirements. It should be able to accommodate your current and future secure application development needs as your application portfolio expands.
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Reporting and Analysis: In-depth reporting and analysis capabilities are essential for automated web application security tools. This will help your security teams to understand vulnerabilities, prioritize fixes, and track improvements over time. Many tools also offer possible solutions that your security and development teams apply to the web applications.
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Community and Support: You need to research the automated testing tool's community and customer support offerings. A strong user community and responsive support team can be invaluable when you encounter issues or have questions.
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Cost: Compare pricing structures and licensing models of the vulnerability assessment tool and ensure they align with your budget and security testing requirements.
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Accuracy and False Positives: Assess the automated testing tool's accuracy in detecting vulnerabilities and its tendency to generate false positives. Tools with high accuracy save time by focusing on genuine threats to sensitive data on your applications.
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Continuous Updates: Choose a web application security testing tool that receives regular updates to stay current with emerging threats and code security.
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Compliance: If your organization operates within a regulated industry, check if the tool supports compliance standards such as PCI DSS, GDPR, or HIPAA.
Carefully evaluating these factors will help you make an informed decision and ensure the security of your web applications. You should choose a software security testing tool depending on your specific needs, the scope of testing, ease of use, integration capabilities for your existing software development life cycle and CI/CD pipeline, scalability, reporting, community support, cost, accuracy, updates, and compliance requirements.
Why Choose Cyber Chief For Application Security Testing?
One of the best automated security scanning tools for web apps, APIs and cloud posture management that your organization can opt for is Cyber Chief. It has a user-friendly interface that is easy to understand and navigate for setting up and conducting application security tests. The automated vulnerability scanning tool is easy to integrate into your software development lifecycle. Here are the key features of Cyber Chief:
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Easy integration into CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tool set.
Schedule and scan applications.
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API security testing and cloud posture compliance.
Detailed Analysis Report
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Possible Remediation Codes development teams can use for fixing security issues.
Quick and easy set-up.
Cyber Chief will ease your web application development process as it can be integrated into your development and design stages. It is a developer-first application security testing tool, that assists your software development team, even if they are unfamiliar with application security protocols.
While there are a ton of web application security testing tools that you can integrate into your application security program, it needs to be user-friendly along with providing real-time monitoring, scalability, updates and cloud security compliance support. Before selecting an application security software, try and test it to know if it is s
