Top 3 Open Source Security Testing Tools For Web

When you build a shop or buy it, buying a padlock is the first among many things you do. Your digital interface needs the same level of security concern from your side. Just like you shut all the doors or entry points to keep a premise protected, you can use solutions from security testing services to plug your digital properties’ every vulnerable point.

In this post, we intend to acquaint you with:

1. Why you need open source security testing tools for Web
2. Top 3 Open Source Security Testing Tools for Web
3. How to Select an Open Source Security Testing tool

So, Let’s start!

1.)  Why You Need Open Source Security Testing Tools For Web:

“Who and why will somebody hack my account?” This thought almost every person asks once in a while. If you are one of them, you may get startled to know that irrespective of type, size, scale, hackers cause trouble to every kind of web-based business. Here are some disturbing facts about compromised security for the web and its impact on online businesses:

• Every 39 seconds, there is an attack on a web-based business; insufficiently strong passwords are the top reason for these attacks
• According to a 2019 Accenture’s study on cyber-crimes, security breaches have crossed 60% since 2014. (Source:https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/security/cost-cybercrime-study )
• Large-sized hacked companies collectively had lost about 500,000 US dollars in 2020. (Source: Statista)

Most relevant security testing services can be your best bet for keeping your web-based interface protected, be it a website or an app.

People prefer those applications that provide convenience of use and data security. No one wants to share the personal or financial details with an unapproved agency, and your customers are not an exception either. Hence, winning customer satisfaction is another important reason to have thorough security testing done.

Also, it reflects a lot about the brand’s reputation. Customers who reach any digital interface show loyalty towards it only when they feel something special about it. The robustness and security are the top features, followed by user-friendliness, simplicity, etc., that have the fantastic binding ability. That explains why applications and website owners contemplate assigning a sizable budget for ensuring robust security.

However, choosing the best security testing tool may not be an easy task given the plethora of options available. You may help yourself by going through the following list of the top three best security testing tools for the web.

2.)  Top Three Best Security Testing Tools For Web:

ZED Attack Proxy:

It is the top recommendation of various security testing services.

ZED Attack proxy is the most popular open-source security testing tool. Since several experts continue to create new add-ons and enrich its feature, this testing tool stands out in versatility.

The best features of this app and website security testing tool are:

• AJAX Spidering: Several configuration parameters that help prevent infinite crawling. Main parameters include maximum crawl states, a maximum depth to crawl, and others.
• Jenkins Plugin: It allows testing within CI/CD pipeline. This plugin supports fast completion of various ZAP operations comprising Active and Spider Scans, Managing sessions, context definition, to quote a few.
• Other features are Fuzzing, web socket testing,

Besides, high scriptability, flexible scan policy, and REST API enabled interacting function make it a go-to tool for the reputed security testing services.

W3af:

W3af is a web application auditing tool. It proves effective against about 200 vulnerabilities. This website and app audit tool is perhaps the quickest web app security enrichment solution allowing the testers to complete the task in just five clicks. It is pretty effective against security issues like:

• easily predictable credentials,
• SQL Injection,
• cross-site scripting,
• PHP misconfigurations,
• Ignored application errors, etc.

The best features of W3af are:

• Fast HTTP Client offers features, such as cookie handling, adding custom headers to requests, HTTP response, DNS Cache, etc. The tool is supported by several extensions such as Logging, Gzip, and others that speed up the HTTP requests sending process.
• Daemons, a framework that can implement web and proxy servers easily integrable into codes to work on possible vulnerabilities.
• Fuzzing engine is an easily configurable injection tool that can be integrated with every part of the HTTP request, such as URL filename and path, headers, the cookie value, query-string, etc.
• Output manager to help the testers send output to console, or deliver via email. They can also write it to .txt, .csv, .html and .xml files.

Google Nogotofail:

The biggest security threat comes from the internet itself. Hackers are on a constant lookout for the vulnerable points and attack the digital property via those points. Google, a premier search engine giant, has developed an open-source security testing tool Google Nogotofail.

It is one of the most credible testing solutions that work upon the vulnerabilities of SSL/TSL protocols. SSL has been a ‘grand old man of the cryptographic solutions’ that make communications over the web safer. TSL now succeeds it. However, both these protocols have not been entirely impregnable.

Google Nogotofail’s top features are:

• It works with all operating systems and devices used to connect to the internet
• An easily usable client that can help configure the settings. The users can get notifications on Android and Linux. Also, there is an attack engine that can receive these notifications. It can be deployed as a proxy server, router, and VPN server too.
• Best utility in the present state of site operations where the digitized platform works in coordination with other third-party tools and websites that may not be adorned with the most robust security solutions.

Google released its code as open-source on GitHub and has received a warm welcome from all the developers and security testing services.

3.) How To Select An Open Source Security Testing Tool

Having an open-source security testing tool is one of the top considerations for a business planning to go online. The security testing services provide complete support to help businesses in this regard. If you want to go for the testing service that can understand your businesses’ security solutions and implement them, here is how you must shop for the tools:

• Coverage of maximum vulnerabilities: Find the security testing tool covering all types of vulnerabilities, including SSL vulnerabilities, account access, third-party-generated flaws, etc.
• Select more than one tool: There is no option that is ‘all-in-one’ in nature. So, search for the tools that may be most extensive in checks coverage. Also, look for the ones that may be exceptionally features-enriched.
• Check user-friendliness: Automation level, ease of integration with existing infrastructure, and quickness of tests are some of the desirable features to look for in a security test tool.
• Enterprise-level functionalities: Sometimes, the testing may require batch processing or checking a vast array of vulnerabilities. An enterprise-level capability serves the needs the best way in such cases.

To sum up,

Open-source security testing tools for the web are a must. The virtue of inviting the best brains to work and provide inputs or make changes helps these tools to attain maximum utility. Search for the solutions or security testing services that can understand your interfaces and their weak points to assure a better level of robustness.

About the Author:

Anna Roy is a technical blogger best known for writing in the field of automation, functional and usability testing; software testing to be specific. Anna was earlier working with a renowned QA testing company based out of Michigan but switched to tech blogging in recent times. She loves cooking, traveling, and gaming. You can read her work on the blog of one of the most reputed software testing companies – QA InfoTech.