Top 7 Web Vulnerability Scanners in 2024

One of the most effective ways to safeguard web applications is through the use of web vulnerability scanners. These tools are designed to identify and mitigate security flaws before they can be exploited by malicious actors.

In this article, we will discuss the top 7 effective web vulnerability scanners in 2024.

What is a web vulnerability scanner?

A web security vulnerability scanner is an automated tool that performs a series of checks in order to find security vulnerabilities in websites and other web services (like web APIs) and so on.

1. BLACKBIRD Security Scanner

BLACKBIRD Security Scanner is a web app pentesting suite that includes a fully automated web security vulnerability scanner. It is known for its comprehensive web security checks and undisclosed methodologies derived from the competitive and ever-evolving bug bounty world.

Even though BLACKBIRD Security Scanner is mainly used by penetration testers, the web vulnerability scanner is cloud-based, provides access to an API and has several built-in features for pentesting agencies and enterprise use cases.

You can try out a quick online demo and receive a 7-day free trial!

2. Assetnote

Assetnote specializes in providing tools and services for attack surface management and continuous security monitoring. The platform helps organizations and enterprises identify, monitor, and manage their external-facing assets, such as websites, APIs, and other internet-exposed services.

Assetnote is known for its advanced and comprehensive reconnaissance processes making sure your attack surface is mapped out completely.

3. Detectify

Detectify is a web application security platform designed to help organizations and enterprises identify and manage security vulnerabilities in their web applications and external assets using their external attack surface management platform (EASM).

Detectify offers a 2-week free trial.

4. Acunitix (Invicti)

Acunetix is a web vulnerability scanner designed to help enterprises and organizations identify and manage security vulnerabilities in their web applications, web services, and APIs. Developed by Invicti Security, Acunetix provides a comprehensive suite of features for automated security testing.

Its vast options of external integrations make it a popular choice among developer and security teams.

5. Burp Suite Professional (PortSwigger)

Burp Suite Professional, provided by PortSwigger, is a comprehensive tool for web application security testing. It provides an integrated environment for performing various security tasks, including vulnerability scanning, manual testing, and automated crawling.

Burp Suite Professional is a popular tool that's widely used by security professionals, penetration testers, and developers to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities in web applications.

6. Nessus (Tenable)

Nessus is a widely used vulnerability assessment tool provided by Tenable. It is designed to help organizations and enterprises identify, assess, and manage security vulnerabilities across their networks, including servers, workstations, network devices, and web applications.

Its extensive plugin library makes it a popular choice for vulnerability management and risk assessment among security teams and IT professionals.

7. OWASP ZAProxy

OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is an open-source web application security scanner developed by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). It is designed to help identify security vulnerabilities in web applications during the development and testing phases.

ZAProxy is capable of manually intercepting and altering network HTTP requests, web crawling, performing extensive fingerprinting, web vulnerability scanning and so on. With its extensive API support, it is often deployed by internal teams to quickly flag surface-level security issues during development.

Conclusion

Each of these aforementioned web vulnerability scanners brings unique strengths to the table. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, organizations need to leverage these advanced tools to enhance and continue to maintain their strong security posture. By integrating web vulnerability scanners into their security strategies, businesses can proactively protect their digital assets and ensure the safety and integrity of their web applications.