Top 5 Dynamic Application Security Testing Tools [2022]
According to a recent report by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools make up 36% of all the software being used by companies for their web application security testing needs.
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The goal of an automated application security test is to scan your applications for flaws that cybercriminals may use to gain unauthorized access to your program's critical data. DAST tools come in two forms: paid and free. Free DAST Tools may not provide as many features or be as reliable, but they do provide some basic functionality which you might find useful if you're just starting out.
Paid DAST Tools will give you more features and better performance, but they also have higher price tags attached to them.
Let us discuss the top 5 DAST tools available today:
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1. Astra Pentest Suite
Astra's Pentest is a powerful tool for performing Dynamic Testing on web applications. It has some really advanced features like intelligent fuzzing of parameters, detection of all sorts of vulnerabilities, and a wide range of payloads that you can use. Astra is also one of the few Dynamic Testing tools that support both automated and manual testing.
Astra has free as well as paid versions. The free version includes features like Dynamic Analysis, Dynamic Fuzzing of Parameters, Detecting Vulnerabilities, and much more.
One of the most popular Dynamic Application Security Testing Tools, Acunetix offers a wide range of features that cover all aspects of application security. It has a built-in crawler that can crawl websites and Web applications for vulnerabilities, and it also includes an automatic vulnerability scanner. It uses the concept of "virtual patching", which means that it can automatically create and deploy custom patches without having to wait for the vendor's official release date. Acunetix has both paid & free versions.
A very popular tool used by many penetration testers, Burp Suite is a Java-based platform that provides interception capabilities and dynamic analysis tools for testing web applications. It comes with a free edition which is limited to 50 sessions per month, but it's more than enough for small businesses or personal use. Paid editions offer more features and unlimited session usage.
Burp Suite has a very complete Dynamic Analysis tool set, and is very easy to use. It also includes an agent that can be installed on Android devices or Windows Mobile phones for mobile application security testing (MAST).
Another very popular DAST tool, WebInspect is a commercial product produced by HP. It's designed to find vulnerabilities in web applications and comes with a number of features that cover all aspects of application security. Like Acunetix, it also has a built-in crawler and vulnerability scanner.
WebInspect is available in both paid and free versions (the latter being called "ScanSafe"). The paid version offers more features and unlimited scanning capability, but the free version still provides enough functionality for smaller businesses or personal use.
5. AppScan
The IBM AppScan is a dynamic application security testing software that examines Java, .NET, and PHP applications for security flaws. It comes with a number of features, including both manual and automated scanning capabilities, vulnerability detection, and reporting.
The app is available in both free and paid versions. The latter comes at a much higher cost, but it offers advanced features like multi-platform scanning and the ability to scan cloud applications.
Conclusion
To summarize, all of these Dynamic Application Security Testing solutions are excellent tools for detecting flaws in web applications. They all have different characteristics and work in different ways, so it's vital to select the one that best matches your needs.
Which DAST tool suits your needs the best? Leave us a comment below!
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