Tool Shortlist
Here’s the list of the best web application penetration testing tools that I’ll cover in this article.
- 8. Wireshark — Network protocol analyzer that is fully open source, and tracks your network and traffic for cyber security
As the internet and World Wide Web continue to expand and evolve, it has become increasingly common for cyber attacks to occur within web and mobile applications. Testing the durability of your web application's cyber security has never been more crucial.
In this article, I will cover some of the best web application penetration testing tools so you can complete your application's security testing, ensuring that your application is ready to withstand any attack.
Comparison Criteria
What do I look for when I select the best web application penetration testing tools? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): I look for a clean and organized user interface that any pen tester will find easy to use.
- Usability: I look for features that offer complete test coverage of your web applications.
- Integrations: I look for tools that integrate with project management tools and other penetration testing tools.
- Value for Pricing: I look for the tools with the most expansive features for the best price.
Web Application Penetration Testing Tools: Key Features
- Detection and exploitation: The tool must be able to detect vulnerabilities and exploit them.
- Results reports: The tool must deliver detailed results reports of executed scans and tests.
- Cross platform and device testing: The tool must cover testing across various operating systems and devices.
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Overviews Of The 10 Best Web Application Penetration Testing Tools
Here’s a brief description of each web application penetration testing tool to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the user interface.
AppTrana
Best fully managed web application firewall (WAF) solution
AppTrana is a web application firewall (WAF) used for penetration testing, behavioral-based DDoS protection, mitigating bot attacks, and defending against the OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities. AppTrana is employed by security-conscious companies across myriad industries, such as Axis Bank, Jet Aviation, Niva Health Insurance, and TRL Transport.
AppTrana is a fully managed security solution, which means that their web security expert team takes on the analyzing and updating of security policies so you don't have to. Higher-level accounts will get a named account manager to assist them; the highest subscription level comes with quarterly service reviews (highly recommended!).
Key features include unlimited application security scanning, manual pen-testing of applications, managed CDN, false positive monitoring, custom SSL certificates, and risk-based API Protection. Their website is packed full of detailed feature explanations as well as a blog, learning center, whitepapers, infographics, and datasheets, so I highly recommend you take a look around for yourself.
AppTrana costs from $99/month/app and comes with a free 14-day trial.
Gobuster
Best for developers
Gobuster is a penetration testing tool that is accessible via Github, which allows you to conduct scanning across your web application, and brute force your URIs, DNS subdomains and Virtual Host names on target web servers which allows you to identify unprotected scripts and old configuration files.
Gobuster is hosted on GitHub and can be installed using your terminal. The tool provides the ability to conduct recon tests, which allows you to delve into the depths of your web application and detect vulnerabilities. The tool then provides a thorough report so you can review your code effectively.
Gobuster is fully open source and free to use.
Metasploit
Automate manual tests and streamline your process
Metasploit is a web application penetration testing tool that identifies system weaknesses and attempts to exploit them, allowing you to isolate and demonstrate the weakness, and allow for remediations. The tool also works across multiple computer systems such as Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, and can be used across devices.
Metasploit provides the ability to automate manual tests and exploits, allowing you to minimize your team’s time spent on creating manual tests and scans. The tool boasts a large exploit database with new additions regularly, and is extremely intuitive, making it easy for you and your team to implement. Metaspolit also has a large community support system.
Metasploit integrates with tools such as Kali Linux and Dradis.
The cost of Metasploit starts at $2,000 per year. The tool also offers a free version.
Core Impact
Best for replicating multi-staged attacks
Core Impact is a comprehensive web application penetration testing tool that allows you to exploit weaknesses in the security of your applications, and increase productivity. The tool provides an easy and clean user interface, as well as the ability to execute rapid penetration tests. This allows you to discover, test and report more efficiently.
Core Impact provides a feature for replicating multi-staged attacks, which allows you to pivot your pen tests across various systems, devices and applications. The feature allows you to configure various tests and execute them all at once. Another feature of Core Impact is the ability to install an agent on the server through SSH and SMB, making white box testing more effective.
The cost of Core Impact starts at $9,450 USD per year for the Basic package. The tool also offers a free trial.
Nessus
Easy to use credential and non credential scans
Nessus is a web application penetration testing tool that allows you to complete vulnerability assessments of your web application. The tool allows you to easily identify and fix vulnerabilities, including software flaws, malware and missing patches. Nessus can operate across a variety of systems and devices.
Nessus provides the ability to perform credential and non credential scans, allowing you to find more depth vulnerabilities. This ensures that you have full test coverage, and are catching every security flaw within your application. The tool also covers network devices such as endpoints, servers and virtualization platforms.
Nessus integrates with tools such as Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and ServiceNow.
The cost of Nessus starts at $4,719.13 USD per year. The tool also offers a 7-day free trial.
Amass
Best for external asset discovery
Amass is a penetration testing tool that allows you to perform network mapping of cyber attack surfaces, known as Attack Surface Management (ASM). This feature provides continuous monitoring of your changing attack surface, allowing you to ensure your application is covered for various cyber attacks. The tool also provides reporting of the results of these penetration tests.
Amass provides features such as external asset discovery, which allows you to identify and locate active and inactive assets that are unknown to your organization. With the feature, you can monitor the security of your application round-the-clock, and improve your team’s vulnerability management.
Amass is fully open source and free to use.
NMap
Lightweight solution to web application penetration testing
NMap is a web application penetration testing tool that offers a comprehensive platform, allowing you to execute penetration tests and scan your network for vulnerabilities within your applications to the full extent. The tool allows you to configure your port ranges, IPs and protocols to your own needs, and also allows for scanning of multiple IPs for open ports.
NMap boasts a lightweight application that is easy to start up, which is ideal for a team that has less experienced members. The tool’s organized user interface allows you and your team to easily navigate your penetration tests and reporting, and runs on all operating systems and binary packages are available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.
NMap is fully open source and free to use.
Wireshark
Network protocol analyzer that is fully open source, and tracks your network and traffic for cyber security
Wireshark is a powerful open source network packet sniffer equipped for the deep inspection of hundreds of different protocols, with more being added all the time. Wireshark runs on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Solaris, NetBSD, FreeBSD, and many others.Wireshark can read live data from Ethernet, IEEE 802.11, PPP/HDLC, ATM, Bluetooth, USB, Token Ring, Frame Relay, FDDI, and others in a wide range of file formats. Data can easily be exported, compressed and decompressed for offline analysis, and the platform also has a user-friendly built-in network protocol debugging environment.Wireshark integrates with a wide range of tools, including network software emulators like GNS3.Wireshark is open source and free to use.
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
Focuses on being the “middleman proxy” between browser and application
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is a web application security scanner that allows you to execute penetration tests. The tool is used to prevent hostile attacks on your web application, and can be used on various platforms such as Mac OS x and Docker. ZAP is extendable and flexible, allowing users who are new to security testing to easily implement it within their workflow.
Zed Attack Proxy is positioned between your browser and your application to act as a “middleman proxy”. From this position, the tool intercepts messages sent between the browser and application, and those messages are examined for vulnerabilities. The tool then, if required, will adjust the contents of the messages, and pass them on to their destination.
ZAP integrates with tools such as Docker, CyCognito and Nucleus.
Zed Attack Proxy is fully open source and free to use.
Invicti
Configure pre-set scan profiles for less experienced users
Invicti is an automated security testing tool that allows you and your organization to secure all your web applications and reduce the risk of a cyber attack. Invicti is easy to configure, allows you to scan your websites and web applications for security flaws, and generates results reports. The tool also provides a technology dashboard that shows information about software versions used in your applications.
Invicti allows you to configure pre-set scan profiles, making it easy for anyone in your team to run scans and penetration tests. The feature is entirely customizable so you can set your scan profiles up in a way that is best for your web application. Invicti also has a 24/7 responsive support team.
Inviciti integrates with tools such as Bugzilla, BitBucket and Asana.
Invicti provides customized pricing upon request.
The 10 Best Web Application Penetration Testing Tools Summary
| Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AppTrana Best fully managed web application firewall (WAF) solution | 14-day free trial | $99/month/app | Visit Website |
| 2 |  Gobuster Best for developers | Not available | Visit Website | |
| 3 |  Metasploit Automate manual tests and streamline your process | Free Version | Starts at $2,000/year | Visit Website |
| 4 |  Core Impact Best for replicating multi-staged attacks | Free Trial | Starts at $9,450 USD/year for the Basic package | Visit Website |
| 5 |  Nessus Easy to use credential and non credential scans | 7 Days Free Trials | Starts at $4,719.13 USD/year | Visit Website |
| 6 |  Amass Best for external asset discovery | Not available | Visit Website | |
| 7 |  NMap Lightweight solution to web application penetration testing | Not available | Visit Website | |
| 8 |  Wireshark Network protocol analyzer that is fully open source, and tracks your network and traffic for cyber security | Free To Use | Visit Website | |
| 9 |  Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) Focuses on being the “middleman proxy” between browser and application | Not available | Visit Website | |
| 10 |  Invicti Configure pre-set scan profiles for less experienced users | Not available | Visit Website |
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Other Options
Here are a few more that didn’t make the top list.
- Wireshark - a network protocol analyzer that is fully open source, and tracks your network and traffic for cyber security
- John the Ripper - a penetration testing tool and password cracker which allows you to test the strength of your passwords
- Medusa - an application-based penetration and data testing tool that allows you to execute pen tests for the data and signal integrity of your applications
- Wfuzz - a penetration testing tool specifically for brute-forcing your web applications
- SQLMap - an open-source penetration testing tool specifically for detecting and exploiting SQL injection flaws
What Are The Top Penetration Testing Techniques?
There are various aspects of penetration testing that you can use to execute successful security testing.
Black Box Test
Black box pentesting examines the functionality of an application without the need to delve into its internal structures, and can be applied to any stage of software testing.
White Box Test
While black box testing examines the functionality at a high level, white box testing tests the internal structures of a web application including its code, infrastructure and integrations with external platforms.
Network Service Penetration Testing
A network service penetration test identifies security vulnerabilities in your network. The test simulates malicious cases to evaluate the network's cyber security.
Web Application Penetration Testing
A web application penetration test, or pen test, simulates a cyber attack on your web application to identify vulnerabilities in your web application. It is often used to expand a web application's firewall.
Wireless Penetration Testing
Wireless penetration testing identifies and examines connections between all operating devices on one business wifi network.
Social Engineering Penetration Testing
Social engineering penetration testing is the attempt of typical social engineering scams on a business and its employees to determine the level of vulnerability of the organization.
Physical Penetration Testing
Physical penetration testing are tests that attempt to compromise the security of physical barriers such as locks, sensors, intrusion alarms and motion detectors.
What do you think about this list?
Penetration testing is a sure way to test the strength of your application security, and the penetration testing tools above could help streamline your processes and reduce the time spent on it while maintaining good quality results. I hope this article helped you decide which tool is right for you and your team so you are better able to manage your cyber security.
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