ACUNETIX: A VULNERABILITY SCANNER

 WHAT IS ACUNETIX? 

Acunetix is an automated web application security testing tool that scans websites and web applications to identify potential vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other exploitable flaws, essentially acting like a "hacker" to find security weaknesses before malicious actors do

Acunetix can also be used to probe the code which makes up a web application. This helps find potential vulnerabilities that may not be easily discovered from the internet but still exist within the web application.

HOW TO USE ACUNETIX IN BASIC STEPS:

1. Access Acunetix: Login to your Acunetix account through the web interface. 

2. Create a new scan: Click "New Scan" and enter the target website URL. 

3. Configure scan settings: Select a scan profile (e.g., "Full Scan" for comprehensive analysis) and set any specific parameters if needed. 

4. Start the scan: Click "Scan" to initiate the vulnerability assessment. 

5. Analyze results: Once the scan is complete, review the report which will list identified vulnerabilities with details on their severity, location, and recommended fixes. 

SCANNING PROCESS:

Enter the target website URL. 

Choose a scan profile based on the type of website and desired level of depth. 

Initiate the scan. 

Review the generated report which lists discovered vulnerabilities with severity levels and remediation steps. 

THE NEED FOR AUTOMATED WEB APPLICATION SECURITY SCANNING:

Manual vulnerability auditing of all your web applications is complex and time-consuming since it generally involves processing a large volume of data. It also demands a high level of expertise and the ability to keep track of considerable volumes of code used in a web application. In addition, hackers are constantly finding new ways to exploit your web application, which means that you would have to constantly monitor the security communities, and find new vulnerabilities in your web application code before hackers discover them.

Automated vulnerability scanning allows you to focus on the already challenging task of building a web application. An automated web application scanner is always on the lookout for new attack paths that hackers can use to access your web application or the data behind it.