Top 10 Application Security Tools 2021

Application security tools are software that find and fix security flaws within website, desktop, and mobile applications. In this article, we list the key must-have features for application security today and the top 10 tools to evaluate for your 2021 app security needs.

Table of Contents

• • Top Features Application Security Tools Must Have
  • Top 10 Application Security Tools for 2021

Application security tools are software that find and fix security flaws within website, desktop, and mobile applications. 

Such a tool has multiple dimensions – from securing coding changes to risk assessment of possible coding threats, examining encryption options, auditing the vast range of permissions and access rights needed. Many specialized tools are available for apps that are mobile-based, network-based, and web-based. 

A paper titled “Web Application Vulnerabilities and ThreatsOpens a new window ” points out that nine out of ten web applications are vulnerable to hacker attacks. As many as 39% of sites can easily provide unauthorized access to applications on them. The study also said that 82% of vulnerabilities were located in the application code. Another reportOpens a new window shows that API security testing and discovery are beginning to see a rise and that API threat protection is now approaching its peak. 

The sooner a developer can find security flaws in an app and fix them, the faster it can be market-ready. Application security tools that can easily be integrated into application development make workflow easier and effective, especially in compliance audits. 

The application security sector has been evolving rapidly recently, which has changed how enterprise apps are made. Turnarounds are faster, and continuous deployment and integration are constantly working on refining an app — some even on an hourly basis.

Also Read: What Is Application Security? Definition, Types, Testing, and Best Practices

Top Features Application Security Tools Must Have

Between January and February 2020, the average web application was attackedOpens a new window 20,000 times. Most of the attacks are against common vulnerabilities, such as path traversal, SQL injection, or XSS vulnerabilities. 

Application security testers will tell you that their industry follows a simple mantra – testing all applications at the right times, periodically, and consistently. The information that arises, as a result, has to be used in a positive way to reinforce an organization’s information security program. For this, a tester needs the right kind of application security tools. Here is a look at the key requirements for any application security tool: 

1. Application tools have to work well in your environment

Experienced testers will tell you that there is a wide range of commercial application security tools in the market, most of them with free options available for trial. Each one has its own features and uniqueness. 

For some, the focus is mainly on multiple integrations; for others, it may be reducing the number of false positives, yet a few others look at working on specific environments and their requirements. Some tools place the focus on easy-to-access reporting and dashboards. The important thing is to use a security tool in your specific environment and requirements. 

2. Focus on minimizing false positives

Finding flaws to correct is the bottom line with application security tools; however, there is blanket reporting and a lack of checks on the tool’s functioning. When vulnerability scans are conducted, they simply look for a flaw and then document it. 

If anything seems out of sync, it is reported as a flaw. However, there is a grey area that needs to be looked into. Some vulnerabilities will need to be flagged as potential or marked for additional confirmation before it is classified as a positive. This reduces the time taken to solve issues. This is especially important in larger enterprises.

Also Read: Application Security Engineer: Job Role and Key Skills for 2021

3. Findings are important, but so is user-friendliness

According to Flexera’s Annual Vulnerability Review reportOpens a new window , 13,319 vulnerabilities were detected in 1,607 apps this year. This makes vulnerability detection the obvious top feature to look for. This is a requirement — especially if an enterprise requires extensive application testing regularly. Several vulnerability scanners are efficient at spotting faults but are not user-friendly. 

An application security tool should allow users to pause a scan mid-way, exit, return, and then resume it. It should also alert users if a testing computer falls off the grid and send an email as soon as the scan is complete. Although these features may not seem very important at first, they actually go a long way in ensuring ease-of-use.

4. Presence of enterprise-level testing for compliance is crucial

The quality of reporting is critical to an organization’s success, particularly when it comes to meeting compliance regulations. Check whether a tool can scan policies and create reports that adhere to the specific regulations that your company has to follow. 

The tool should be able to give you advanced vulnerability management as well as related trend reports when required. It should be able to accommodate different needs, such as installing a sensor on the web servers you are testing. Reducing false positives is critical because large enterprises cannot afford to waste time on them.

Also Read: What Is Web Application Security? Definition, Testing, and Best Practices

Top 10 Application Security Tools for 2021

Here is a comprehensive list of the top 10 application security tools for 2021. 

Disclaimer: These listings are based on publicly available information and include vendor websites that sell to mid-to-large enterprises. Readers are advised to conduct their final research to ensure the best fit for their unique organizational needs.

1. Cast Highlight

• What it is: Cast Highlight analyzes software structure and architecture and provides a deep understanding of the software’s system. This helps to detect vulnerabilities and security threats. 
• Features: It provides a full analysis of the IT portfolio’s complexity, readiness, and health before one decides to invest in it. A code-level analysis is provided to find programming patterns and practices that increase the cost of development. Additionally, the best cloud experts worldwide help get the business cloud-ready by creating a smart migration strategy.
• Analysis integration: Cast Highlight integrates with Azure DevOps. 
• Pros: Cast Highlight provides code-level analysis to identify ineffective coding practices. The assessment for cloud-readiness is quick, and the dashboard is easy to use. 
• Editorial comments: Users may face a challenge when running scans for larger applications as they tend to run slower. Besides, the report generated by this tool is not very user-friendly.

2. Metasploit

• What it is: With Metasploit, security teams are enabled to go beyond the verification of vulnerabilities. It assists with the management of security assessments and helps with improvement in security awareness. Security teams can stay ahead of the attackers at all times. 
• Features: Metasploit comes with over 1,500 exploits for penetration testing. It enables users to import a network data scan and offers a wide range of features in the process of collection, automation, and infiltration. This tool comes in two versions – Metasploit Framework (Open Source) and Metasploit Pro (Commercial Support).
• Analysis integration: It integrates with NeXpose, Nessus, Dradis, Tenable, and Nmap. 
• Pros: It is the most used penetration testing framework globally, especially with its collaboration with Rapid7. It can create reverse shells, which is a huge advantage. It has highly intuitive systems and offers multi-platform use.
• Editorial comments: Keep in mind that Metasploit makes way for more options to encrypt payloads. It faces some performance issues when used on Windows and functions better on Linux. It also requires better plug-in interoperability. 

Also Read: Coding and Code Security Go Hand-in-Hand: How Can Developers Manage Both?

3. Netsparker

• What it is: Netsparker automates web security with its reporting tools and native workflow. It is fully integrated and scalable.
• Features: It provides proof-based scanning technology and automatic verification to eliminate false positives. The advanced scanning technology secures all web technology, including Cross-Site Scripting and SQL Injection. It explores web security beyond just scanning by automating routine actions. The global dashboard gives you full visibility and control, including vulnerabilities scanned and found and the status of vulnerabilities waiting to be fixed.
• Integrates with: It integrates with Slack, GitHub, ServiceNow, RedMine, TFS, Jira, Microsoft Team, Asana, Bugzilla, Zapier, among others. It integrates with issue trackers, vulnerability management systems, and CI/CD platforms. 
• Pros: The web security it provides is fully integrated and scalable. It comes with a user-friendly UI and includes many vulnerabilities to scan through that other scanners don’t. Enterprises are assured of good service, and it allows customization of the scan to save time.
• Editorial comments: There is a free demo available for the Standard and Team versions. Note that the integration is limited mainly to systems using Java. It is also slightly more expensive than other tools in the market. Due to the large list of vulnerabilities it covers, Netsparker takes a longer time to scan.

4. Qualys

• What it is: Qualys identifies all known and unknown assets across a global hybrid-I on endpoints, clouds, and also containers, mobile, OT, and IoT. It offers a well-rounded, sequential inventory, filled with details on vendor lifecycle information and a whole lot more.
• Features: An end-to-end solution offered on a single platform, Qualys provides instant visibility and complete control over all IT assets. Qualys completely eliminates false-positives with Six Sigma accuracy.
• Analysis integration: It integrates with CyberArk, BugCrowd, CyberSponse, AWS Security Hub, IntSights, and Jira. 
• Pros: This is a single cloud-based platform that offers an end-to-end solution, bringing together all the silos of various teams and placing them in sync. It is simple to use, with continuous and comprehensive monitoring. It has an excellent vulnerability scanner and comes PCI-ready. 
• Editorial comments: Remember that there is a limit placed on the number of API requests in a day. Anything above the limit will be charged. First-time users may find the system cumbersome and may take a while to get into the flow of things. There is not much reference material available online on its functioning. 

Also Read: Is Application Performance Monitoring Key To Protecting Critical Infrastructure Against Cyberattacks?

5. Quixxi Security

• What it is: Quixxi Security is an end-to-end mobile security solution. It can protect or monitor any mobile app in a short time.
• Features: There is no coding used to protect the apps. It can check app- integrity and secures in-app purchases. It also detects malware, protects against vulnerabilities when connected to debuggers, and identifies rooted and jail-broken devices.
• Analysis integration: It integrates with a large number of mobile app management platforms.
• Pros: Since it is code-less, it is easy-to-use. It comes with industry-standard vulnerability identification and an easy-to-understand compliance report. In case of vulnerabilities, it provides recommendations to resolve them.
• Editorial comments: Some users may be disappointed because there is no dynamic application security testing, and it needs to work more on iOS apps and their issues.

6. Rencore

• What it is: Rencore’s products – Rencore SPCAF, Rencore Governance, and Rencore Migration help enterprises stay in complete control of Microsoft 365 and Sharepoint. It takes care of Sharepoint code by comparing it with over 1000 rules related to quality, security, migration-abilities, and support-friendliness.
• Features: The tool reviews the company code and also verifies the third-party code. It detects vulnerability and malicious code and also offers a pre-deployment assessment. 
• Analysis integration: It integrates Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code, Rencore Code, Sharepoint Framework WebPart, Powershell, Azure DevOps, Gulp, TC, Power Automate, DocAve, LeapALM, SPCDocKit, and MSBuild.
• Pros: Rencore is created by experts from the Microsoft community and holds a unique market position in the area of code quality, transformation, and platform governance. It is the only product in the market that provides everything needed for baseline SPFx projects. It integrates into the DevOps process and undertakes risk profiling. 
• Editorial comments: The product line is niche and not meant for every kind of organization. SPCAF can be a bit daunting for first-time users. The rules need to be more flexible and serve as advisories rather than being mandatory. 

7. SonarQube

• What it is: SonarQube empowers developers to write codes that are cleaner and safer. Apps of 27 languages will be protected across multiple aspects with scores of automated static code analysis rules. Constant guidance is provided to the team. 
• Features: SonarQube covers 27 languages. It provides early security feedback to empower the developer. It also has quality gates that tell the developer at the end of every analysis if the code is market-ready. SonarQube constantly looks out for coding issues and ensures re-writing is kept to the minimum, bringing down maintenance costs. 
• Analysis integration: It integrates with GitHub, Azure DevOps, Bitbucket, and GitLab
• Pros: A comprehensive dashboard gives a complete view and provides detailed code metrics in the drill down. It is ideal for development projects because of its friendly user interface. 
• Editorial comments: Integration in the free version could do with some improvement. The single sign-on log-in is difficult, particularly in the community version of the product. It requires some level of understanding of product features beforehand to make the most of it. 

Also Read: Is Transparency a Missing Element in Industry Preparedness Against Cyberattacks?

8. SoapUIPro

• What it is: Both open source and commercial versions of SoapUI (SoapUI Pro and SoapUI Open Source) offer a range of testing tools that create, manage, and run comprehensive tests on a range of web services ensuring software is delivered faster. 
• Features: It offers functional testing and service stimulation. It also provides load testing, automation, and analytics. 
• Analysis integration: SoapUI Open Source has no native SDLC Integrations. SoapUI Pro integrates with Jenkins, TeamCity, and Azure DevOps.  
• Pros: This tool provides dedicated resources for testing APIs and works well in a team environment. It generates random data for testing and conducts function tests based on WSDLs created via automation. 
• Editorial comments: Remember that the tool has become heavier with the recent up-gradation of virtualization features. The MockResponse module could do with enhancement. Users will find that it is not useful with Web UI testing or with mobile app testing. 

9. Veracode

• What it is: Veracode comprises a smart combination of software-as-a-service technology and on-demand expertise that enables DevSecOps. It reduces security breach risks with comprehensive analysis, developer enablement, and a host of governance tools.
• Features: This tool provides security feedback in seconds, spots flaws in the code as it is being introduced, and helps fix them. The tool informs the developer where the code is right and where it needs fixing, allowing developers to learn during the process. 
• Analysis integration: It integrates with Eclipse, IntelliJ, and Visual Studio
• Pros: Veracode is among the only solutions to provide visibility into application status overall testing types. This includes SAST, DAST, SCA, and manual penetration testing – all of this in one centralized view. The scanning code has a very low false-positive rate. It offers excellent after-sales service, and detailed reporting on the source and cause of the trouble is made available. 
• Editorial comments: User permissions in labeling can be confusing with Veracode. More feedback is necessary with active scans, and static scans can sometimes take longer than anticipated. 

10. VMware AppDefense

• What it is: VMware AppDefense is promoted as a hypervisor-native workload protection platform. The service is targeted towards enterprise virtualization and their security teams, with the promise of delivering secure virtual infrastructure. It also assures simplification of micro-segmentation planning with deep application visibility and reputation scoring, and security.
• Features: VMware AppDefense offers application visibility and comes with high-end security protection. It also streamlines all security incident responses for better understanding.
• Analysis integration: It integrates with Splunk, IBM QRadar, Puppet, Cb Defense, Ansible, and Aqua Security
• Pros: VMware provides 360-degree visibility with each workload, ensuring security for apps from within the hypervisor. It also provides insights into the connections being made with specific servers or services. The tool enables easy interpretability of GUI to access status and detailed grain control offered for operations on the guest level. 
• Editorial comments: The tool cannot resolve IP addresses to enable display in alerts and offers very few training facilities. Currently, the upgrading process is not automatic, which poses a major challenge for users. 

Also Read: Penetration Testing in Action: A Step-by-Step Guide To Get It Right

It is important to understand that no amount of training, auditing, or even network security tools can help if the programming is terrible. The security of applications is crucial to an organization’s long-term well-being. Application security begins with secure coding and design techniques that can be sustained through continuous testing and patching across the software’s lifespan.

What is your recommended tool for application security? Tell us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!