Automated Penetration Tools - Pros and Cons

The best-automated penetration testing tools can help improve security and find vulnerabilities that a manual scan might miss. They are a cost-effective method for detecting vulnerabilities. However, automated penetration tools do have some drawbacks - they're only as good as the patch levels of the software on your system. If you don't update your systems regularly, then it can be difficult to detect any changes in vulnerability status from one day to the next.

We'll go through the benefits and drawbacks of automated penetration testing in this post. These tools have been around for a while now so it's important to do your research before deciding on one. After reading through this article, you should be able to decide if an automated tool is right for you!

How Do Automated Penetration Tools Help?

The best automated penetration testing tools can not only find vulnerabilities on your system but also exploit those issues to take complete control of the machine. This allows for easy and efficient vulnerability detection as well as full exploitation capabilities which saves time and money in a number of ways:
You don't have to manually check each possible vulnerability – the automated penetration tool will do the work for you.
You can test your systems at any time without having to wait around while a manual scanning is being completed.
Automated tools are efficient, which allows attackers to perform large-scale scans of multiple targets in less time. This means more potential vulnerabilities are tested against your systems.

What Are The Best Automated Penetration Tools?

There are many tools available for automated penetration testing. Some of the most popular ones include:

• Acunetix WVS (Web Vulnerability Scanner) - This tool provides a full set of manual and automated web app security tests including SQL injection, XSS attacks, and more.

• Netsparker - This automated web app security tool detects and exploits SQL injection, XSS, XXE (XML External Entity attack) vulnerabilities.

• Metasploit - This popular pentest toolkit includes modules to exploit a wide range of vulnerabilities, including SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting.

• Arachni – Designed for web application assessments, this penetration testing tool is able to detect a number of different vulnerabilities including the OWASP Top Ten. You can also use Arachni to exploit these vulnerabilities.

• Astra Security – This automated penetration testing tool specializes in web application security scans and tests. It detects SQL injection, XSS attacks, RFI (Remote File Inclusion), LFI (Local File Include) vulnerabilities as well as many more.

• Nessus - This is a vulnerability scanner that can be used to scan systems for known vulnerabilities. It also has the ability to exploit some of these vulnerabilities.

• Burp Suite - This tool is used for web security testing and includes features such as intruder detection, spidering, payload generation, and more.

Cons of Automated Penetration Testing

Automated penetration tools do have some drawbacks - they're only as good as the patch levels of the software on your system. If you don't update your systems regularly, then it can be difficult to detect any changes in vulnerability status from one day to the next. This is why most automated scanners include a reporting feature that allows users to easily compare the current status of their systems to specific versions.

Automated penetration tools can also be expensive and may not provide all bug types in one tool - developers might focus on a single area such as web application security testing, while other areas like network security or social engineering are left out entirely. This is why you should do your homework before choosing a tool.

In the end, automated penetration tools are a great way to find vulnerabilities in your systems - but they're only as good as the patches you have installed. Make sure you keep your software up-to-date and you'll be able to take full advantage of these powerful tools!

Pros of Doing An Automated Penetration Testing

• Scans can be run at any time without waiting around for a manual tester to complete their work

• Automated tools are efficient, which allows attackers to perform large-scale scans of multiple targets in less time. This means more potential vulnerabilities are tested against your systems

• A report can be generated with the current status of your systems and compared to specific versions

• Automated tools can be expensive but provide a wide variety of bug types in one tool. Developers might focus on a single area such as web application security testing, while other areas like network security or social engineering are left out entirely. This is why you should do your homework before settling on a tool.

Conclusion

In the end, automated penetration tools are a great way to find vulnerabilities in your systems - but they're only as good as the patches you have installed. Make sure you keep your software up-to-date and you'll be able to take full advantage of these powerful tools!

Author Bio-

Ankit Pahuja is the Marketing Lead & Evangelist at Astra Security. Ever since his adulthood (literally, he was 20 years old), he began finding vulnerabilities in websites & network infrastructures. Starting his professional career as a software engineer at one of the unicorns enables him in bringing "engineering in marketing" to reality. Working actively in the cybersecurity space for more than 2 years makes him the perfect T-shaped marketing professional. Ankit is an avid speaker in the security space and has delivered various talks in top companies, early-age startups, and online events.

Testing Tools