Netsparker vs Acunetix

Netsparker

Ferruh Mavituna and Cenk Acar founded Netsparker in 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Netsparker was the first company to launch a web application security scanner that could automatically find and report security vulnerabilities in web applications. In 2013, Netsparker was acquired by a Swedish security company, Secura. In 2017, Netsparker was acquired by US-based security company, Veracode.

Netsparker products

Netsparker offers a range of web application security scanning products, including:

  • Netsparker Desktop – a desktop application that scans web applications for security vulnerabilities;
  • Netsparker Cloud – a cloud-based scanning service that scans web applications for security vulnerabilities;
  • Netsparker Mobile – a mobile application that scans web applications for security vulnerabilities;
  • Netsparker Standard – a scanning solution that scans web applications for security vulnerabilities;
  • Netsparker Enterprise – a scanning solution that scans web applications for security vulnerabilities and includes additional features such as vulnerability management and reporting;
  • Netsparker is the only web application security scanner that can automatically identify and exploit vulnerabilities in web applications.

Netsparker detects vulnerabilities in web applications and web services. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • SQL injection
  • Cross-site scripting
  • Command injection
  • Directory traversal
  • Insecure direct object references
  • Insufficient logging and monitoring
  • Broken authentication and session management
  • Cross-site request forgery
  • Using components with known vulnerabilities

Acunetix

Acunetix was founded in 2004 by a team of security experts with the aim of helping organizations protect their online assets. The company released its first web vulnerability scanner in 2005 and has been at the forefront of web application security ever since. Acunetix is now the leading web application security scanner on the market, used by more than 25,000 organizations worldwide.

Acunetix was the first company to develop a web application security scanner and is the leading provider of web application security solutions. Some of the organizations that use Acunetix tools include the United States Department of Defense, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, and NATO.

The Acunetix vulnerability scanner detects a wide range of vulnerabilities, including but not limited to the following:

  • Cross-site scripting (XSS)
  • SQL injection
  • Broken authentication and session management
  • Insufficient logging and monitoring
  • Insecure direct object references
  • Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
  • Security misconfiguration
  • Unvalidated and untested inputs
  • Insufficient security controls
  • Poor software design

Invicti

Separate specialist cybersecurity companies created and distributed the Acunetix vulnerability scanner and Netsparker web application security tool till 2018. The items kept their original engines and technologies after the merger in 2018 under the Invicti brand. However, the teams behind both products are now collaborating to share their knowledge and build cutting-edge features. As a result, both solutions grow significantly faster together than they would independently, and they both benefit from twice as many specialists’ expertise and experience as any other web application security scanner on the market.

What’s the difference?

The difference between Acunetix and Netsparker is not in quality, but rather in how well the product meets the specific needs of the security and development teams, depending on the size and organization of the company.

Acunetix Premium focuses on covering more bases because it was created for businesses that are just starting out. As a result, Acunetix provides various unique technologies and functionalities that would otherwise necessitate the acquisition of additional software. This includes support for antivirus software (Microsoft Defender and ClamAV), as well as a cutting-edge open-source network scanner (OpenVAS). Acunetix Premium is not only offered as a SaaS product but also on-premises for Windows users.

Netsparker, on the other hand, is designed to work alongside other security products in large enterprise deployments. As a result, it focuses on working in any setting rather than being quick and easy. Many more out-of-the-box integrations are available with Netsparker. Its Proof-based Scanning solution aims to help businesses scale by identifying which vulnerabilities are legitimate and which could be false positives. Overall, Netsparker focuses on large-scale, focused remediation.

To choose between the two products is a tough decision because both products are excellent and compete for the title of best web application security solution available.

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