WebApp Scan Automation with Authentication

TL;DR

Automate security scans of thousands of web applications using different credentials by integrating an authenticated scanner into a CI/CD pipeline or scheduling regular runs. This guide covers credential management, scan configuration, and result analysis.

1. Choose Your Authenticated Scanner

Several scanners support authentication. Popular options include:

• Burp Suite Professional: Requires a commercial license but offers extensive features and flexibility.
• OWASP ZAP: Free and open-source, with good automation capabilities via its API.
• Nessus Professional: Commercial scanner known for vulnerability detection; supports authenticated scans.
• Qualys Web Application Scanning: Cloud-based solution offering comprehensive scanning features.

Select a scanner that fits your budget, technical expertise, and reporting needs.

2. Secure Credential Management

Storing credentials directly in scan configurations is highly insecure. Use a secure credential management system:

• HashiCorp Vault: A popular choice for storing secrets; integrates with many tools.
• Cyber security Key Management Systems (KMS): Cloud provider KMS services (AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, Google Cloud KMS) offer secure storage and access control.
• Dedicated Password Managers: Tools like LastPass or 1Password can be used for smaller deployments, but ensure API access is available for automation.

Example using HashiCorp Vault:

vault kv get secret/webapp-credentials app1-username

This retrieves the username for application 1 from Vault.

3. Scan Configuration

Configure your scanner to use the credentials retrieved from your chosen system. This typically involves:

1. Defining Scan Targets: Create a list of all web applications to be scanned, including URLs and any relevant subdomains.
2. Credential Injection: Configure the scanner to fetch usernames and passwords for each application using API calls to your credential management system (e.g., Vault).
3. Authentication Method: Specify the authentication method used by each application (Basic Auth, Form-based login, OAuth, etc.).
4. Scan Policy Selection: Choose a scan policy appropriate for the type of applications being scanned. Start with less aggressive policies to avoid disrupting live services.

Example OWASP ZAP API call (simplified):

curl -X POST 'https://zap/api/v2/scan' -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{ "url": "https://example.com", "username": "user1", "password": "pass1" }'

4. Automation

Automate the scans using a CI/CD pipeline or scheduled tasks:

• CI/CD Integration: Trigger scans automatically on code commits or deployments. This ensures that new vulnerabilities are detected early in the development lifecycle.
• Scheduled Scans: Schedule regular scans (e.g., weekly, monthly) to identify new vulnerabilities and track changes over time.

Tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions can be used for automation.

5. Result Analysis

Analyze the scan results to identify and remediate vulnerabilities:

• Prioritization: Focus on high-severity vulnerabilities first.
• False Positive Filtering: Review the results carefully to filter out false positives.
• Reporting: Generate reports that clearly communicate the identified vulnerabilities to developers and security teams.
• Integration with Issue Trackers: Integrate scan results with issue tracking systems (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow) to streamline remediation efforts.

Most scanners provide reporting features in various formats (HTML, PDF, CSV).

6. Scaling Considerations

• Distributed Scanning: For very large deployments, consider using a distributed scanning architecture to improve performance.
• Rate Limiting: Be mindful of rate limits imposed by the target applications and adjust scan speeds accordingly.
• Resource Allocation: Ensure that your scanner has sufficient resources (CPU, memory) to handle the load.