In today's interconnected world, web application security is crucial for business continuity. Yet, web application attacks are now involved in 25% of all breaches.

While automated vulnerability scanners play a vital role in safeguarding applications, they have certain limitations that can result in critical flaws going undetected.

In this article, we will explore three key limitations of automated vulnerability scanners, emphasizing the significance of manual pen testing in enhancing security.

1. Logic flaws and business rule bypasses

Automated scanners excel at identifying known vulnerabilities using predefined patterns.

However, they often struggle to detect logic flaws and business rule bypasses. These errors in application design and implementation can lead to unintended behavior, such as unauthorized access or data leakage.

Automated scanners lack the deep understanding of intended business logic required to identify these issues accurately.

Example: An e-commerce application designed to allow only one discount code per order may have a logic flaw that enables users to apply multiple codes by submitting multiple requests before the system updates.

Automated scanners cannot detect this issue without a comprehensive understanding of the application's intended business logic.

2. Incomplete coverage and inaccurate risk assessment

Automated scanners may overlook vulnerabilities in unused sections of an application, areas with limited accessibility, or hidden functionalities. Additionally, they often generate false positives and rely on generic scoring systems to assess vulnerability severity. This approach may not accurately reflect the risk posed to a specific application and its environment.

Example: A scanner might flag a vulnerability in a rarely used feature of your application as low-severity.

However, if this feature exposes sensitive data or provides access to critical functionality, the actual risk it poses could be significantly higher than what the scanner indicates.

Manual penetration testing considers the specific context of the application, its data sensitivity, and its business impact, providing a more nuanced assessment of vulnerabilities.

This is key to addressing the most critical vulnerabilities and communicating them effectively to relevant stakeholders.

3. Detection of advanced attack techniques

Attackers are becoming increasingly skilled at evading detection by automated scanners. Advanced attack methods, such as obfuscated payloads, zero-day vulnerabilities, and novel attack vectors, often employ methodologies that go beyond the capabilities of traditional scanners.

Example: An attacker might execute a sophisticated cross-site scripting (XSS) attack that utilizes dynamic code generation to bypass signature-based detection employed by automated scanners.

Manual penetration testers, with their creativity and deep understanding of application security, can simulate real-world attack scenarios, mimicking the techniques and methodologies employed by actual attackers.

This approach helps identify vulnerabilities that automated scanners may not be able to detect, such as zero-day vulnerabilities or sophisticated attack vectors.

The crucial role of human expertise in application security

While automated scanners offer the benefits of continuous and rapid results, they have limitations when it comes to detecting novel attack vectors and vulnerabilities that require intuition and reasoning.

Manual penetration testing provides a more comprehensive assessment of vulnerabilities, considering the specific context of an application and its environment. By combining automated scanning with manual testing, organizations can enhance their security posture and effectively mitigate risks.

Outpost24's Pen Testing-as-a-Service (PTaaS) combines the power of automated scanning with the expertise of skilled pen testers. PTaaS offers your organization continuous monitoring and testing of your web applications, powered by our in-house testing team, for a comprehensive level of security monitoring, along with effective mitigation strategies and best practices to strengthen the overall security posture of your web applications.

Take control of your application security today with Outpost24's PTaaS.