Creating a web application which is safe in terms of security is quite a daunting task for even the most accomplished web technician. Furthermore even though a web application is deemed secure on completion, does not mean that it will remain secure for the duration of its life span. Rather, even the most secure web applications can and often will become vulnerable to bugs and other security hazards.

A Web Vulnerability Scanner

A web vulnerability scanner is a program which will do exactly as it says – scan your web application for any vulnerability. While these programs do not guarantee the prevention of future vulnerabilities, they are good at identifying known vulnerabilities which may currently affect your system.

In a nutshell, a Web Vulnerability Scanner will:

Examine your website and its structure.
Analyse all web applications associated with your website.
Examine your system for such things as cross scripting and SQL injections.
Help you identify potential vulnerabilities within your current web application and website.

Is it worth investing in a Web Vulnerability Scanner?
Well this would depend on the size of your organisation and its dependency on web applications. Web vulnerability scanners are quite pricey and so it you will need to do the math on what level of investment is worth your while. For example if you run a large scale business, it may work out cheaper for you to invest in a web vulnerability scanner rather than engaging a web applications technician to manually monitor all your web applications. Not only would this then work out to a ridiculous hourly rate and be very time consuming, the chance for human error or the chance that the web technician would miss something is greater.

Web Vulnerability Scanner for the Small Business
For a smaller business however investing in a Web Vulnerability Scanner might not be worth while in the long run. Furthermore your budget may not be able to accommodate such an expense for your web application. However there are a few Web Vulnerability scanners which may be downloaded on a free trial basis which may help give you an indication of how useful a Web Vulnerability scanner will be useful to your business. This may be the best option for a small business which is lacking in limitless financial resources.