Application Security

The Top 5 Application Security Open-Source Tools

Discover the top application security open-source tools with features like community support, vulnerability databases, and flexible customization.

Last updated on Jun 26, 2024
Joel Witts Written by Joel Witts
Laura Iannini Technical review by Laura Iannini
The Top 5 Application Security Open-Source Tools include:
  • 1. Greenbone OpenVAS
  • 2. W3AF
  • 3. OSSEC
  • 4. Sonar
  • 5. Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)

Open-source application security tools help developers to build, assess, and fortify applications to ensure that data and services remain secure. They enable organizations to detect and fix vulnerabilities in application code and configurations earlier in the development lifecycle, with more transparency in how the solutions work.

These open-source application security tools features in this list are designed to detect vulnerabilities, manage security risks, and ensure compliance with various industry regulations. They can be tightly integrated with existing development, QA, and security processes to provide visibility across organizations, and help teams work collaboratively to build more secure applications.

In this article, we will explore the top open-source application security tools available today. We will consider key features that are designed to help developers and security professionals protect applications and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.

1
Greenbone OpenVAS
OpenVAS Logo

Greenbone OpenVAS is a comprehensive vulnerability scanner developed by Greenbone Networks. Its features include unauthenticated and authenticated testing, support for various internet and industrial protocols, performance tuning for large-scale scans, and a powerful internal programming language. OpenVAS is updated daily with vulnerability tests, through the Greenbone Feed, ensuring consistent and up-to-date protection.

As a part of Greenbone’s commercial vulnerability management product family, the Greenbone Enterprise Appliance includes OpenVAS and other open-source modules in the Greenbone Community Edition. Furthermore, Greenbone offers a Cloud Service with features such as low operating costs, integrated Greenbone Enterprise Feed with daily automatic updates, a flexible monthly subscription, scan automation, and GDPR-compliant German server locations.

Greenbone Networks offers a completely open-source vulnerability management solution. Their source code is viewable on their GitHub, providing transparency and eliminating risks associated with proprietary vulnerability analysis systems in critical IT infrastructures. The company also prides itself on being “Made in Germany,” with manufacturing, development, and support services based in Germany, as well as the Greenbone Cloud Service operating exclusively in German data centers, ensuring GDPR compliance.

OpenVAS Logo
2
W3AF
w3af Logo

w3af is a web application attack and audit aramework designed to help secure web applications by identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities. The goal of the project is to detect over 200 vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting, Guessable credentials, Unhandled application errors, and PHP misconfigurations, thereby reducing a site’s overall risk exposure. Developed using Python, w3af is both easy to use and extend, making it a valuable tool for web application security. The software is licensed under GPLv2.0.

The framework offers both a graphical and console user interface, enabling users to audit the security of their web applications in just a few clicks, using predefined profiles. Well-documented and entirely written in Python, w3af allows developers to modify the code and identify new vulnerabilities by utilizing their development skills. The GitHub repository can be accessed for any changes or contributions.

w3af Logo
3
OSSEC
OSSEC Logo

OSSEC is a multi-platform, open-source, Host-based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) compatible with operating systems such as Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, MacOS, Solaris, and Windows. It features a powerful correlation and analysis engine, integrating functionalities such as log analysis, file integrity monitoring, Windows registry monitoring, centralized policy enforcement, rootkit detection, real-time alerting, and active response.

OSSEC has a growing user base with over 500,000 downloads a year. It is popular among large enterprises, small businesses, and government agencies for server intrusion detection in both on-premise and cloud environments. It is used for log analysis, monitoring and analyzing firewalls, IDSs, web servers, and authentication logs.

Some key features of OSSEC include log-based Intrusion Detection (LIDs), rootkit and malware detection, active response to system attacks and changes, compliance auditing for standards such as PCI-DSS and CIS benchmarks, as well as file integrity monitoring (FIM). Additionally, the system inventory collects information on installed software, hardware, utilization, network services, and listeners. The wide range of features makes OSSEC a versatile and robust intrusion detection system for various organizations and industries.

OSSEC Logo
4
Sonar
Sonar Source Logo

Sonar is a prominent solution in the software development industry, aiding developers in writing clean code and remediating existing code with ease. Their product offerings include both open-source and commercial solutions such as SonarLint, SonarCloud, and SonarQube, solutions. These tools are used by over 400,000 organizations worldwide. The products support 30 programming languages, enabling better software delivery for various businesses.

SonarLint is a free Integrated Development Environment (IDE) extension that functions similar to a spell checker, identifying bugs and security vulnerabilities, while providing clear remediation guidance. This allows developers to address issues before the code is committed. SonarLint is compatible with Eclipse, IntelliJ, Visual Studio, and VS Code.

SonarCloud is an online service that detects bugs and security vulnerabilities in both pull requests and code repositories. Available for free in open-source projects, while there is a paid plan for private projects. SonarCloud integrates with cloud-based CI/CD workflows and supports over 20 programming languages.

Lastly, SonarQube is a widely used tool for inspecting code quality and security in codebases continuously while guiding development teams during code reviews. Supporting 30 programming languages, SonarQube integrates smoothly with existing software pipelines and offers valuable remediation guidance, helping developers understand and fix issues. With over 170,000 deployments, SonarQube assists not only small development teams but also global organizations in maintaining high-quality code and delivering safer software.

Sonar Source Logo
5
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
ZAP Logo

Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is a widely used open-source web application scanner maintained by the Software Security Project (SSP) and a dedicated international team of volunteers as a GitHub Top 1000 project. ZAP, aimed at testing web applications, is both flexible and extensible, functioning as a “man-in-the-middle proxy” that intercepts, inspects, and modifies messages sent between the user’s browser and the web application as needed.

Designed for various skill levels, ZAP caters to developers and security testers. It supports major operating systems, whilst additional functionality can be accessed through add-ons available in the ZAP Marketplace. As an open-source project, anyone can contribute to ZAP by fixing bugs, adding features, or creating add-ons.

ZAP offers multiple options for automation, including command line, Docker Packaged Scans, GitHub Actions, and an automation framework not tied to any container technology. In addition to this, ZAP offers an API and daemon mode. The ZAP Marketplace, accessible within the client, offers numerous add-ons to extend ZAP’s functionality, developed by both the ZAP team and the broader community.

ZAP Logo
The Top 5 Application Security Open-Source Tools

Everything You Need To Know About Application Security Open Source Tools (FAQs)
What Are Open-Source Application Security Tools?

Open-source application security tools are open-source tools that help identify, address, and manage security vulnerabilities in software applications. The open-source nature of these tools means that their source code is available for inspection, modification, and enhancement by the community.

What Are The Benefits Of Using Open-Source Application Security Tools?

There are several benefits developers can take advantage of when using open-source application security (AS) tools. These include:

  1. Transparency: The open source nature of these tools allows organizations to inspect the code and understand how they work, as code is fully accessible to the public.
  2. Community support: Open source AS tools are often supported by a large and active community of developers. This means that there is a wealth of knowledge and resources available to help users get the most out of the tools and troubleshoot any problems.
  3. Cost: Open source AS tools are typically free to use, or cheaper than enterprise solutions.
  4. Flexibility: Open source AS tools are often more customizable and extensible than proprietary solutions. This gives developers the ability to tailor the tools to their specific needs.

What Features Should You Look For In Open Source Application Security Tools?

When selecting open source application security (AS) tools, the following features are critical to ensure robust and effective security integration within the DevOps pipeline:

  1. Integration Capabilities: AS tools should be highly versatile and integrate widely with the other solutions in your stack and into your application development environments. This includes support for popular CI/CD tools, IDEs, and other security solutions.
  2. Static Application Security Testing (SAST): Some AS tools can enable you to analyze code for design flaws that could lead to security vulnerabilities.
  3. False Positive Management: AS tools should have low false-positive rates and provide mechanisms to manage and tune detections to reduce noise. False positives can waste time and resources, so it’s important to have tools that can minimize them.
  4. Customizability And Extensibility: AS tools should be customizable to fit the specific needs of your organization. This includes the ability to customize rules, alerts, and policies. Tools should also be extensible through APIs or plugins to add new features or integrations.
  5. Automated Remediation: Some AS tools offer automated patches or fixes for identified vulnerabilities. This can help to reduce the time and effort required to remediate vulnerabilities.
  6. Compliance And Policy Enforcement: AS tools should help you to define and enforce security policies across the development lifecycle. Features to help organizations stay compliant with industry regulations are also important.

In addition to the above features, you may also want to consider the following when selecting open source AS tools:

  1. Ease Of Use: The tools should be easy to use and configure, even for users with limited security expertise.
  2. Maturity And Community Support: The tools should be mature and have a strong community behind them. This ensures that the tools are well-maintained and that there are resources available for help and support.
  3. Open Source License: It is worth consider the open source license of the tools to ensure that it is compatible with your organization’s policies and requirements.
Joel Witts
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Content Director

Joel Witts is the Content Director at Expert Insights, meaning he oversees all articles published and topics covered. He is an experienced journalist and writer, specialising in identity and access management, Zero Trust, cloud business technologies, and cybersecurity. Joel is a co-host of the Expert Insights Podcast and conducts regular interviews with leading B2B tech industry experts, including directors at Microsoft and Google. Joel holds a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from Cardiff University.
Laura Iannini Laura Iannini
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Cybersecurity Analyst

Laura Iannini is an Information Security Engineer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity from the University of West Florida. Laura has experience with a variety of cybersecurity platforms and leads technical reviews of leading solutions. She conducts thorough product tests to ensure that Expert Insights’ reviews are definitive and insightful.