APIs are very important for the free flow of data between systems. However, the increased reliance on APIs has also made them an easy target for cyberattacks, which leads to unauthorized access and data breaches. Thus, it is very important to have strong API security to protect the sensitive information of the user, the business reputation, and the integrity of digital services.

For that reason, Acunetix presents a holistic approach to dealing with such security challenges. It combines strong API scanning features with vulnerability review that can find and check REST, SOAP, and GraphQL APIs.

It easily connects with the development workflows and allows to find and remediate vulnerabilities. It keeps APIs safe at every point of the software development lifecycle.

This blog will talk about Acunetix’s approach to API security, and it's key features. Check out its comparison with Akto platform to understand both solutions.

Table of Content

• What is Acunetix?

• Acunetix’s Approach to API Security

• Key Features and Capabilities

• Acunetix API Protection Platform Customer Size Distribution

• Acunetix Pricing

• Acunetix Crunchbase

• Akto’s Approach to API Security

• Acunetix vs. Akto.io: A Detailed Comparison

• Final Thoughts

What is Acunetix?

Acunetix is a web application and API security platform by Invicti. This platform finds, checks, and fixes vulnerabilities within an organization's digital infrastructure. They offer complete security solutions to find the new threats in modern web applications and APIs and offer strong protection against them.

Source: Acunetix

Having kept in mind the critical role APIs play in the modern digital environment, Acunetix integrated advanced API security features into the platform. This allows the discovery and testing of APIs and allows organizations to maintain secure development workflows without disturbance.

By combining DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) with IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing), Acunetix provides a complete analysis of web applications and APIs and finds vulnerabilities that malicious actors could manipulate.

Key Offerings

• Complete API Discovery: It can find hidden and undocumented APIs automatically. That means that the security assessment won't leave behind any endpoints.

• Multi-Protocol Support: Provides scanning capabilities for REST, SOAP, and GraphQL APIs, offering broad coverage across various API formats.

• Easy Integration: Combines with popular development platforms such as Jira and Jenkins, including security testing straight into the SDLC.

• Automated Vulnerability Detection: Advanced scanning features to identify more than 6,500 vulnerabilities including those within the OWASP Top 10.

• Actionable Reporting: Provides full reports of vulnerabilities and allows security teams to triage and remediate them first.

Acunetix Approach to API Security

Acunetix is a strong API security platform for organizations to protect their digital assets against emerging threats.

API Discovery And Specification Support

Acunetix can find and scan different types of APIs and specification formats. Acunetix can detect REST APIs within OpenAPI3, Swagger2, RAML, WADL, and Postman collections; SOAP APIs in WSDL; and GraphQL APIs. They ensure that all API endpoints are identified and included in security reviews by leaving no vulnerabilities unchecked.

Automated Vulnerability Detection

Acunetix runs automated scans for the identified APIs to identify SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other issues on the OWASP Top 10 list. The scanning engine of the platform simulates a variety of attack vectors that launch on each API endpoint to test its security posture and generate reports that provide high levels of information and actionable insights.

Easy connection

Acunetix also easily connects with Postman and Fiddler tools and allows importing API definitions to support full security testing. This helps organizations maintain a strong security posture throughout the API lifecycle by continuously implementing security measures.

Key Features and Capabilities of Acunetix

Acunetix has a great feature suite for the efficient improvement of API security. The following are five core capabilities that give Acunetix an edge:

Advanced Vulnerability Prioritization

Acunetix uses a risk-based approach. It ranks vulnerabilities based on their severity and the potential impact they could have. It allows security teams to concentrate their efforts on the most critical issues, optimize resource use, and decrease remediation time.

Machine Learning Integration

Acunetix leverages machine learning, which makes the detection of vulnerability more accurate, removes more false positives and consequently improves the efficiency of general security assessments. That is what differentiates it and presents more intelligent and trustworthy results.

Custom Security Testing Profiles

Security teams can create customized security profiles to fulfill specific organizational needs. The profile allows to perform targeted scanning and focuses on accurate configurations and business-related APIs.

Flexible Environment

Acunetix is for large environments and supports multi-user operations by giving role-based access control (RBAC). This means that teams of any size can collaborate effectively and maintain security.

Acunetix API Protection Platform Customer Size Distribution

Acunetix caters to businesses of all sizes, providing unique security needs with precision. Small enterprises (<50 employees) make up 21% of its user base, medium-sized organizations (50-999 employees) 37%, and large enterprises (>1,000 employees) 40%. That, in turn indicates its adaptability to different scales of organizations.

The most related industries to Acunetix are information technology and services, computer software, and computer and network security with 30%, 11%, and 6% respectively. Financial services is also an important sector at 5%, which shows the platform's efficiency in securing critical sectors.

The United States records significant percentages of its presence at 44%, and India records 12%, indicating Acunetix's potential for managing global security threats across many different regulatory environments. So far, Acunetix has satisfied more than 1,800 clients with its products.

Acunetix Pricing

Acunetix follows a customized pricing model that suits every form of industry. The quote usually depends on the number of websites and applications that are to be scanned, the length of term of the subscription, and the extra requirements according to the nature of the client.

This scalable pricing strategy enables organizations, small or big, to find a package suitable for their budget and security objectives. The Acunetix sales team will always work with customers to tailor the pricing model in a manner best suited to each customer’s unique needs and be transparent on what is included within each package.

For organizations interested in Acunetix’s offerings, they can contact their sales team through the official website. This ensures a great understanding of the pricing structure and enables organizations to evaluate the value Acunetix delivers in protecting their digital assets and meeting modern API security needs.

Acunetix Crunchbase

Acunetix is a company based in London, England, specializing in automated web application security solutions. Their main product enables organizations to scan their web apps, identify vulnerabilities, and resolve exploitable security risks efficiently. Acunetix had approximately 53 employees as of 2023, and it operates as a private entity providing web security tools that focus on vulnerability management for organizations of various sizes.

Source: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/acunetix

A number of reports have featured Acunetix recently. Market analysts consistently listed Acunetix, monitoring the involvement of the brand in web application security and vulnerability management. The company was mentioned among its competitors that lead in the growing vulnerability management solution market along with other household brands such as FireMon and Alert Logic.

Furthermore, Acunetix appears in global web application scanning solutions reports, but it appears alongside other market players such as Intruder, Qualys, and Veracode. Therefore, these include mentions that make the company popular and influential regarding web security among various web security forums. Acunetix mirrors many other organizations in terms of the cybersecurity and vulnerability management categories. Companies in the same category include Intruder, Netsparker, and PortSwigger, demonstrating the competitive nature of this company.

However, despite the company's relatively small size, it maintains its position as a leading provider in the web application security market, providing solutions critical to making organizations safe places in which to preserve online assets against potential cyber attacks.

Akto.io Approach to API Security

Akto provides an API security platform that integrates with the CI/CD pipeline for continuous API discovery, vulnerability scanning, and management. It ensures protection by identifying over 100 types of sensitive data and by addressing critical vulnerabilities listed in the OWASP API Top 10, which allows organizations to secure their APIs early in development.

With dynamic and automated testing, Akto continuously monitors APIs' security posture, offering real-time assessments and prioritizing high-risk vulnerabilities. The platform is designed for flexibility and scalability, supporting diverse industries with customized security assessments. By streamlining API security processes and reducing manual effort, Akto helps organizations address security risks efficiently and stay ahead of evolving challenges in the cybersecurity landscape.

Acunetix vs. Akto: A Detailed Comparison

Below is a comparison of key features between Acunetix and Akto, focusing on their unique strengths and functionalities for API security.

Final Thoughts

Both Acunetix and Akto have a different approach and features in API security. While Acunetix is on web application scanning and vulnerability management, Akto specializes in the comprehensive security of APIs. Acunetix provides comprehensive coverage of web applications, including thorough vulnerability reports, and Akto tackles the dynamic API security landscape with real-time, developer-friendly tools that integrate seamlessly into DevSecOps workflows.

For those looking to secure their APIs with leading-edge, automated testing, Akto is the right choice. This platform delivers unparalleled protection for both internal and external APIs, helping organizations stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities. Book a demo now to experience the future of API security firsthand!