Netsparker, now known as Invicti Security, is a dynamic application security testing (DAST) tool that helps organizations find vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs. Organizations recognize it for its proof-based scanning and it ensures high accuracy by removing false positives.

It focuses on API security and identifies risks such as broken authentication, improper data handling, and authorization weaknesses which is essential for modern and interconnected systems. Its scalability, automation, and easy connecting with ongoing workflow features provide organizations with strong protection against new threats.

This blog talks about Netsparker's approach to API security, key features, customer size distribution, pricing, and Crunchbase information. It will also talk about Akto's API security approach and provide organizations with a comparison between the two solutions.

Table of Content

• What is Netsparker?

• Netsparker’s Approach to API Security

• Key Features and Capabilities of Netsparker

• Netsparker Customer Size Distribution

• Netsparker Pricing

• Netsparker Crunchbase

• Akto.io: API Security Approach

• Netsparker vs. Akto.io: A Detailed Comparison

• Final Thoughts

What is Netsparker?

Netsparker is a security solution that identifies and manages vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs. It is also referred to as Invicti and is known for its proof-based scanning and finding vulnerabilities with accuracy.

Source: Netsparker

Netsparker initially simplified vulnerability detection and has since evolved into a comprehensive tool offering advanced features like automated DAST, scalability for organizational needs, and integration with CI/CD pipelines. It focuses on the accuracy and efficacy, making it an unique solution for developers and security professionals looking to secure their organizations.

Netsparker's Approach To API Security

Given below are the approaches of Netsparker for web application and API security testing:

1. Comprehensive API Vulnerability Scanning

It has DAST features which test the APIs completely and find vulnerabilities like broken object-level authorization, injection attacks, and input validation issues. It scans RESTful APIs, SOAP services, and other modern frameworks that are used in the APIs, ensuring complete coverage.

2. Proof-Based Vulnerability Detection

It has an outstanding feature which is its proof-based scanning technology. It not only identifies possible vulnerabilities but also finds proof of these vulnerabilities and helps security teams to prevent false positives.

3. Combines with Development Pipelines

Netsparker connects easily with CI/CD pipelines to ensure API security from the development lifecycle. This allows developers and security teams to find and fix the vulnerabilities early enough to prevent possible security breaches in production.

4. Modern API Security Standards Support

Netsparker supports modern API security standards and practices, such as the OWASP API Security Top 10. This ensures that scans are performed for the most recent threats and gives correct security insights.

5. Flexible With the Needs of the Organization

Netsparker is flexible and meets the requirements of organizations. It supports big API ecosystem by offering automatic scans, accurate reports, and flexible choices. Its flexibility enables organizations to manage a large number of interconnected APIs.

Key Features of Netsparker

Here are the complete features of Netsparker for web application and API security testing:

1. High-Speed, Automated Scanning

Netsparker is also extremely fast in automating the detection of vulnerabilities of applications and APIs, ensuring total web application and API scanning in absolute accuracy. The tool finds big security weaknesses and allows organizations to reduce vulnerabilities quickly by improving security postures.

2. Wide Coverage of Vulnerabilities

It gives wide-scanning capabilities, covering more than just common vulnerabilities but also going down to API-specific flaws like broken object-level authorization and insecure data exposure. Netsparker's provides advanced mechanisms to find misconfigurations and authentication flaws, even the most impossible ones.

3. User-Friendly Interface

It provides a simple dashboard that makes navigation and operation relatively easy for security teams. Users can quickly check reports, run scans, and even adjust configurations to meet their individual security requirements.

4. Easily Combines With Current Workflows

Netsparker easily connects with popular tools like Jira, GitLab, and Azure DevOps and allows collaboration between development and security teams. It combines with CI/CD pipelines and allows continuous testing to find vulnerabilities in the development process. This user-friendly approach promotes security and collaboration.

5. Compliance-Centric Security Testing

With built-in checks of regulations like OWASP API Security Top 10, GDPR, and PCI DSS, Netsparker helps simplify the compliance processes for any organization. It allows organizations to find gaps in adherence and provide deep reports to ensure they meet all the adherence rules while providing strong security in web applications and APIs.

Netsparker Customer Size Distribution

Netsparker has various customers, from small startups to large organizations by making it an effective tool for organizations of all sizes. Its flexibility allows it to meet every need of different customers:

1. Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs)

The resource constraints in cybersecurity issues face SMBs. Netsparker is perfect for smaller teams that do not have enough security expertise, as it provides automatic scanning and an easy user interface. This tool helps organizations maintain strong security without human intervention.

2. Big Organizations

It provides enterprise-level features to help large organizations deal with broad, complex infrastructure management. It supports simultaneous scans, allows multi-user access, and provides deep reports to handle high volumes of web applications and APIs. It combines easily with DevOps pipelines and security ecosystems to ensure smooth operations across large environments.

3. Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs)

Netsparker also serves as an MSSPs gold for security service provision across several clients, through the capability of the software in handling a diverse web application. This capability serves for scalable and reliable delivery of constant and accurate vulnerability management.

4. Government and Compliance-Focused Organizations

Finance, healthcare, and government agencies rely on Netsparker, primarily for compliance-focused testing capability. Netsparker achieves regulatory compliance for the targeted organization by addressing security requirements as framed in GDPR, PCI DSS, and other standards and frameworks.

Netsparker Crunchbase

Netsparker is now known as Invicti, a cybersecurity company specializing in web application security. Ferruh Mavituna founded the company in 2009, from which they have grown today, offering auto-detection and remediation of vulnerabilities in web applications and services. The company has extended its services over the years to offer full security testing solutions and vulnerability management to various kinds of clients in different industries.

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

In 2018, Netsparker received a major investment from Turn/River Capital, a San Francisco. This investment helped to grow the company, improve products, and increase production levels. Later, in 2021, Netsparker combined with Acunetix, one of the top online application security businesses, to form Invicti Security. This agreement was to bring together the organizations' experience to provide a more strong level of protection to their customers.

Innovators of the cybersecurity landscape, Invicti Security provides scalable and automated web application security solutions. Their product line is designed to easily be integrated into the software development lifecycle, allowing an organization to detect and address vulnerabilities promptly. With a focus on web security improvement, Invicti serves clients worldwide, from the largest firms and government departments to small and medium-sized organizations.

Akto.io: API Security Approach

Akto.io is an API security platform for protecting APIs and combines easily with existing workflows, easy automation, and regular threat detection to give organizations strong protection against vulnerabilities and attacks. Here are the essential security features that make Akto.io a complete solution for protecting the APIs:

Automated API Discovery

Akto continuously identifies all APIs within the ecosystem, including shadow and deprecated APIs. This provides complete tools for APIs, reducing security gaps and security risks.

Complete Vulnerability Scanning

The platform automatically scans for vulnerabilities, including the OWASP API Security Top 10, such as broken object-level authorization (BOLA) and injection attacks. Akto also provides deep maintenance methods for effectively fixing these vulnerabilities.

Regular Monitoring and Threat Detection

Akto uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to monitor API traffic in real-time and detect threats, misconfigurations, and possible attack sites. This strategy reduces the time needed to find vulnerabilities and improves responsiveness.

Behavioral Analysis

Akto uses machine learning methods to analyze API behavior and user activities. This allows organizations to find suspicious behaviour from regular trends, allowing threat detection and mitigation

Compliance Support

The platform ensures adherence to regulatory standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS by providing continuous monitoring and detailed compliance reports.

Unique Aspects of Akto.io's API Security Approach

Akto.io is an API security environment that uses many features that separate it from other security solutions. Here's what separates Akto from other platforms:

Protect APIs: Akto API protects APIs throughout their full lifecycle, including development and testing, deployment, and finally execution. This will create the means of full protection through every interface point.

API-Centric Focus: Unlike the conventional DAST tools, Akto is more focused on the security of APIs and actually match specific API-centric risks, including misconfigurations, inadequate rate limiting, and data exposure. Such features reduce threats that can affect APIs.

Threat Detection Features: It provides features powered by AI and machine learning and allows organizations to find and remediate vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

Adaptive Security System: Akto.io's security system is highly adaptive and grows with new threats. It responds to attacks using machine learning and updates vulnerability databases regularly to protect organizations from future threats.

Netsparker vs. Akto.io: A Detailed Comparison

Final Thoughts

Modern digital ecosystems rely on APIs, but that also makes them the primary target for attackers as they hold sensitive information. Solutions such as Netsparker provide robust DAST capabilities with an emphasis on vulnerability detection and regulatory compliance.

Proof-based scanning, scalability, and integration capabilities make Netsparker a reliable choice for securing web applications and APIs in organizations of all sizes. Organizations who want API security can book a demo with Akto and check out its features and capabilities.