New open source scanning tool is built for ethical hackers

Being able to find web vulnerabilities as soon as they emerge, before attackers can exploit them, is critical for organizations wanting to stay on top of web application security.

Saas security specialist Detectify is launching a new stand-alone application security tool that's specifically tailored for ethical hackers, making it easier for them to share their latest findings.

Called 'Ugly Duckling' it speeds up the incorporation of vulnerabilities found by ethical hackers into automated security tests on Detectify's platform by giving hackers the tools to create more test modules independently. On finding a vulnerability, the ethical hacker can write a module as a JSON file and test it out in Ugly Duckling, to validate that it works. Detectify then implements the JSON file on its platform, sending the quality-checked findings to thousands of application owners and security teams. Vulnerability findings can run live as security tests within ten minutes of them being submitted.