Zap Proxy OWASP zap

The ZAP open-source security software application was coded in Java and was released for the public in 2010. The app serves to scan all sorts of web apps and detect most common vulnerabilities. The project was initially small and initiated by the OWASP or Open Web Application Security Project. As thing stand today, OWASP zap is the most actively maintained security software solution of its type with a contributor base from the four corners of the world. Zaproxy comes in no fewer than 29 languages and works on almost all major OS platforms including Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Further, developers can use the tool to act as proxy server not quite unlike the burp suite. This lets developers manipulate the requests made to the server including HTTPS requests. OWASP zap also features a daemon mode which developers can control through the REST API.

The ZAP software tool that is primarily is used for testing app and API security besides having a host of other use cases as well. The open-source licensing terms of ZAP has gone a long way in bolstering its popularity and the many creative uses of ZAP that developers have leveraged the technology for is noteworthy. Some of them include:

The ZAP software tool that is primarily is used for testing app and API security besides having a host of other use cases as well. The open-source licensing terms of ZAP has gone a long way in bolstering its popularity and the many creative uses of ZAP that developers have leveraged the technology for is noteworthy. Some of them include:

For most development firms, application security starts with ZAP which lets them prevent the Top 10 OWASP vulnerabilities. ZAP has exemplary performance when testing these vulnerabilities.

It is a well-established practice to find software development firms to have specified compliance requirements both on the customer and the regulatory level. For example, B2B software is expected to comply with SOC II norms. Such requirements have multiple facets, but security measures is perhaps common to all software delivery processes. If you implement ZAP in the SDLC they can meet several compliance requirements.

ZAP is particularly effective for penetration testing and is the tool of choice for most penetration testers out there. Penetration testers use ZAP to find software vulnerabilities in apps before an attacker with malicious intent. They compile reports based on their findings and identify security issues that need to be fixed.

Top development firms also boast of an effective security team who ensure software security. Firms that look after the maintenance of software applications use ZAP from time to time to ensure that their app has not developed any security vulnerabilities. Such maintenance scans can come in many forms like periodic manual and scheduled ZAP scans.

Many security teams use the Bug Crowd or Hacker One platforms to conduct bug bounty programs. They help identify vulnerabilities before attackers. ZAP can ensure that the bugs discovered in such programs are minimal in number. This all, results in greater security of the software application while keeping the bug bounty exercise surprisingly affordable.

The trend among software and app development firms is to switch to Agile or DevSecOps testing methods. Accordingly, they are integrating DAST tools like Jenkins into their CI/CD pipeline manager. Such integrations cannot be made without using plugins.

When you use the Jenkins plugin with ZAP, you can seamlessly integrate ZAP with your existing DevOps pipeline. This lets developers run automated scans whenever there is a new release. With the Jenkins plugin developers can conduct advanced security operations like AJAX spidering, Spider Scans, Managing Sessions, Active Scan, Correlate results and define contexts.