New Scanning Tool Protects Websites From Attack

The worldwide cost of cyber crime in 2021 has been estimated at cost the world $6 trillion, reflecting a 300% rise in online criminal activity over the two previous years. Remote working, cloud-based platforms, malware and phishing scams have led to a greatly increased risk of data breaches.

Now, an international team of researchers led by Dr. Yousef Amer of the University of South Australia (UNISA) has developed a scanning tool to make websites less vulnerable to hacking.  The 'black box' security assessment prototype, tested by engineers around the world, is more effective than existing web scanners, which collectively fail to detect the top 10 weaknesses in web applications. 

During their research, Dr. Amer and colleagues from Pakistan, the UAE and Australia found numerous security weaknesses in website applications and how these are costing organisations dearly. The team identified that most of the publicly available scanners have weaknesses and are not doing the job they should. 

Over 70% of organisations have suffered at least one serious security breach on their website, with vulnerabilities tripling since 2017. The researchers estimate that as many as 86% of scanned web pages have on average 56% vulnerabilities. Among these, at least one is classified as critical.  

They found that no single scanner is capable of countering all these vulnerabilities, but their prototype tool caters to all these challenges and is a one-stop guide to ensure 100 % website security. 

There is an urgent need to audit websites and ensure they are secure if these breaches are to be curbed and companies and governments can save millions of dollars. The researchers are now seeking to commercialise their prototype.

NCSC:     Eurekalert:     Newswise:      OpenGovAsia:        I-HLS:     National Cyber Security News: 

You Might Also Read: 

‘We Hacked Your Website’ Blackmail Scam: