Top 7 AWS Vulnerability Scanners in 2024

Being one of the world’s largest cloud platforms comes with its own set of challenges. In the case of AWS, the major challenge is maintaining their platform’s security. 

This is where AWS vulnerability scanners and the subsequent scans performed by it have been such a boon.

This article will discuss what an AWS vulnerability scanner is, certain features to look for when choosing one, and the top 7 vulnerability scanners for AWS.

What Is An AWS Vulnerability Scanner?

AWS vulnerability scanners are tools that are capable of conducting automated scans within the AWS platform to detect security gaps, vulnerabilities, and loopholes that pose a threat to the organization and its assets in AWS. 

Upon detection of vulnerabilities through continuous AWS cloud security scans, security and development teams can takeup the appropriate security measures to mitigate and patch them. 

Top 7 AWS Security Scanners

Here’s a list of the top 7 AWS vulnerability scanners for you to choose from. 

Astra Security

Features:

• Scanner Capacity: Unlimited continuous scans
• Accuracy: Zero false positives
• Vulnerability Management: Dynamic vulnerability management dashboard 
• Price: Quote on Request

Detailed Review 

Astra Pentest Platform is a unique penetration testing suite that combines the Astra Vulnerability Scanner with manual pentesting capabilities. 

The company’s efforts towards making the penetration testing platform self-serving are constant and yet they offer 24/7 chat support.

Astra has made visualizing, navigating, and remediating vulnerabilities as simple as running a search on Google.

Astra’s AWS Vulnerability Scanner

The pentest software can also run 3500+ tests covering OWASP top 10 and SANS 25 vulnerabilities. Experts vet the scan results to ensure zero false positives. 

Thanks to Astra’s login recorder plugin, the scanner can run authenticated scans behind login pages without requiring you to reauthenticate it.

Vulnerability Dashboard

The vulnerability management dashboard allows you to stay on top of the vulnerabilities throughout the scanning and remediation process.

AWS Pentesting

The in-depth hacker-style penetration testing by experts reveals business logic errors and other critical vulnerabilities like payment gateway hacks.

Astra Pentest Platform can be used for web app pentest, mobile app pentest, API pentest, and cloud-configuration reviews.

Pentest Reports

The pentest reports by Astra feature video PoCs and step-by-step remediation guidelines to help you take immediate action. The best part is, your developers can engage in contextual collaboration with Astra’s security engineers to resolve difficult issues.

What is best?

• Connects with your CI/CD pipeline
• Offers continuous scanning with regularly updated scanner rules
• Ensures zero false positives
• Helps with rapid prioritization and remediation of vulnerabilities

What could have been better?

• It doesn’t offer a free trial yet. 

AWS Inspector

Features

• Scanner Capacity: AWS only
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Vulnerability Management: No
• Price: Quote on Request

This automated vulnerability management service helps by performing continuous scans of the automatically detected AWS workloads for vulnerabilities and unintentional exposures. After a few easy steps to enable its services, AWS Inspector can be used across all your AWS accounts. 

Once enabled, it discovers EC2 instances and images within the Amazon ECR (Elastic Container Registry) and starts assessing them for flaws or areas of exposure. It provides a highly contextualized risk score that factors in a lot of criteria through the correlation between CVEs, network accessibility, and exploitability.

What is best? 

• Proactive identification of security issues. 
• Easy to use with intuitive UI. 
• Reports allow the identification and tackling of issues before deployment. 

What could be better?

• Findings can be difficult to prioritize. 
• Tool gives out inaccurate false worry warnings. 
• Glitches in the software. 

Rapid7

Features

• Scanner Capacity: Cloud and Web Applications
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Vulnerability Management: Yes
• Price: $175/month

Rapid7 is an upcoming vulnerability scanning service that is available for AWS too. The tool provides vulnerability testing, risk management, and threat intelligence. 

Their vulnerability scanner software also helps achieve compliance with various regulatory standards through their vulnerability assessments. 

Other services include detection and response to threats.

What is best? 

• Great scanning abilities that help meet compliance requirements.
• Their services are easy to use and deploy.
• The services are scalable based on customer requirements.

What could be better?

• Scanned devices can only be removed manually. 
• Inadequate customer satisfaction. 

Alert Logic

Features

• Scanner Capacity: AWS, Google, Azure
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Vulnerability Management: No
• Price: Quote on Request

AlertLogic is a well-known SOC-as-a-service and vulnerability management provider that provides managed threat detection and response services (MDR) for cloud platforms. 

Their holistic services include 24*7  threat monitoring, incident validation, remediation, log management, and more. 

What is best? 

• User-friendly solution
• Precise and timely notifications
• Easy-to-navigate dashboards.

What could be better?

• Could have better end-point protection. 

Qualys

Features

• Scanner Capacity: Cloud and Web Applications
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Vulnerability Management: Yes
• Price: Quote on Request

Qualys is a cloud-based vulnerability scanner that allows the assessment of cloud assets, vulnerabilities, and compliance status. 

Qualys has a large database of known CVEs that is constantly updated. Its scalability and accuracy are some of the reasons that make this tool a popular choice.

What is best? 

• The highly scalable vulnerability scanning solution
• Provides vulnerability management, detection, and response.
• Accurate reporting that is easy to follow. 

What could be better?

• Can be slow when scanning. 
• Difficult to navigate for beginners. 
• Slightly on the expensive end. 
• No zero false positive assurance. 

Aqua Security

Features

• Scanner Capacity: AWS, Google, Azure
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Vulnerability Management: No
• Price: Quote on Request

Aqua Security provides a cloud-native security platform that you can use to secure your cloud-hosted application. The platform offers a wide range of features including cloud vulnerability scanning, runtime protection, and compliance management.

In addition to that, Aqua Security also offers a cloud agent that you can use to scan your cloud infrastructure for vulnerabilities.

What is best? 

• Offers a cloud agent for scanning cloud infrastructure
• Provides runtime protection and compliance management
• Allows you to generate reports and share them with stakeholders
• Helps you to track vulnerabilities over time

What could be better?

• Can be an expensive solution
• Better suited for larger companies. 

Orca Security

Features

• Scanner Capacity: AWS, Google, Azure
• Accuracy: False positives possible
• Vulnerability Management: No
• Price: Quote on Request

Orca security promotes a new approach to cloud vulnerability scanning called Sidescanning. It replaces the cloud agent and collects data directly from your cloud configuration.

Orca helps you cover vulnerabilities that might have escaped the agent-based vulnerability scanning solutions.

What is best? 

• Combines all your cloud assets in a single graph
• It supports more than 40 CIS benchmarks and all major security regulations
• Makes actionable data easily available to the right teams

What could be better?

• No upfront pricing provided

Process of AWS Vulnerability Scan

This section goes in-depth into how an AWS vulnerability scan works to assess your assets within the platform. 

Scoping

The initial step before starting a vulnerability scan is to set the scope. This decides which assets are to be excluded and included in the scanning process and other rules and agreements between the scanning team and the company. It is done to avoid scope creep and any possible legal issues.

Scanning

The AWS vulnerability scanner scours through the agreed-upon assets within the AWS platform to find any vulnerabilities, loopholes, or security gaps that could pose a threat to the organization’s business flow, revenue, and data security. 

Identification

Based on the scan, the detected vulnerabilities are identified with the help of various vulnerability databases such as CVEs, OWASP Top 10, SANS 25, bug bounty data, and so on. Once they are identified, they are prioritized based on their severity and potential impact on the applications as well as their CVSS scores. 

Reporting

After the identification and prioritization of vulnerabilities, an AWS vulnerability report is generated containing an executive summary, a list of all tests performed, vulnerabilities discovered with their remediation measures, CVSS scores, and contextual details. 

This in turn is used by the organization’s development team to mitigate and patch the detected vulnerabilities. 

Factors To Keep In Mind When Choosing an AWS Vulnerability Scanner

This section deals with the factors to be kept in mind when choosing the right vulnerability scanning solution for your AWS environment. 

Your AWS Environment

The hunt for a good AWS vulnerability scanner starts with recognizing the needs of your AWS environment and the services provided by your organization. 

Since there is no one fixed solution to anything in the cyber world, it goes without saying that having a clear resolution to your requirements can greatly help you narrow down your choices. 

Continuous Scanning

The AWS security scanner should provide continuous automated vulnerability scanning as a part of its services. It should be capable of detecting and providing alerts for vulnerabilities and risks upon its discovery. 

Known vulnerabilities from CVEs, SANS 25, OWASP Top 10, and risks based on intel should be properly identified through continuous monitoring of the AWS assets. 

Scalability of The Scanner

Ensure that the AWS vulnerability scanner considered by you is scalable according to the growing needs of your organization. 

Switching scanners amidst daily operations can be a tedious task if the current tool chosen by you isn’t scalable, making the task of finding a scalable AWS scanning solution all the more relevant. 

Services Offered Beyond Scanning

Look for AWS scanning tools that provide other services such as vulnerability patching, vulnerability management, pentesting, and remediation assistance for the vulnerabilities through continuous AWS scans. 

This can provide an additional mile in terms of security and vulnerability management of assets. 

Scanner Pricing

Ensure that the pricing of the tools under your consideration is justifiable when compared to the features provided by them. Finding a solution within budget is mandatory for a long-term solution to AWS scanning. 

Easy To Navigate Dashboard

The AWS vulnerability scanner should be easy to navigate with a good dashboard that provides timely vulnerability alerts and reports. It should also show the vulnerabilities discovered with their present status and as well as scan statuses.

Remediation Assistance

It’s not enough for the AWS vulnerability scanner to identify the vulnerabilities. The scanner should also guide you on how to fix the issues so that you can remediate them as quickly as possible.

Customer Support

When opting for an AWS vulnerability scanner, adequate customer support is a must to ensure that your scans are not hindered halfway and to ensure that any glitches or issues are met with personally and resolved immediately. 

Actionable Reports

When choosing an AWS security scanner, ensure that the tool provides good vulnerability reports that are well-detailed and actionable. It should have the vulnerabilities listed based on their criticality and need for resolution. 

Compliance Checks

Depending on the industry that you’re in, you might have to comply with specific regulations. The AWS vulnerability scanning tool should be able to perform compliance-specific scans so that you can be sure that your application is up to the mark.

Conclusion

This article has mentioned the top features to look for in a winning AWS vulnerability scanner while providing you with a list of the 7 best AWS security scanners that can provide effective scans for your AWS assets. 

The article also mentions the process of AWS vulnerability scanning to give an in-depth understanding of how vulnerability scans in the AWS platform work. 

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