Nikto vs OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)

Struggling to choose between Nikto and OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Nikto is a Security & Privacy solution with tags like web-server, scanner, insecure-configuration, vulnerabilities.

It boasts features such as Comprehensive tests against web servers, Looks for insecure configurations and vulnerabilities, Easy to use interface, Quality web vulnerability scanning and pros including Open source and free, Wide range of vulnerability checks, Easy to use, Can be automated and integrated into workflows.

On the other hand, OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is a Security & Privacy product tagged with security, web-app-scanner, vulnerability-scanner, penetration-testing, owasp.

Its standout features include Spidering and crawling of web applications, Passive scanning for analysis of requests and responses, Active scanning for vulnerability detection, AJAX spidering for crawling of modern web apps, Variety of attack tools for penetration testing, Extensible via add-ons for advanced functions, Built-in proxy for traffic inspection and modification, Automated and manual testing options, Command line and GUI interfaces, Authentication tools for session management, Integrations with CI/CD pipelines, APIs for integration with other tools, Exporting of reports in various formats, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Easy to use interface, Powerful scanning capabilities, Active community support and development, Cross-platform compatibility, Extensible and customizable via plugins, Integrates well with other tools, Helps identify a wide range of vulnerabilities.

Feature	Nikto	OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Security & Privacy	Security & Privacy

Product Overview

Nikto

Description: Nikto is an open source web server scanner that performs comprehensive tests against web servers to look for insecure configurations and vulnerabilities. It is intended to be easy to use and provide security professionals both novice and expert with a quality web vulnerability scanner.

OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)

Description: ZAP is an open-source web application security scanner used to find vulnerabilities in web apps. It offers automated and manual tools to scan APIs, access control weaknesses, injection flaws, XSS, and other issues.

Key Features Comparison

Nikto Features

• Comprehensive tests against web servers
• Looks for insecure configurations and vulnerabilities
• Easy to use interface
• Quality web vulnerability scanning

OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) Features

• Spidering and crawling of web applications
• Passive scanning for analysis of requests and responses
• Active scanning for vulnerability detection
• AJAX spidering for crawling of modern web apps
• Variety of attack tools for penetration testing
• Extensible via add-ons for advanced functions
• Built-in proxy for traffic inspection and modification
• Automated and manual testing options
• Command line and GUI interfaces
• Authentication tools for session management
• Integrations with CI/CD pipelines
• APIs for integration with other tools
• Exporting of reports in various formats

Pros & Cons Analysis

Nikto

Pros

• Open source and free
• Wide range of vulnerability checks
• Easy to use
• Can be automated and integrated into workflows

Cons

• Prone to false positives
• May miss some vulnerabilities
• Requires technical knowledge to interpret results
• Not as full featured as commercial scanners

OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)

Pros

• Free and open source
• Easy to use interface
• Powerful scanning capabilities
• Active community support and development
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Extensible and customizable via plugins
• Integrates well with other tools
• Helps identify a wide range of vulnerabilities

Cons

• Can generate false positives
• Limited default policies for authentication
• Requires expertise to leverage advanced features
• Not as feature rich as commercial products
• Lacks official technical support services

Pricing Comparison

Nikto

• Open Source

OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)

• Open Source