StackHawk - Detailed Review
Developer Tools
StackHawk - Product Overview
Overview
StackHawk is a dynamic application security testing (DAST) and API security testing tool that is specifically built for developers and DevOps teams. Here’s a brief overview of its primary function, target audience, and key features:Primary Function
StackHawk’s primary function is to integrate security testing into the software development lifecycle. It allows engineering teams to find and fix application bugs and security vulnerabilities at any stage of software development, ensuring that applications and APIs are secure before they reach production. This is achieved by running automated security tests as part of the Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline.Target Audience
The target audience for StackHawk includes developers, software engineers, DevOps professionals, and security professionals who are responsible for the security of their applications. These individuals work across various industries such as technology, finance, healthcare, and more.Key Features
StackHawk offers a range of features that make it a valuable tool for application security:- CI/CD Automation: Seamlessly integrates into CI/CD pipelines using tools like AWS CodeBuild and AWS CodePipeline to automate security testing.
- API and Application Support: Supports REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and soon gRPC APIs, ensuring comprehensive testing of various application architectures.
- Docker-Based Scanner: Uses a Docker-based application security scanner for flexible deployment.
- Historical Scan Data and cURL Reproduction: Provides historical scan data and cURL-based reproduction criteria for easier bug fixing.
- Custom Scan Discovery and Test Data: Allows for custom scan discovery and custom test data for REST and GraphQL APIs.
- Integrations: Integrates with tools like Slack, Snyk, GitHub, CodeQL, and more, enhancing collaboration and workflow.
StackHawk Pro and Enterprise
StackHawk is available in two pricing plans: StackHawk Pro and StackHawk Enterprise. Both plans offer unlimited scans, environments, and applications. The Enterprise plan includes additional features such as single sign-on, role-based permissions, activity history and audit logs, custom test scripts, and dedicated support.Conclusion
Overall, StackHawk is a developer-focused tool that helps in identifying and fixing security vulnerabilities early in the development process, ensuring the delivery of secure software efficiently. StackHawk - User Interface and Experience
User Interface of StackHawk
The user interface of StackHawk, particularly in the context of its application security testing tools, is designed with a strong focus on ease of use and integration into existing developer workflows.
User-Friendly Interface
StackHawk boasts a user-friendly interface that makes it accessible even for teams new to Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST). The platform is engineered to be easy to configure and deploy, ensuring a hassle-free experience for users. The detailed documentation and intuitive design mean that developers can start fortifying their applications with minimal onboarding time.
Developer-Centric Approach
StackHawk is built with developers in mind, allowing them to own the triage and fixes of scanner findings. The platform provides tools such as a cURL command generator, which enables developers to recreate findings locally. This feature helps in quickly identifying and fixing security vulnerabilities, making the process more efficient and developer-friendly.
Integration with Existing Workflows
StackHawk seamlessly integrates into CI/CD workflows, allowing developers to test their APIs and applications as part of their everyday software testing routines. It supports interoperability with various tools and platforms, including GitHub, JIRA, AzureDevOps, Snyk, and AWS, making it easy to incorporate into existing development processes.
Clear Insights and Actionable Data
The platform provides clear insights and actionable data, helping developers and security teams to focus on the most critical vulnerabilities. It categorizes findings based on their severity and impact, reducing noise and allowing for prioritized fixes. This ensures that teams can manage risk effectively and make informed decisions about their application security.
Automated Scanning and Authentication
StackHawk supports automated scanning with complex authentication scenarios, including username/password authentication and bearer token authorization. Users can define the expected experience of an authenticated user in the configuration file, allowing for flexible and automated scans without manual intervention.
Conclusion
Overall, the user experience with StackHawk is characterized by its ease of use, seamless integration into development workflows, and the provision of clear, actionable insights. This makes it an effective tool for developers and security teams to ensure the security of their applications without disrupting their workflow.
StackHawk - Key Features and Functionality
StackHawk Overview
StackHawk is a comprehensive API and web application security testing platform that integrates seamlessly into developer tools and workflows, leveraging advanced features and AI to enhance security testing. Here are the main features and how they work:
Automated Security Testing
StackHawk automates the scanning process for APIs, web apps, and microservices, integrating with CI/CD pipelines to identify vulnerabilities early in the development cycle. This automation ensures that security assessments are conducted without manual intervention, allowing for quick detection of vulnerabilities.
Comprehensive API Coverage
StackHawk supports various types of APIs, including REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and gRPC. This ensures that security teams can detect and address all possible security weaknesses across different API infrastructures. The platform uses the HawkScan scanner to identify vulnerabilities by probing for known issues such as SQL Injection and Cross-Site Scripting.
API Discovery Powered by HawkAI
This AI-driven feature enhances API discovery by automatically identifying all APIs within an organization’s code repositories. HawkAI integrates with existing code repositories to uncover previously unknown APIs, providing a comprehensive view of the attack surface. It also tracks code deployments and compares them to testing frequency, ensuring alignment with security policies.
Detailed Vulnerability Insights
StackHawk provides complete information on vulnerabilities, including request/response evidence and mitigation documentation. This allows security teams to immediately triage and fix issues. The platform also correlates dynamic application security testing (DAST) and static application security testing (SAST) results to give a more accurate picture of security weaknesses.
Real-Time Threat Monitoring
StackHawk detects and remediates threats through real-time API traffic monitoring. This feature helps security teams handle threats like unauthorized access or dangerous payloads promptly, maintaining the best API posture.
Integration with Development Tools
StackHawk integrates natively with various DevOps tools, including GitHub, Azure, JIRA, Slack, and more. These integrations enhance collaboration between security and development teams, managing existing workflows efficiently. For example, the GitHub CodeQL integration correlates DAST and SAST results to help find and fix exploitable vulnerabilities.
Real-Time Alerts and Reporting
The platform offers real-time alerts for critical security weaknesses, ensuring security teams receive notifications of high risks that need immediate attention. Detailed reports on vulnerabilities provide information about each issue, including possible impact and recommended mitigation steps, allowing teams to prioritize solutions based on security weakness levels.
Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST)
StackHawk combines DAST with IAST to offer complete insights into security weaknesses by analyzing application behavior during runtime. This enables accurate detection of complicated vulnerabilities that are not easily identified by traditional DAST methods.
OWASP Top 10 Coverage
StackHawk addresses the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, enabling organizations to effectively prioritize their mitigation efforts and enhance their overall security posture. This ensures that the most critical and commonly exploited vulnerabilities are identified and addressed.
Configuration and Customization
StackHawk allows for easy configuration as code and can run in any CI/CD environment, CLI, or even on every pull request. Custom scripts and data can be utilized to tailor the security testing to specific needs. This flexibility ensures that security testing is integrated smoothly into existing development workflows.
Conclusion
In summary, StackHawk leverages AI, particularly through its HawkAI feature, to enhance API discovery and security testing. It automates security testing, provides detailed vulnerability insights, and integrates seamlessly with various development tools to streamline security processes and ensure comprehensive API coverage.
StackHawk - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
StackHawk is designed to integrate seamlessly into the development workflow, which is a significant performance advantage. Here are a few aspects that highlight its performance:Integration with CI/CD Pipelines
StackHawk can be easily integrated into various CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, CircleCI, and Azure DevOps. This allows for automated security testing as part of the regular development cycle, ensuring that security checks do not slow down the development process.Customizable Scans
Developers can customize scans using different flags and config tweaks to make the scanning process faster and more targeted. This includes configuring authentication, scanning specific technologies, and reading OpenAPI specifications to ensure the scan runs quickly and effectively.Optimized Scanning
StackHawk is optimized for fast scanning within CI/CD workflows, which helps in maintaining the speed of the development cycle. It does not require infrastructure configuration, making it easier to set up and run scans.Accuracy
In terms of accuracy, StackHawk has several features that contribute to its effectiveness:Comprehensive API Testing
StackHawk supports exhaustive testing of REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and gRPC APIs. It utilizes existing test data to match endpoints, ensuring accurate testing of the application’s API landscape.Authenticated Scanning
StackHawk supports authenticated scanning using various mechanisms such as API keys, OAuth, JWT, and session-based authentication. This ensures that the scans are accurate and relevant to the application’s security context.Custom Test Scripts
Developers can create custom test scripts to cover specific scenarios for their application, which helps in identifying vulnerabilities that might be missed by standard tests.Limitations and Areas for Improvement
Despite its strengths, StackHawk has some limitations and areas where it could improve:Reliance on ZAP and Limited Coverage
StackHawk relies on ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy), which might limit its coverage for certain types of vulnerabilities, particularly business logic vulnerabilities. It does not discover APIs outside of code repositories and lacks external API discovery capabilities.Manual Configuration for OpenAPI Specs
StackHawk requires manually provided API specifications (OpenAPI specs) to start scanning, which can be cumbersome for larger organizations or more complex applications.Prioritization Based on OWASP Risk Rating
StackHawk’s prioritization is based on the OWASP Risk Rating Methodology, which focuses on technical aspects of security issues but may not account for the specific business context or objectives of the application.Scalability for Large Enterprises
While suitable for small to mid-sized teams, larger enterprises might find StackHawk’s capabilities insufficient for their extensive or highly customized needs. In summary, StackHawk performs well in integrating security testing into the development workflow and offers accurate scanning capabilities, especially for APIs and web applications. However, it has some limitations, such as reliance on manual configurations and limited coverage for certain types of vulnerabilities, which could be areas for future improvement. StackHawk - Pricing and Plans
StackHawk Pricing Overview
StackHawk, an application security SaaS platform, offers a clear and structured pricing model to cater to the various needs of development teams. Here’s a breakdown of their pricing plans and the features associated with each:
Free Plan
The Free plan is an excellent starting point for small development teams or those just beginning with application security. Key features include:
- Unlimited scans for a single application
- Automation of scans within your CI/CD pipeline
- Full CI/CD integration capabilities
- Historical scan data
- Collaboration features to invite team members to the StackHawk account
Pro Plan
The Pro plan is suited for growing teams that require advanced security features. Here are the key highlights:
- Priced at $42 per contributor per month, with a minimum of five contributors
- Unlimited scans for all applications and APIs
- Full CI/CD integration and automation
- Ability to find, triage, and fix security issues within the developer ecosystem
- Annual savings of $84 compared to monthly pricing
Enterprise Plan
For large organizations with multiple teams and applications, the Enterprise plan is the most comprehensive option:
- Priced at $59 per contributor per month, with a minimum of five contributors (though typically suited for larger teams)
- Includes all features from the Pro plan
- Customized scanning with expanded coverage
- Policy management and role-based permissions
- Annual savings of $132 compared to monthly pricing
Custom Plan
For larger development teams or those with unique requirements, StackHawk offers custom plans with volume discounting. You can contact their sales team to discuss your specific needs and create a plan that fits your requirements.
Conclusion
In summary, StackHawk’s pricing structure is designed to be flexible and scalable, ensuring that whether you are a small startup or a large enterprise, there is a plan that can meet your application security needs.
StackHawk - Integration and Compatibility
StackHawk Overview
StackHawk, a dynamic application security testing (DAST) tool, is built to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of developer tools and workflows, ensuring compatibility across various platforms and devices.
Integration with Development Tools
StackHawk integrates with numerous industry-leading third-party technology providers to fit into existing development workflows. Here are some key integrations:
Project Management Tools
StackHawk can integrate with tools like Jira, Azure Boards, and GitHub to create tickets and manage scan findings directly within these platforms. This allows teams to track and prioritize security issues alongside other development tasks.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Pipelines
Integrations with Azure Pipelines, Jenkins, CircleCI, and other CI/CD tools enable teams to automate application security testing as part of their build and deployment processes. For example, the StackHawk Azure Extension allows you to add HawkScan tasks to your Azure Pipelines, ensuring security issues are identified and fixed before reaching production.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Tools
StackHawk can link findings between its DAST scans and SAST providers, such as GitHub CodeQL, to provide a comprehensive view of security vulnerabilities.
Notification and Logging Tools
Integrations with Slack, Datadog, and other notification tools trigger events when HawkScan is run, keeping teams informed about security findings in real-time.
Compatibility Across Platforms and Devices
Architectural Support
HawkScan supports both `amd64` and `arm64` architectures, making it compatible with a variety of devices, including Apple computers using the M1 CPU.
Deployment Flexibility
The scanner can run anywhere, whether on your laptop, a server, Kubernetes, or within your software delivery pipeline. This flexibility ensures that security testing can be integrated into various development environments.
Docker Container
HawkScan can be run as a Docker container, which is available on DockerHub and can be executed on different platforms with Docker installed.
Configuration and Management
Configuration File
HawkScan uses a YAML file (`stackhawk.yml`) to configure the scanner. This file can be set up to target specific applications and can include settings for authentication, GraphQL introspection, and OpenAPI specification reading.
Integration Management
All StackHawk integrations can be managed from the integrations tab on the StackHawk platform. Integrations can be removed or added as needed, and some may require additional steps on the integration provider’s side.
Authentication and Access
Authentication Methods
StackHawk integrations use various authentication methods, including OAuth 2.0, API keys, and temporary integration tokens, to ensure secure communication between StackHawk and third-party tools.
By integrating with a broad range of tools and supporting multiple platforms and architectures, StackHawk ensures that developers can seamlessly incorporate application security testing into their existing workflows.
StackHawk - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support
StackHawk prides itself on its customer-approved support team. Here are some key support features:Email, Chat & Slack Based Support
Users can reach out to the support team through email, chat, or Slack, ensuring multiple channels for communication.Dedicated Slack-based Support
For more personalized support, StackHawk provides dedicated Slack-based support, which is particularly useful for real-time assistance.Premier Zoom Support
For more in-depth issues or discussions, users can opt for Premier Zoom support, offering a more interactive and face-to-face support experience.Additional Resources
StackHawk provides a wealth of resources to help users get started and make the most out of their tools:Documentation
The StackHawk documentation is extensive and includes comprehensive guides and resources. Users can find detailed information on how to get started, configure the platform, and use various features such as the StackHawk CLI and integrations with other tools.Integrations
StackHawk integrates seamlessly with a wide range of development tools and workflows, including Atlassian tools, AWS, Microsoft, GitHub, Slack, and many more. These integrations help automate application and API security testing within existing development environments and pre-production workflows.Demos and Trials
Users can sign up for a free account to experience the platform firsthand. Additionally, StackHawk offers live demos where users can schedule time with experts to see the platform in action.Community and Guides
StackHawk provides various guides and resources to help users automate security testing in their CI/CD pipelines. The documentation includes step-by-step instructions on how to run scans, manage findings, and integrate with existing ticketing systems.Support Contact
If users need direct assistance, they can contact the support team through the StackHawk Help Center. This ensures that any questions or issues are addressed promptly. Overall, StackHawk’s support and resources are designed to be accessible, comprehensive, and supportive, helping developers to efficiently integrate and use their application and API security testing tools. StackHawk - Pros and Cons
Advantages
Developer-Friendly Integration
StackHawk is highly integrated with CI/CD pipelines, allowing developers to automate security checks within their existing workflows. It supports popular tools like GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, CircleCI, and Azure DevOps.
Automated Security Testing
StackHawk enables automated security testing for APIs and web applications, which can be run on every commit to ensure early detection of security bugs.
Custom Attack Templates
It offers custom attack templates that can be customized to fit specific security testing needs. Developers can write custom test scripts in JavaScript or Kotlin.
Scalable Pricing
StackHawk provides scalable pricing plans that are suitable for startups and growing teams, without requiring significant infrastructure investment.
OWASP Compliance
The tool prioritizes vulnerabilities using the OWASP Risk Rating Methodology, focusing on impact and exploitability, which helps in identifying critical security issues.
Free for Open-Source Projects
StackHawk is completely free to use when working on open-source projects, making it a valuable resource for developers in this space.
Disadvantages
Limited API Discovery
StackHawk discovers APIs only within code repositories and does not have external API discovery capabilities. It requires manual effort to upload and configure OpenAPI specifications, which can be challenging for larger organizations.
Reliance on ZAP
StackHawk is built on top of ZAP (former OWASP ZAP), which might limit its coverage for business logic vulnerabilities and other advanced security testing needs.
No Automatic Schema Generation
Unlike some competitors, StackHawk does not automatically generate or reconstruct OpenAPI schemas. Instead, it relies on manually provided API specifications.
Limited Remediation Guidance
While StackHawk provides detailed insights on vulnerabilities, it does not offer detailed remediation code snippets tailored to specific development frameworks. Developers need to manually adapt the remediation guidance.
No External API Scanning
StackHawk does not scan externally exposed APIs; it only scans APIs configured within the CI/CD pipeline. This can leave a significant portion of the attack surface untested.
Potential for False Positives
The tool may require manual tuning of test configurations to reduce false positives, which can be time-consuming.
Limited Kubernetes Security
StackHawk has limited capabilities for scanning APIs in Kubernetes environments and does not provide cluster-wide security insights.
Overall, StackHawk is a strong tool for integrating security testing into the development lifecycle, especially for teams already using CI/CD pipelines. However, it has some limitations, particularly in API discovery and the need for manual configuration of API specifications.
StackHawk - Comparison with Competitors
When Comparing StackHawk
When comparing StackHawk to other products in the dynamic application security testing (DAST) and API security categories, several key differences and unique features emerge.
StackHawk Unique Features
- Developer-Centric Approach: StackHawk is built with a focus on integrating security into the developer workflow, allowing developers to identify and fix vulnerabilities early in the development cycle. It integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines, enabling automated security testing with each code deployment.
- API Security: StackHawk provides best-in-class API security testing for REST, GraphQL, and SOAP APIs, making it particularly effective for microservices and API-backed applications.
- Integration with Engineering Tools: StackHawk integrates with popular engineering tools such as GitHub, Jira, Datadog, and Slack, making security testing a natural part of the developer workflow.
Alternatives and Competitors
Rapid7 InsightAppSec
- Traditional Security Teams: Rapid7 is more suited for traditional security teams that prefer to review and manage vulnerabilities through a more manual process, often using ticketing systems like Jira. It is less focused on developer-centric workflows compared to StackHawk.
- Periodic Scans: Rapid7 is better for teams that are content with periodic scans of production applications rather than continuous integration and automated testing.
ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy)
- Open-Source and Industry Standard: ZAP is an open-source tool and an industry standard for DAST, but it lacks the automation and scaling capabilities that StackHawk offers. StackHawk is built on top of ZAP but adds significant value through its automation and integration features.
- Manual vs Automated: ZAP requires more manual effort and is not as integrated into CI/CD pipelines as StackHawk.
Akto API
- Real-Time Threat Detection: Akto API focuses on real-time API monitoring and vulnerability detection, integrating well with CI/CD workflows. However, it is limited to API security and does not cover broader application security flaws.
- Ease of Setup: Akto API is known for its quick setup and minimal integration time, making it a good choice for organizations needing rapid deployment of API security solutions.
Other Competitors
- Other tools like Qualys, Veracode, and Burp Suite also offer DAST capabilities but may vary in their integration with developer workflows and CI/CD pipelines. For example, Qualys and Veracode provide comprehensive security suites but might not be as developer-centric as StackHawk. Burp Suite, like ZAP, is a powerful tool but requires more manual effort and may not integrate as seamlessly into automated development workflows.
Conclusion
StackHawk stands out for its strong focus on integrating security into the developer workflow, particularly for cloud-native companies and those committed to digital transformation. Its ability to automate security testing within CI/CD pipelines and provide deep API security testing makes it a compelling choice for teams that prioritize speed and security.
However, depending on the specific needs of an organization, alternatives like Rapid7 might be more suitable for traditional security teams, ZAP for those who prefer an open-source solution, and Akto API for real-time API security monitoring. Each tool has its unique strengths and weaknesses, and the choice ultimately depends on the organization’s specific requirements and workflows.
StackHawk - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about StackHawk
What is StackHawk and what does it do?
StackHawk is a platform that enables development teams to automate application security testing within their local development and pre-production workflows. It focuses on dynamic application security testing (DAST) and integrates with static application security testing (SAST) to help teams identify and fix security vulnerabilities early in the software delivery lifecycle.How does StackHawk integrate with CI/CD workflows?
StackHawk is built to integrate seamlessly with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) workflows. It allows automated security testing to be part of everyday software testing, ensuring that security bugs are identified and fixed before code is released to production. This integration supports tools like GitHub, JIRA, AzureDevOps, and more.What types of APIs does StackHawk support?
StackHawk provides customized API security testing that covers a wide range of API types, including REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and SOAP APIs. This ensures complete and accurate coverage across various API technologies.How does StackHawk help in triaging and fixing security issues?
StackHawk helps teams focus and fix the most critical vulnerabilities by categorizing findings based on their severity and impact. It reduces noise by identifying and prioritizing actionable insights, and it provides detailed fix guidance and validation. This allows developers to take action on findings without extensive research, streamlining the process of fixing security bugs.Can StackHawk be used locally by developers?
Yes, StackHawk allows developers to test locally and continuously within CI/CD workflows. Developers can run scans locally to check changes, and the platform supports running scans in the CLI and as part of pull requests, ensuring security testing is part of the developer’s native workflow.How does the integration with Snyk work?
StackHawk’s integration with Snyk combines the power of DAST and SAST to quickly identify and fix high-priority, exploitable security issues. This integration eliminates the need for manual correlation across tools, providing a comprehensive view of application and API security issues in a single place. It helps developers identify where issues exist in the codebase down to a single line of code, saving time and keeping developers focused on software delivery.What are the pricing plans for StackHawk?
StackHawk offers two primary pricing plans: the Pro Plan and the Enterprise Plan. The Pro Plan is $42 per code contributor per month (with a minimum of five contributors) and includes unlimited scans, API support, and CI/CD tool integration. The Enterprise Plan is $59 per code contributor per month (minimum of 20 contributors) and includes all Pro features plus customized scanning, expanded coverage, policy management, and role-based permissions. Both plans offer a free trial, and custom pricing is available for larger teams.Which tools and platforms does StackHawk integrate with?
StackHawk integrates with a variety of popular developer tools and platforms, including version control systems like GitHub and GitLab, project management tools like Jira, continuous integration tools like CircleCI, and communication tools like Slack. This enhances its usability and efficiency within existing developer workflows.How does StackHawk help in managing risk?
StackHawk streamlines results in real-time for faster alerts and fixes, helping teams manage the risk of unknown vulnerabilities. It allows for the prioritization of findings based on severity and impact, and it provides detailed information to help developers investigate and fix security issues efficiently.Can I get a free trial or demo of StackHawk?
Yes, StackHawk offers a free trial for both its Pro and Enterprise plans. Additionally, you can schedule a live demo with their experts to see the platform in action and understand how it can benefit your team.