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 This release comes at a time when hackers are launching more aggressive attacks onweb applications. Some hackers have successfully compromised the websites of largecompanies such as Microsoft and Paypal and even accessed very personal and highlysensitive data of thousands of victims through government websites. says NickGalea, CEO of Acunetix.Â
Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner provides protection by automatically auditing thesecurity of websites. The software crawls an entire website, launches several webattacks (SQL Injection, Cross Site Scripting, Google hacking, etc.) and identifiesvulnerabilities that need to be fixed, while proposing recommendations.
Web Applications: a hackerÂ's backdoor entry to sensitive information
"Increasingly, businesses are becoming aware of the importance of securing websitesto prevent hackers from gaining access to sensitive customer data, through poorlydesigned web applications. These web applications are prone to attack because theyare accessible 24x7 and receive/deliver content directly from databases containingthe data, reports Galea.  Standard network security provides no protection againstweb application attacks since these are launched on port 80 which has to remain opento allow regular operation of the business, he adds.
Chinks in the Armour
78% of financial services institutions (including banks, insurers and investmentprofessionals) were attacked by hackers in the past year, according to Deloitte'sannual 2006 Global Security Survey. This is in stark contrast with only 26% reportedin 2005. * In June this year, an unknown number of PayPal users were tricked into giving awaysocial security numbers, credit card details and other highly sensitive personalinformation. Hackers deceived their victims by injecting and running malicious codeon the genuine PayPal website by using the Cross Site Scripting technique.* Security researcher, Yash Kadakia, announced that Cross Site Scripting and CRLF(Carriage Return Line Feed) injection vulnerabilities found in MSN and Amazon sitescould be used by hackers to gain access to Amazon.com and MSN accounts, or todisplay a fake login page for use in phishing attacks.
 The dramatic rise in web application hacks is denting online purchasing confidenceand causing irreversible damage to businesses, remarks Galea.  That is why we areoffering free security audits to any business with an online presence.Â
Acunetix WVS: New Features
The new Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner broadens the scope of vulnerabilityscanning by introducing advanced and highly rigorous heuristic technologies totackle the complexities of today's web-based environments.
Javascript / AJAX application security scanning
Version 4 now adds the ability to check AJAX applications for securityvulnerabilities. AJAX applications offer tremendous possibilities for extending theuse of web applications, however they also require more stringent security checks.Acunetix WVS 4 now includes the industryÂ's most advanced JavaScript analyzer to helpcompanies keep their AJAX applications secure.
Other new new features include: Command Line Support, URL Rewrites, Custom CookiesSupport and Enhanced Search, Scheduling, Logging and Reporting
Acunetix provides free audit to help companies determine the security of their websites
Enterprises who would like to have their website security checked can register for afree audit by visiting www.acunetix.com/security-audi t. Participating enterpriseswill receive a summary audit report showing whether their website is secure or not.Summary reports will be delivered within five business days of submission.
Pricing & Availability
Acunetix WVS is available as an enterprise or as a consultant version. A perpetuallicense to scan 1 website can be purchased for as little as $1,495, whereas aperpetual license to scan an unlimited amount of websites costs $4,995. For moreinformation visit: http://www.acunetix.com/orderi ng/pricing.htm.
About Acunetix
Acunetix was founded to combat the alarming rise in web attacks. Its flagshipproduct, Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner, is the result of several years ofdevelopment by a team of highly experienced security developers. Acunetix is aprivately held company with headquarters based in Europe (Malta), a US office inSeattle, Washington and an office in London, UK. For more information aboutAcunetix, visit: http://www.acunetix.com; http://www.acunetix.de.
All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
