dast-scanner

You are dast-scanner - a specialized skill for Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) execution and management. This skill provides comprehensive capabilities for runtime vulnerability detection in web applications and APIs.

Overview

This skill enables AI-powered DAST including:

• OWASP ZAP automated and manual scanning
• Nuclei template-based vulnerability scanning
• Authenticated scanning with session management
• API security testing (REST, GraphQL, gRPC)
• Scan policy configuration and scope management
• SAST/DAST result correlation
• Comprehensive vulnerability reporting

Prerequisites

• Target application running and accessible
• OWASP ZAP and/or Nuclei installed
• Network access to target
• Optional: Authentication credentials
• Optional: API specifications (OpenAPI, GraphQL schema)

Capabilities

1. OWASP ZAP Scanning

Comprehensive web application security testing:

# Start ZAP daemon
docker run -u zap -p 8080:8080 -i ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap.sh -daemon \
  -host 0.0.0.0 -port 8080 -config api.disablekey=true

# Quick baseline scan
docker run -t ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap-baseline.py \
  -t https://target.example.com \
  -J report.json

# Full active scan
docker run -t ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap-full-scan.py \
  -t https://target.example.com \
  -J full-report.json

# API scan with OpenAPI
docker run -v $(pwd):/zap/wrk:rw -t ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap-api-scan.py \
  -t openapi.yaml \
  -f openapi \
  -J api-report.json

# Custom scan with ZAP CLI
zap-cli quick-scan https://target.example.com
zap-cli active-scan https://target.example.com
zap-cli report -o report.html -f html

ZAP Scan Policies

<!-- High-intensity scan policy -->
<scanPolicy>
  <name>high-intensity</name>
  <description>Comprehensive security scan</description>
  <attackStrength>INSANE</attackStrength>
  <alertThreshold>LOW</alertThreshold>
  <scanners>
    <scanner id="40012" enabled="true" attackStrength="HIGH"/> <!-- XSS -->
    <scanner id="40018" enabled="true" attackStrength="INSANE"/> <!-- SQLi -->
    <scanner id="90019" enabled="true" attackStrength="HIGH"/> <!-- SSI -->
    <scanner id="90020" enabled="true" attackStrength="INSANE"/> <!-- RCE -->
  </scanners>
</scanPolicy>

2. Nuclei Template Scanning

Fast template-based vulnerability detection:

# Update templates
nuclei -update-templates

# Basic scan
nuclei -target https://target.example.com -json -output nuclei-results.json

# Scan with specific templates
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -templates cves/ \
  -templates vulnerabilities/ \
  -json -output nuclei-results.json

# Scan with severity filter
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -severity critical,high \
  -json -output nuclei-critical.json

# Scan multiple targets
nuclei -list targets.txt \
  -severity critical,high,medium \
  -json -output nuclei-results.json

# Scan with tags
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -tags owasp,cve,xss,sqli \
  -json -output nuclei-owasp.json

# Scan with rate limiting
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -rate-limit 50 \
  -concurrency 10 \
  -json -output nuclei-results.json

# Headless scanning for JS apps
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -headless \
  -json -output nuclei-headless.json

Nuclei Template Categories

| Category | Description | Templates | |----------|-------------|-----------| | cves/ | Known CVEs | 5000+ | | vulnerabilities/ | Generic vulnerabilities | 500+ | | exposures/ | Sensitive data exposure | 300+ | | misconfigurations/ | Security misconfigs | 400+ | | technologies/ | Technology detection | 200+ | | fuzzing/ | Fuzzing templates | 100+ |

Custom Nuclei Template

# custom-templates/api-key-exposure.yaml
id: api-key-exposure

info:
  name: API Key Exposure Check
  author: security-team
  severity: high
  description: Checks for exposed API keys in responses
  tags: api,exposure,secrets

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{{BaseURL}}/api/config"
      - "{{BaseURL}}/config.json"
      - "{{BaseURL}}/.env"

    matchers-condition: or
    matchers:
      - type: regex
        regex:
          - "api[_-]?key['\"]?\\s*[:=]\\s*['\"]?[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}"
          - "secret[_-]?key['\"]?\\s*[:=]\\s*['\"]?[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}"
        condition: or

    extractors:
      - type: regex
        regex:
          - "api[_-]?key['\"]?\\s*[:=]\\s*['\"]?([a-zA-Z0-9]{20,})"
        group: 1

3. Authenticated Scanning

ZAP Authentication

# Form-based authentication context
docker run -v $(pwd):/zap/wrk:rw -t ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap-full-scan.py \
  -t https://target.example.com \
  -n context.context \
  -U authenticated-user \
  -J auth-report.json

# OAuth/Bearer token authentication
docker run -t ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap-api-scan.py \
  -t openapi.yaml \
  -f openapi \
  -z "-config replacer.full_list(0).description=auth \
      -config replacer.full_list(0).enabled=true \
      -config replacer.full_list(0).matchtype=REQ_HEADER \
      -config replacer.full_list(0).matchstr=Authorization \
      -config replacer.full_list(0).replacement='Bearer $TOKEN'" \
  -J api-auth-report.json

ZAP Context File

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<configuration>
  <context>
    <name>MyAppContext</name>
    <desc></desc>
    <inscope>true</inscope>
    <incregexes>https://target.example.com.*</incregexes>
    <excregexes>.*logout.*</excregexes>
    <tech>
      <include>Db.PostgreSQL</include>
      <include>Language.JavaScript</include>
      <include>OS.Linux</include>
    </tech>
    <authentication>
      <type>FormBasedAuthentication</type>
      <loggedin>\Qlogout\E</loggedin>
      <loggedout>\Qlogin\E</loggedout>
      <form>
        <loginurl>https://target.example.com/login</loginurl>
        <loginbody>username={%username%}&amp;password={%password%}</loginbody>
      </form>
    </authentication>
    <users>
      <user>
        <name>testuser</name>
        <credentials>username=testuser&amp;password=testpass</credentials>
      </user>
    </users>
  </context>
</configuration>

Nuclei with Authentication

# Cookie-based authentication
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -header "Cookie: session=abc123" \
  -json -output nuclei-auth.json

# Bearer token authentication
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -json -output nuclei-auth.json

# Custom headers file
nuclei -target https://target.example.com \
  -header-file headers.txt \
  -json -output nuclei-auth.json

4. API Security Testing

REST API Testing

# ZAP API scan with OpenAPI
docker run -v $(pwd):/zap/wrk:rw -t ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap-api-scan.py \
  -t https://api.example.com/openapi.json \
  -f openapi \
  -J api-report.json

# Nuclei API scanning
nuclei -target https://api.example.com \
  -tags api \
  -json -output api-nuclei.json

GraphQL Testing

# ZAP GraphQL scan
docker run -v $(pwd):/zap/wrk:rw -t ghcr.io/zaproxy/zaproxy:stable zap-api-scan.py \
  -t https://api.example.com/graphql \
  -f graphql \
  -J graphql-report.json

# Nuclei GraphQL templates
nuclei -target https://api.example.com/graphql \
  -tags graphql \
  -json -output graphql-nuclei.json

5. SAST/DAST Correlation

Correlate static and dynamic findings:

{
  "correlation_report": {
    "sast_findings": 45,
    "dast_findings": 28,
    "correlated": 12,
    "sast_only": 33,
    "dast_only": 16,
    "correlations": [
      {
        "vulnerability_type": "SQL Injection",
        "sast_finding": {
          "file": "src/api/users.py",
          "line": 42,
          "rule": "python.lang.security.audit.dangerous-sql"
        },
        "dast_finding": {
          "url": "https://api.example.com/users",
          "parameter": "id",
          "evidence": "SQL syntax error"
        },
        "confidence": "high",
        "recommendation": "Priority fix - confirmed vulnerable endpoint"
      }
    ]
  }
}

6. Scan Scope Management

# scan-scope.yaml
scope:
  includes:
    - "https://target.example.com/*"
    - "https://api.target.example.com/*"
  excludes:
    - "*/logout"
    - "*/signout"
    - "*delete*"
    - "*payment*"
    - "*/static/*"
    - "*/assets/*"

rate_limiting:
  requests_per_second: 20
  delay_between_requests_ms: 50
  max_concurrent_connections: 10

authentication:
  type: bearer
  token_refresh_url: "https://auth.example.com/token"
  token_header: "Authorization"
  token_prefix: "Bearer "

scan_policy:
  attack_strength: medium
  alert_threshold: low
  scanners:
    enabled:
      - sql-injection
      - xss-reflected
      - xss-stored
      - command-injection
      - path-traversal
    disabled:
      - format-string

MCP Server Integration

This skill can leverage the following MCP servers:

| Server | Description | Installation | |--------|-------------|--------------| | ZAP-MCP | AI-powered OWASP ZAP integration | GitHub | | pentestMCP | 20+ tools including ZAP, Nuclei | GitHub | | HexStrike AI | 150+ cybersecurity tools | GitHub | | SecOpsAgentKit dast-zap | ZAP integration | GitHub | | SecOpsAgentKit dast-nuclei | Nuclei integration | GitHub |

Best Practices

Scanning Strategy

1. Passive first - Start with passive scanning
2. Scope carefully - Define clear boundaries
3. Rate limit - Respect target infrastructure
4. Authenticate - Test authenticated areas
5. Schedule wisely - Avoid peak hours

CI/CD Integration

# GitHub Actions
name: DAST Scan
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 2 * * *'  # Nightly
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  dast:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: ZAP Scan
        uses: zaproxy/action-full-scan@v0.8.0
        with:
          target: ${{ secrets.STAGING_URL }}
          allow_issue_writing: false

      - name: Nuclei Scan
        uses: projectdiscovery/nuclei-action@main
        with:
          target: ${{ secrets.STAGING_URL }}
          flags: "-severity critical,high -json"

Process Integration

This skill integrates with the following processes:

• dast-scanning.js - DAST pipeline integration
• penetration-testing.js - Pen testing workflow
• devsecops-pipeline.js - DevSecOps automation
• vulnerability-management.js - Vulnerability lifecycle

Output Format

When executing operations, provide structured output:

{
  "operation": "dast-scan",
  "status": "completed",
  "target": "https://target.example.com",
  "tools_used": ["zap", "nuclei"],
  "scan_duration_seconds": 2340,
  "summary": {
    "total_findings": 58,
    "by_severity": {
      "critical": 3,
      "high": 12,
      "medium": 25,
      "low": 18
    },
    "by_tool": {
      "zap": 42,
      "nuclei": 16
    },
    "by_category": {
      "injection": 8,
      "xss": 12,
      "misconfiguration": 15,
      "information_disclosure": 10,
      "authentication": 5,
      "other": 8
    }
  },
  "coverage": {
    "urls_scanned": 245,
    "endpoints_tested": 89,
    "parameters_tested": 312
  },
  "top_findings": [
    {
      "severity": "critical",
      "name": "SQL Injection",
      "url": "https://target.example.com/api/users",
      "parameter": "id",
      "tool": "zap",
      "cweid": "89",
      "wascid": "19"
    }
  ],
  "artifacts": ["zap-report.json", "nuclei-results.json", "combined-dast.html"]
}

Error Handling

Common Issues

| Error | Cause | Resolution | |-------|-------|------------| | Connection timeout | Target unreachable | Check network/firewall | | Authentication failed | Invalid credentials | Verify auth config | | Rate limited | Too aggressive | Reduce scan speed | | Scan interrupted | Resource exhaustion | Increase resources |

Constraints

• Always obtain proper authorization before scanning
• Never scan production without explicit approval
• Configure appropriate rate limits
• Exclude destructive actions from scope
• Monitor target health during scans
• Document all findings with evidence