Vulnerability Scanning

Job requirements that include vulnerability scanning expect PHP developers to have hands-on experience using automated tools to detect security weaknesses in code, dependencies, and running applications. This is a fundamental activity within a modern, security-conscious development team, often integrated directly into CI/CD pipelines.

Practical Application for PHP Developers

In a typical workflow, a developer might configure and run vulnerability scanning tools against their PHP project. This can involve static analysis (SAST) that inspects the source code for potential flaws or dynamic analysis (DAST) that probes the live application for security holes. The goal is to catch vulnerabilities early in the development process, reducing the cost and risk associated with fixing them later.

Common Tools and Targets

PHP developers use a variety of tools to scan for different types of issues:

• Dependency Scanning: Tools like Snyk or Dependabot scan composer.lock files for packages with known vulnerabilities.
• Code Scanning: Static analysis tools can identify patterns indicative of SQL injection, XSS, and other code-level bugs.
• Web Application Scanning: Tools like OWASP ZAP or Nikto scan the deployed application for misconfigurations, exposed endpoints, and other runtime vulnerabilities.