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Welcome
Welcome to the documentation for HCL AppScan® Standard version 9.0.3.14
A product overview, summary of what's new in this version and contact information.
Product overview
What's new
This section describes new product features and enhancements in this release, as well as deprecations and anticipated changes, where relevant.
Contact info
Installation and license procedures.
System requirements
A summary of the minimum hardware and software required for the machine that runs AppScan® Standard.
Install
The installation wizard guides you through the fast and simple process.
License
This section describes license installation and management.
Updates
Keeping your installation up-to-date.
Temp file location
Describes where AppScan® saves its temporary files during normal operation, and how to change the location.
This section provides a short tour of basic product features and procedures, including using the wizard to set up a scan.
How an automatic scan works
This topic explains the difference between the "stages" and "phases" of a scan.
Web applications vs. web services
This topic explains the different methods available for exploring sites, before AppScan tests them.
Basic workflow
A diagram showing a simple AppScan® workflow using the scan configuration wizard.
Tour of the main window
Describes the components of the AppScan® main window, and all menus and toolbars.
Welcome screen
Describes the options available from the Welcome Screen that opens when you load AppScan®.
Tutorial
This simple tutorial goes through the steps of configuring a simple application scan using the Scan Configuration wizard, running the scan, and reviewing the results.
Sample scans
The sample scans can help give you a feel for using AppScan and what scan results look like.
You configure a scan by choosing settings that best describe your application, and the kind of testing you want.
Scan Configuration Wizards
You can quickly configure basic scans using the wizards.
Scan Configuration Dialog Box
Scan file structure
Explains the basic structure of an AppScan Standard SCAN file.
Scan templates
A scan template is simply a scan configuration that has been saved so that you can use it again.
Changing the configuration during a scan
This section deals with ways in which you can manually explore your application or services before starting the Test stage of the scan, or before starting an automatic scan (that includes both automatic Explore and Test stages).
Using AppScan
Manual exploring enables you to explore specific parts of your application, filling in fields and forms as you go. This can be a way of ensuring that particular areas of the site are covered, and that AppScan has the information needed to complete forms correctly.
Using AppScan as recording proxy
You can use AppScan's External Traffic Recorder as a recording proxy, and manually explore RESTful or other non-SOAP web services - or SOAP services that do not require security envelopes - using a mobile phone, simulator, or emulator. AppScan® displays the domains and requests in its External Traffic Recorder, and create appropriate tests from the input.
Using GSC
Generic Service Client (GSC) uses your web service's WSDL file to display a simple interface showing the services available, and lets you enter parameters and view the results. Use the GSC interface to explore your web service manually, so that AppScan® can use your input to create appropriate tests.
Learn how to start a scan, and what happens during the scan; how to manually manipulate the Explore stage, and how to export the results of a scan.
AppScan® offers three ways of viewing and working with scan results: Application Data, Security Issues, and Remediation Tasks. This section describes Application Data View.
AppScan® offers three ways of viewing and working with scan results: Security Issues, Remediation Tasks, and Application Data. This section deals with Security Issues View.
AppScan® offers three ways of viewing and working with scan results: Security Issues, Remediation Tasks, and Application Data. This section deals with Remediation Tasks view.
This section describes how to generate reports from the scan results.
Report overview
Security reports
The Security report provides information about security issues discovered, and you can choose from a variety of templates depending on the type of content you need.
Industry Standard and Compliance reports
Industry Standards reports let you know if your application complies with standards of a selected industry committee; Regulatory Compliance reports let you know if your application complies with specific regulations or legal standards.
Delta Analysis reports
The Delta Analysis report compares two sets of scan results and shows the difference in URLs and/or security issues that were discovered in them.
Template-based reports
The Template Based tab of the Create Report dialog box enables you to create reports in Microsoft® Word DOC and DOCX formats, with exactly the data you want, and the document formatting you define.
This section explains how to use additional tools provided with HCL AppScan® Standard.
Options dialog box
This section describes options you can control, to customize AppScan®, from the Options dialog box (Tools > Options).
Web Services Wizard extension
This extension lets you scan using Open API description files. It is available from Tools > Extensions > Web Services Wizard (Open API), and the extension is enabled by default.
Scan Scheduler
User-Defined Tests
PowerTools
AppScan® offers access to five utilities (PowerTools), each providing a specific feature to help you manage your application security or to help you use AppScan.
Generic Service Client (GSC)
Generic Service Client (GSC) provides a simple interface that displays the services available, and lets you input parameters and view the results. Use it to explore your SOAP web service manually, so that AppScan® can use your input to create appropriate tests.
Customizing the Tools menu
Extensions
Logs
Logs can help you troubleshooting.
Searching Results
You can filter the Result List in any of the views, for specific data.
This section describes integrations of other applications with AppScan® Standard.
AppScan® Enterprise
This section describes ways AppScan® Standard and Enterprise editions can interact.
Automation Frameworks
You can use scripts written for your QA automation framework (such as Selenium) to create Manual Explore recordings for an AppScan scan.
AppScan on Cloud®
This section describes ways AppScan® Standard can interact with HCL AppScan on Cloud, to scan apps on the cloud.
This section contains some best practices and use cases for advanced users, and some frequently asked questions.
Workflow for advanced users
This workflow can help users with experience in the field of web security achieve a more thorough scan.
Sites that use parameter-based navigation
Sites in which all pages are reached using a single URL, need a specific scan configuration.
Scanning live production environments
The following risks and suggestions should be considered before scanning a live site with AppScan®.
Understanding Test Optimization
This section describes how Test Optimization works and how best to incorporate it into your development lifecycle.
Flash content
This section contains suggestions for scanning Adobe® Flash content.
General FAQ
This topic addresses general application questions.
Troubleshooting features
License troubleshooting
Insufficient disk space
Digital signature troubleshooting
Importing a legacy scan template
How to import the scan template from a scan saved in a version of AppScan® earlier than 8.6.
Reporting false positive results
Extended Support Mode
Extended Support Mode logs all AppScan® activity, for packing and sending to your support provider to help troubleshooting a problematic procedure.
Changing the default browser
You can configure AppScan to use a browser other than its built-in browser.
Login troubleshooting
Tips for troubleshooting session detection problems in Scan Configuration > Login Management view.
Long or never-ending Explore stage
For some types of site the Explore stage may take a long time or never end.
Flash movie troubleshooting
This section offers suggestions for troubleshooting the Flash scanning feature.
Multi-step operation troubleshooting
Some suggestions for troubleshooting action-based multi-step operations.
Replacing unsigned extensions
If you want to use an unsigned extension that you used with a previous version of AppScan®, you can either elect to trust it, or see if a signed version is available to replace it with.
Scan Log messages
The following sections include explanations of Scan Log messages (View > Scan Log).
AppScan® Log messages
The following sections include explanations of AppScan® Log messages. (Help > AppScan Log)
Flash Log messages
The following table describes using the Flash Log for troubleshooting.
This section describes the syntax and options available using the Command line interface.
This section summarizes the main menus and toolbars.
File menu
Used for creating, opening, and saving scans.
Edit menu
Used for customizing scan results.
View menu
Used to determine how the main window appears and what data is displayed.
Scan menu
Used to control the scan.
Tools menu
Provides various reporting and customization tools, including the HCL PowerTools.
Help menu
Used for accessing documentation, getting support help, and getting a new license.
Main toolbar
Browser toolbar
The icons on the toolbar of the embedded AppScan® browser, used to display and save screenshots of application responses.
Keyboard shortcuts
Accessibility controls
Describes all keyboard shortcuts and controls.
Glossary
This glossary explains terms and acronyms used in the AppScan® Standard user interface and documentation.
Notices