False Positives in Web Application Security and How to Handle Them
Last updated: November 03, 2025 Read in fullscreen view
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The term “false positive” refers to a false alarm, similar to your home alarm going off when there’s no intruder. In web application security, a false positive occurs when a web application security scanner detects a vulnerability on your website—such as an SQL Injection—but in reality, no such issue exists.
Web security experts and penetration testers (PenTesters) use automated web application security scanners to streamline the penetration testing process, ensuring that all attack surfaces of a web application are checked quickly and correctly. However, as noted above, automated tools can also cause certain issues.
Web Application Security Becomes Unaffordable Due to False Positives
Web application security scanners are known to generate false positives. As a result, web application penetration tests can become very time-consuming because PenTesters must manually verify all reported vulnerabilities by attempting to exploit them. Due to this lengthy process, many businesses cannot afford comprehensive web security. However, cost is not the only problem caused by false positives.
Ignoring Real Web Security Vulnerabilities
It is human nature to quickly disregard errors that appear insignificant. PenTesters may do the same during a web application penetration test. For example, if a web security scanner detects 200 cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities and the first 20 variants are false positives, a PenTester might assume that all remaining variants are also false positives and ignore them. Consequently, actual web application vulnerabilities may go undetected.
Lack of Knowledge Leads to Many False Positives in Scan Reports
When a PenTester must manually verify the scanner’s findings, the quality of the results depends largely on the tester’s knowledge rather than the capabilities of the web application security scanner. A tester’s expertise is usually measured by years of in-depth study and experience. As we have seen, since PenTesters often do not fully trust automated scanners, they verify every web vulnerability reported by the tool.
If a user lacks the knowledge or experience to exploit a specific web application vulnerability detected by the scanner, that vulnerability is considered a false positive and may never be fixed.
Web Application Security Scanners vs. PenTesters
Business owners and security managers often face a dilemma: should they invest in a web application security scanner that can be used by their own staff, or hire a professional PenTester? And if they invest in a scanner, do they have employees qualified to verify the results?
It is important to note that a web application security scanner can never fully replace a PenTester, but PenTesters alone cannot achieve the speed and efficiency of automated tools. In a web penetration test, both software and human expertise are essential. Through automation and modern technology, much of the process can be automated, reducing the need for human intervention in PenTesting.
Proof-Based Scanning Technology
The most effective and cost-efficient solution is a web application security scanner with Proof-Based Scanning technology. This type of scanner can automatically verify its findings by exploiting identified vulnerabilities and providing proof of exploitation to the user. Such scanners offer multiple benefits: security testing takes much less time, and staff do not need extensive hacking experience to verify results.
Netsparker was the first web application security scanner on the market with this exploitation capability. Additionally, the exploitation is safe and read-only, so there is no risk of data loss or disruption to website services. With this type of automated, self-verifying technology, businesses can reduce web security program costs while improving the security of all their web assets.
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