An alternative to unauthenticated scanners
An alternative to unauthenticated scanners: a local, on-prem alternative for Azerbaijani business — see how Argus Pentest compares.
Advanced Authenticated Security Scanning
Generic unauthenticated scanners frequently encounter an 'auth wall,' stopping at the login page and leaving the internal logic of an application untested. Argus solves this by providing a self-hosted, authenticated dynamic security scanning solution specifically designed for enterprise web applications and their APIs. By leveraging scripted logins to obtain session cookies and bearer tokens, the scanner operates as a legitimate logged-in user, allowing it to penetrate the authenticated surface and identify critical vulnerabilities that surface-level tools typically miss. As one of the three core engines of the Argus AI testing platform, this security scanner is deployed alongside the QA and AI engines under a single console and sign-in. This integrated architecture allows the scanner to share a secure, encrypted credential store and unified model settings. By synthesizing API specifications from endpoints discovered during the login and crawl process, Argus ensures that security testing is comprehensive, reaching the deep functional layers of the application rather than merely scanning the public perimeter.
The Advantages of Authenticated Scanning
Deep Surface Access: Reaches protected endpoints and internal application logic instead of stopping at the login page.
Reduced Noise: Eliminates false positives caused by repeated authentication error responses that mislead standard scanners.
Complete Data Sovereignty: Self-hosted infrastructure ensures scan data, credentials, and reports never leave your own environment.
Unified Credential Management: Seamlessly integrates with a shared encrypted store for secure, automated authentication.
High-Fidelity Reporting: Distinguishes between environment failures and actual security findings to ensure honest results.
Verified Findings: Every vulnerability is re-checked against the live target to ensure evidence exists before it is counted.
Core Technical Capabilities
Authenticated Depth
Uses scripted logins to obtain session cookies and bearer tokens, allowing the scanner to operate as a legitimate user.
Synthesized API Discovery
Endpoints discovered during login and crawling seed a synthesized API spec to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Strict Target Control
Scans run exclusively against an explicit allow-list of approved targets to ensure security and compliance.
AI-Driven Payloads
Utilizes AI models specifically for payload generation and finding triage through a text-in, text-out process.
Modular Engine Architecture
Powered by the Deep Eye open-source engine via CLI, allowing for upgrades or replacement without platform disruption.
The Scanning Workflow
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this differ from standard unauthenticated scanners?
Standard scanners often hit an 'auth wall' and report the application as clean or generate errors. Argus authenticates as a user to scan the internal logic and protected endpoints of the application.
Where is my scan data stored?
The platform is self-hosted, meaning all scan data, credentials, and reports remain on your own infrastructure with no external SaaS dependency.
How are false positives and 'ghost' findings handled?
Every finding is re-verified against the live target. If a finding cannot be reproduced—due to an unreachable endpoint or uniform response—it is quarantined and excluded from severity totals.
What happens if the scanner cannot log in to a protected target?
If a target is marked as requiring a login but the scanner cannot authenticate, the scan is refused and marked as an environment failure or inconclusive, rather than being reported as a clean scan.
How is AI utilized within the scanning process?
The AI model is used exclusively for payload generation and finding triage. It operates on a 'text in, text out' basis and does not utilize vision capabilities.
Secure Your Authenticated Surface
Move beyond the login page with Argus's self-hosted security scanning. Contact us to learn more about our AI testing platform.
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