Sitemap-Based Web Vulnerability Scanning for Update Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing web scanners are inefficient as they cannot crawl through the entire web application due to content and format limitations, fail to access source code, and thus miss detecting vulnerabilities when web applications are updated.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a web scanner apparatus that receives a sitemap document from an application security manager apparatus, scans it for vulnerabilities, and provides a report on identified vulnerabilities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If prior web scanners crawl through the entire web application to detect vulnerabilities, then comprehensive vulnerability detection is achieved, but scanning efficiency deteriorates due to content size and format limitations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevulnerability detection completenessVSAvoidscanning efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the web application into two distinct components: the sitemap document (XML structure containing URLs and metadata) and the actual web page content. The web scanner is configured to scan only the sitemap document rather than crawling through entire web pages, thereby achieving efficient vulnerability detection while maintaining reliability through systematic coverage of all application endpoints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If prior web scanners continuously scan web pages to detect updates, then updated vulnerabilities are detected, but resource waste increases by re-scanning unchanged pages

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupdated vulnerability detectionVSAvoidredundant scanning resources

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by having the application security manager apparatus generate and provide sitemap documents that contain information about web application updates before the web scanner performs its vulnerability assessment. This allows the scanner to focus only on updated sections of the web application, detecting new vulnerabilities without wasting resources re-scanning unchanged content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If prior web scanners access source code to improve scanning accuracy, then vulnerability detection precision is improved, but system complexity increases due to source code access requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevulnerability detection accuracyVSAvoidsource code access complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses copying by having the application security manager apparatus create a sitemap document that replicates essential structural and metadata information from the web application. This sitemap serves as a simplified copy that contains all necessary URLs, headers, and organizational structure for vulnerability scanning, eliminating the need for direct source code access while maintaining high detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS12513180B2Methods for improving web scanner accuracy and devices thereof

Publication Date: 2025.12.30 F5 NETWORKS INC

AI summary

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and device that assists with improving web scanner accuracy includes receiving a sitemap document associated with a webpage from an application security manager apparatus. The received sitemap document associated with the webpage is scanned. Next, one or more vulnerabilities are identified in the scanned sitemap associated with the webpage. A report including the identified one or more vulnerabilities is provided.