Creating Your First Scan

Overview

This guide walks you through creating and configuring your first security scan.

Prerequisites

Active WebSecurityScore account
Website URL you want to scan
Permission to scan the website (you must own it or have authorization)

Creating a Scan

1. Navigate to Scans

From your dashboard, click “Scans” in the left sidebar, then click “New Scan”.

2. Enter Website Details

Website URL

Enter the full URL including protocol (https://)
Example: https://example.com

Scan Name (optional)

Give your scan a descriptive name
Example: “Production Website” or “Staging Environment”

3. Configure Scan Settings

Scan Type

Quick Scan: Fast scan covering common vulnerabilities (5-10 minutes)
Standard Scan: Comprehensive scan of all pages (15-30 minutes)
Deep Scan: Thorough scan including authenticated areas (30-60 minutes)

Scan Frequency

On-Demand: Manual scans only
Daily: Automatic daily scans at 2 AM UTC
Weekly: Scans every Monday at 2 AM UTC
Monthly: First day of each month

Authentication (optional) If your site requires login:

Enable “Authenticated Scanning”
Provide login credentials
Specify login URL and form fields

4. Advanced Options

Scan Depth

Maximum pages to scan (default: 100)
Increase for larger sites

Excluded Paths

URLs to skip during scanning
Example: /admin/delete, /logout

Custom Headers

Add custom HTTP headers if needed
Example: API keys, custom authentication

5. Start the Scan

Click “Start Scan” to begin. You’ll see:

Real-time progress indicator
Pages scanned count
Estimated time remaining

During the Scan

What Happens

The scanner will:

Crawl your website to discover pages
Test for common vulnerabilities
Check security headers and configurations
Analyze SSL/TLS certificates
Test for OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities

Monitoring Progress

View live scan progress in the dashboard
Receive notifications when complete
Cancel scan anytime if needed

After the Scan

Scan Complete Notification

You’ll receive:

Email notification with summary
In-app notification
Webhook notification (if configured)

Viewing Results

Click “View Results” to see:

Overall security score
Vulnerability breakdown
Detailed findings
Remediation recommendations

Scan Limits

Different plans have different limits:

Plan	Scans/Month	Pages/Scan	Scan Types
Free	10	50	Quick only
Starter	100	100	Quick, Standard
Professional	500	500	All types
Enterprise	Unlimited	Unlimited	All types

Best Practices

Scan Staging First

Always test on staging environments before scanning production.

Schedule Off-Peak Scans

Schedule automatic scans during low-traffic periods to minimize impact.

Use Authentication Carefully

Store credentials securely and use test accounts when possible.

Review Exclusions

Exclude destructive actions like delete, logout, or payment endpoints.

Troubleshooting

Scan Failed

Possible causes:

Website is down or unreachable
Firewall blocking our scanner
Invalid authentication credentials

Solutions:

Verify website is accessible
Whitelist our IP addresses
Check authentication settings

Scan Taking Too Long