Burp Suite

What Is Burp Suite?

Burp Suite is a web application security testing platform, developed by PortSwigger, that allows security teams to check how applications handle web requests and responses. The platform is available in different editions for different security testing needs. The Burp Suite Professional edition focused on professional penetration testing to combine manual testing with automated scanning, investigating and validating web application vulnerabilities.

What Is Burp Suite Best For?

The platform is well known for its web application attack surface visibility capability, specifically through its DAST offering. Its scanning model allows users to assess multiple websites and applications throughout a growing portfolio. The software lets security teams identify more readily discoverable vulnerabilities and direct manual testing toward areas requiring deeper investigation.

How Much Does Burp Suite Cost?

The starting price of the software is $499 for its Burp Suite Professional plan. It includes various features, such as project files, a search function, Pro-exclusive BApp extensions, and a web vulnerability scanner. Additional Burp Suite pricing tiers are as follows:

• Burp Suite Community Edition – Custom pricing

Besides the fixed charges, users should also account for additional costs to consider the total cost of ownership. It includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Team Deployment Setup: Estimated at $500–$2,000 for initial setup
• Private Collaborator Infrastructure: Approximately $500–$3,000/year for hosting and maintenance
• Security Testing Integrations: Projected at $1,000–$5,000 for CI/CD and security integrations
• User Training And Onboarding: Typically costs $500–$3,000 for team training
• Enterprise Support And Services: Roughly $1,000–$10,000+/year, depending on service needs
• Infrastructure And Maintenance: Estimated at $500–$5,000/year for dedicated environments and administration

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Burp Suite Integrations

The software integrates with various systems, such as:

• Slack software
• Jenkins
• Splunk Enterprise
• TeamCity

How Does Burp Suite Work?

Here's how you can get started with the platform upon logging into the system:

• Open the Dashboard to view active tasks and issues identified within a project
• Define the target scope to specify which hosts and URLs should be included in security testing
• Review the Site map to analyze the application's discovered pages and available attack surface
• Click on the Proxy tab to check application traffic and switch on Intercept when you need to capture an HTTP request before it reaches the server
• Inspect intercepted requests to analyze request details and modify parameters before forwarding them for further testing
• Configure the scan by selecting a preset or adjusting the settings for the target application
• Review identified issues in the Issues panel, where each finding includes details, evidence, and remediation guidance
• Assign testing tasks to security users based on the findings and assessment areas that require further manual investigation

Who Is Burp Suite For?

The platform is used by testers and developers working at small to large-sized organizations. Additionally, it is used in various industries and sectors, including:

• Information technology
• Engineering
• Security

Burp Suite Use Cases

Based on the platform’s current capabilities, we have identified the following situations where Burp Suite can be a suitable choice for cybersecurity teams:

Security Teams Testing Web Applications Before Release

Development teams need to frequently update applications, which results in vulnerabilities, as the security staff does not have enough capacity to manually test every release. Burp Suite software allows teams to run similar and repetitive scans throughout a web application portfolio to allow AppSec teams to identify issues before applications reach the production stage. It helps organizations with frequent releases and a large number of web applications.

Penetration Testing Firms Assessing Client Web Applications

The system helps security consultants who test web applications on behalf of different clients. Such engagements require testers to move between applications and investigate vulnerabilities that automated checks might not be able to fully explain. Burp Suite Professional provides reusable project configurations and testing tools to let consultants maintain consistent testing setups throughout separate client assessments.

Red Teams Investigating Complex Web Application Vulnerabilities

Red teams need to go beyond routine vulnerability discovery when assessing applications that include unusual business logic or less obvious attack paths. The platform’s BChecks let testers create custom checks for specific security testing requirements, while Bambdas allow them to write custom scripts for assessment tasks that require more control over Burp Suite. The system supports this type of investigation by giving testers room to manually examine application behavior and pursue findings that require human judgment.

AppSec Teams Managing Large Web Application Portfolios

Burp Suite is a helpful solution in cases where an AppSec team needs to monitor security across a growing collection of web applications. This is because manually assessing every application at the same frequency can put a lot of pressure on limited security resources. Scheduled scanning, therefore, gives these teams a way to maintain repetitive coverage and reserve specialist attention for findings that warrant further investigation.

Bug Bounty Researchers Investigating Suspected Vulnerabilities

Independent security researchers need to validate potential vulnerabilities after discovering unusual application behavior. The software provides a testing environment suited to this type of investigation, allowing researchers to examine requests and pursue findings through manual testing. It helps researchers who participate in authorized bug bounty programs and need to investigate web application weaknesses in depth.

Is Burp Suite Right For You?

If you are a part of a security team that needs hands-on web application testing alongside recurring DAST scans, then Burp Suite might be an ideal solution. It follows GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, OWASP Top 10, and NIST 800-53 compliance regulations to keep your data secure. Trusted by several organizations, including Samsung, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Standard Chartered, the software is capable of meeting the needs of growing organizations.

In recent years, the cybersecurity industry has been increasingly shifting towards defending against AI-assisted attacks.  Burp Suite is keeping up pace with this changing landscape from the application security side by using automated DAST and CI-driven scanning to identify vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs.

Still have confusion about the Burp Suite software? Contact us at (661) 384-7070 to make the right decision.