Cloud security and compliance solutions provider Qualys today announced the availability of free assessment APIs and a new tool that enable SSL Labs users to automate SSL vulnerability testing for websites.
Qualys SSL Labs is a non-commercial research effort that provides documentation on deploying SSL/TLS correctly, and tools that can be used to test a browser’s SSL implementation and a server’s configuration.
According to the company, the addition of API access allows security experts who manage more than one website to consolidate testing, detect configuration changes that might introduce vulnerabilities, and receive certificate expiration notifications.
The new server assessment APIs provide full access to the SSL Labs server inspection functionality, and allow users to conduct scheduled and bulk testing. The APIs also enable the integration of SSL Labs assessment with an organization’s security policies, Qualys said.
Automated and bulk testing can be carried out with ssllabs-scan, an open source command-line scanning tool that doubles as the reference API client. The new SSL Labs APIs, which can be used freely for non-commercial purposes, have already been integrated by third-party tools such as .Net Wrapper and Seccubus.
“Many organizations struggle to fully understand their exposure to various SSL/TLS security issues, due to the complexities of secure server configuration and constant change and attack disclosure in this space,” said Ivan Ristic, director of engineering at Qualys. “By offering free API access, we are enabling our users to automate website testing and regularly check their configuration in order to ensure websites are secure and protected from SSL vulnerabilities.”
Some major organizations are already planning on putting the new APIs to good use. According to Qualys, the Czech Republic (CZ) domain registry will use them to monitor over 1 million domains.
