Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Damn Vulnerable Web Application VS VulnHub

Compare Damn Vulnerable Web Application VS VulnHub and see what are their differences

Damn Vulnerable Web Application logo Damn Vulnerable Web Application

Used to practice web penetration testing

VulnHub logo VulnHub

VulnHub provides materials allowing anyone to gain practical hands-on experience with digital security, computer applications and network administration tasks.
  • Damn Vulnerable Web Application Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-14
  • VulnHub Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-13

Damn Vulnerable Web Application features and specs

  • Educational Tool
    DVWA is designed specifically for educational purposes, helping users understand web vulnerabilities and how to protect against them.
  • Hands-On Experience
    Provides a practical environment for security professionals and students to practice pen testing techniques in a controlled and legal space.
  • Wide Range of Vulnerabilities
    Covers numerous web vulnerabilities like SQL Injection, XSS, and CSRF, which are commonly found in real-world applications.
  • Configurable Security Levels
    Allows users to adjust the difficulty level of vulnerabilities to learn progressively, from beginner to advanced.
  • Open Source
    DVWA is an open-source project, making it freely accessible to anyone interested in learning about or teaching web application security.

Possible disadvantages of Damn Vulnerable Web Application

  • Security Risks
    Running DVWA on a network connected system can pose security risks, as it contains deliberate vulnerabilities that could be exploited if exposed to unauthorized users.
  • Limited to Known Vulnerabilities
    Primarily focuses on well-known web application vulnerabilities and may not cover newer or more sophisticated security threats.
  • Setup Complexity
    Requires proper setup and configuration, which might be complex for beginners without a strong background in web technologies or security.
  • Not a Real-World Environment
    While DVWA is a useful learning tool, it does not fully replicate the intricacies and scale of a real-world application environment.
  • Dependencies
    Relies on other software components and systems (like PHP and MySQL), which must be correctly installed and configured, leading to potential compatibility issues.

VulnHub features and specs

  • Hands-on Learning
    VulnHub provides a practical platform for users to learn and improve their cybersecurity skills by actively participating in real-world lab environments.
  • Community Driven Content
    The platform features a wide range of virtual machines created and contributed by a community of cybersecurity enthusiasts, offering diverse challenges and learning opportunities.
  • Variety of Difficulty Levels
    VulnHub offers challenges that range from beginner to advanced levels, accommodating users with different skill sets and helping them progressively improve their abilities.
  • Free Access
    The platform is freely accessible to anyone interested in cybersecurity, making it an economical and resourceful tool for education and training.
  • Open Source VMs
    A number of virtual machines on VulnHub are open source, allowing users to explore and understand the inner workings of the systems they are exploiting.

Possible disadvantages of VulnHub

  • Lack of Formal Guidance
    VulnHub does not offer structured courses or step-by-step guidance, which can be challenging for beginners who need more direction in their learning path.
  • Variable Quality
    Since content is community-contributed, the quality and consistency of virtual machines can vary significantly, potentially impacting the learning experience.
  • Limited Support
    Users may find limited technical support or official documentation for solving specific issues, which can be a hindrance when encountering complex problems.
  • Dependence on Virtualization Software
    Users need to set up their own virtualization environments to run the virtual machines, which can be a barrier for those unfamiliar with virtualization technologies.
  • No Official Certification
    VulnHub does not offer certificates or formal recognition for completing challenges, which might be less appealing for those looking to add credentials to their resume.

Damn Vulnerable Web Application videos

Installing Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) on Windows 10

More videos:

  • Review - 12 - XSS (Stored) (low/med/high) - Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA)
  • Review - 5 - File Upload (low/med/high) - Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA)

VulnHub videos

How to Setup A Safe Vulnhub Machine Hacking Lab

More videos:

  • Review - Vulnhub OSCP walkthrough
  • Review - PwnLab - VulnHub - Proving Grounds Play | Beginner Friendly | Road to OSCP #53

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Damn Vulnerable Web Application and VulnHub)
Monitoring Tools
34 34%
66% 66
Education
16 16%
84% 84
Education & Reference
21 21%
79% 79
Security & Privacy
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Damn Vulnerable Web Application and VulnHub. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VulnHub should be more popular than Damn Vulnerable Web Application. It has been mentiond 20 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Damn Vulnerable Web Application mentions (13)

  • Just starting out... building a lab recs?
    I would start with something like DVWA: https://dvwa.co.uk/. Source: about 3 years ago
  • I think this is a better approach in my case. Anyone in a similar boat?
    When you've got that, do some web-based challenges. The Damn Vulnerable Web Application is a great start as it has a little bit of everything. Start with Cross-Site Scripting, for example. Google it. Look at write-ups. Look at the solution for your current challenge, but it is important that you figure out why it works. As you go along with DVWA you will come across PHP and SQL. So google those and learn and... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Help needed with ab assignment
    Yes, the top 10 is a good place to start and pick a category from. For practice and demonstration you can use https://owasp.org/www-project-juice-shop/ or https://dvwa.co.uk/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • From php to hacking?
    Https://dvwa.co.uk/ Several difficulty levels on each topic. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Replacement for Damn Vulnerable Linux?
    It's not a distro, but you might still find DVWA (Damn Vulnerable Web Application) interesting. It's a PHP/MySQL-based web app, with the same goal as the distro you mentioned. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

VulnHub mentions (20)

  • High school teacher here, looking for any suggestions for labs I could set up on some older PCs where students can actually see and experience what they are doing.
    You could take a look at something like (vulnhub)[https://vulnhub.com/]. They have a bunch of vms that are intentionally vulnerable. Source: about 2 years ago
  • What is a website that is intentionally vulnerable to some sort of 403 bypass?
    Try looking on https://vulnhub.com/ (self hosted). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Any place for VM images with vulnerabilities?
    Https://vulnhub.com/ sounds like what you are lookin for. Source: about 2 years ago
  • I’ll be going on a 14 hour flight soon but I’d love to keep going over tryhackme content. Right now I’m in the Web Fundamentals section in the very beginning. Any suggestions on what I could do offline on the plane?
    You can go to vulnhub.com and download a lot of the vulnerable machines that you will find in platforms like TryHackMe, HackTheBox, etc. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Alternatives to htb?
    Https://tryhackme.com, https://parrot-ctfs.com. https://vulnhub.com, https://vulnmachines.com, https://picoctfs.org there are quite a few awesome platforms out there I created https://parrot-ctfs.com in my free time its full of awesome labs created by various people its smaller but so worth the time. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Damn Vulnerable Web Application and VulnHub, you can also consider the following products

TryHackMe - TryHackMe is an online platform for learning and teaching cyber security, all through your browser.

Hack The Box - An online platform to test and advance your skills in penetration testing and cyber security.

PentesterLab - Learn all about web hacking through online courses spanning the basics to advanced vulnerabilities

HackThisSite - Hack This Site is a legal free training ground for users to test and expand their hacking skills.

LetsDefend - LetsDefend is a security operation center analysis and response training platform that provides a full lifecycle of learning modules in the form of courses, labs, and exercises to help organizations meet their compliance and cyber-resilience needs.

CodeRed by EC-Council - CodeRed, EC Council’s continuous learning platform will equip you with globally recognized cybersecurity skills to prevent cyberattacks around the world.