Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PentesterLab VS Damn Vulnerable Web Application

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

PentesterLab logo PentesterLab

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

Damn Vulnerable Web Application logo Damn Vulnerable Web Application

Used to practice web penetration testing
  • PentesterLab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-16
  • Damn Vulnerable Web Application Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-14

PentesterLab features and specs

  • Comprehensive Learning
    PentesterLab offers a wide range of practical exercises and challenges that cover various aspects of web application security, providing users with a comprehensive learning experience.
  • Hands-On Labs
    The platform provides hands-on labs that simulate real-world scenarios, enabling learners to practice and enhance their penetration testing skills in a controlled environment.
  • Beginner to Advanced Content
    PentesterLab caters to users of different skill levels by offering content that ranges from beginner to advanced, making it suitable for both novices and experienced professionals.
  • Certificates of Completion
    Users receive certificates of completion after successfully finishing each module, which can be used to demonstrate their skills and knowledge to potential employers.
  • Community Support
    The platform has a community of users and a forum where learners can discuss challenges, share insights, and seek help, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

Possible disadvantages of PentesterLab

  • Subscription Fee
    Access to PentesterLab's full range of content requires a subscription, which may not be affordable for everyone, especially students or hobbyists.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    While the platform offers beginner content, some users may find certain modules challenging if they lack a foundational understanding of networking and programming concepts.
  • Limited Free Content
    Only a small portion of the platform's resources is available for free, which may limit the ability to fully assess the platform before committing to a paid subscription.
  • Self-Paced Learning
    The self-paced nature of the learning process requires users to be highly self-motivated and disciplined, which might not suit everyone’s learning preference.
  • Requires Technical Setup
    Some of the labs may require specific technical setups or require users to use their own machines, which could pose a barrier for those who are not familiar with these processes.

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.

PentesterLab videos

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD GET A PENTESTERLAB PRO SUBSCRIPTION!

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)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PentesterLab and Damn Vulnerable Web Application)
Education & Reference
79 79%
21% 21
Monitoring Tools
68 68%
32% 32
Education
82 82%
18% 18
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using PentesterLab and Damn Vulnerable Web Application. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

PentesterLab might be a bit more popular than Damn Vulnerable Web Application. We know about 17 links to it since March 2021 and only 13 links to Damn Vulnerable Web Application. 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.

PentesterLab mentions (17)

  • Diving into Bug Bounty Hunting: My Journey Begins with Resources and Tips for Beginners
    Learning Websites: PortSwigger Web Security Academy - Free, comprehensive web security training. I recommend PortSwigger Academy if you are starting out. Bugcrowd University - Free educational resources for bug bounty hunters. Bugcrowd also provides a platform for the Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) and Bug Bounty Programs (BBP). It is a good place to start your bug bounty hunting by creating an account... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Where to start?
    For pentesting, look at the below: - https://portswigger.net/web-security - https://pentesterlab.com/ - https://www.hackthebox.com/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Seeking Advice and Opinions
    These codes can be useful in different situations. A good site to test out different types of attacks and recon is: http://pentesterlab.com (mind it has a premium subscription plan but u can use it free). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Simple site Security audit - NoSQL injection, buffer overflow...
    I’d strongly recommend PentesterLab (https://pentesterlab.com/) as they have very real world examples that should be helpful to you. I have no affiliation with this company, just a fan. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Are there any Computer Science activities for a high schooler in Baton Rouge? Things like hackathons, internships, and volunteering at a programming summer camp!
    Https://www.hackthebox.com/ has free retired boxes to punch and it isn't expensive if you want to access new ones. It is security orientated, but you still have to understand the basics and there are plenty of walk throughs. Proving Ground is another. https://www.offensive-security.com/labs/ pentersterlabs has a free tier https://pentesterlab.com/ https://www.udemy.com/ has free courses for about anything If... Source: almost 3 years ago
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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: about 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
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What are some alternatives?

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

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

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

VulnHub - VulnHub provides materials allowing anyone to gain practical hands-on experience with digital security, computer applications and network administration tasks.

Strobes PTaaS - Perform recurring and on-demand pentests.

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

Astra Pentest - Astra’s is the cloud-based hacker-style Pentest