Security Scanner — User Guide | YoBench

What the Security Scanner module does

The module performs a comprehensive security audit of a website or domain in a single run. Instead of running a dozen separate utilities (openssl, nmap, dig, online services), you point it at an address and get a unified report with findings across 14 categories — from SSL certificate expiry to open ports and forgotten .env files.

What you get:

• A complete technical security snapshot — SSL/TLS, HTTP headers, DNS, open ports, subdomains, sensitive files — in one table with severity levels (critical / high / medium / low / info).
• Local execution — most checks run directly from your computer through built-in Node.js modules, without sending data to third-party services.
• AI analysis of the results — an optional review by your chosen provider (OpenAI, Claude, local LLM): explains findings in plain language and suggests fix priorities.
• Templates and history — every run is saved in the local encrypted database, templates can be reused and re-run regularly.

Available checks

The module offers 14 check types. You enable them individually when creating a template.

Most checks run locally. External resources are used only by: Subdomain Enumeration (crt.sh API) and AI analysis (if an AI provider is selected).

Parameters and settings

Template parameters

A template is a reusable bundle of parameters for a scan run. When creating one you specify:

• Name — an arbitrary label for the template.
• Address — a URL or a domain (normalized automatically: example.com, https://example.com, https://example.com/path are all valid).
• Check selection — pick anywhere from 1 to all 14 types. The more you pick, the longer the run.
• AI provider (optional) — which provider from AI settings will analyze the report. If empty, AI analysis is skipped.
• Proxy (optional) — route all scan traffic through a proxy profile from settings.
• AI prompt — the text prompt used for the AI analysis. Keep the default or adapt it to your context (e.g. ask for output in a specific language with prioritization for a junior team).

Global module settings

Configured under Settings → Security Scanner and applied to every template:

• Request timeout — the maximum time to wait for an individual HTTP/TCP operation (ms). A higher timeout increases the chance of waiting through a slow site; a lower one speeds up the run.
• Parallel checks — how many checks run simultaneously. Default is 5; higher numbers stress the network and the target server harder.
• Port list — a custom list of ports for Port Scan in addition to the built-in defaults.
• User-Agent — the User-Agent string used for HTTP requests.
• Extra paths — additional paths for Sensitive File Exposure beyond the built-in set (e.g. /_admin, /.config/secrets.json).

Workflow

1. Create a template

1. Open the Security Scanner module from the left sidebar.
2. On the Templates tab click New template.
3. Fill in name and address, tick the checks you need.
4. Optionally pick an AI provider and a proxy, edit the prompt.
5. Save the template.

2. Start a scan

1. On the Templates tab click Scan next to the template.
2. The module splits checks into two groups automatically:
   • Headless (SSL, headers, cookies, DNS, ports, files, CORS, WAF, subdomains, methods, rate limiting, info disclosure) — run in parallel within the configured concurrency limit.
   • Browser-backed (client-side, technology) — run sequentially through a shared headless browser.
3. The bottom panel streams a real-time log: which checks started, which finished, which produced findings.
4. You can stop the run at any time with Stop — already-completed checks are persisted.

3. Review the report

1. Open the Reports tab — reports are sorted by run date.
2. Open a report: on the left, the list of all checks with status and finding counts; on the right, details of the selected check.
3. Each finding contains: severity (critical, high, medium, low, info), title, description, and a remediation recommendation.
4. If an AI provider was selected, the AI analysis tab holds a Markdown summary of the report. AI analysis becomes available once the scan finishes — while the scan is still running, the tab shows a pending state.

4. Act on the results

• Re-run templates after releases — this surfaces regressions (e.g. an HSTS header that disappeared during an nginx migration).
• Delete stale reports with Delete — linked checks are removed in cascade.
• Use separate templates for different environments (prod, staging) to make comparisons easier.

Next steps

• Connect AI providers to enable AI analysis of reports.
• Configure proxies if you need to scan resources inside a private network.
• For ongoing uptime monitoring use Health Check — that module focuses on availability, while Security Scanner focuses on configuration.

Help and feedback

Found a bug or want to suggest a new check type? Contact us via the feedback form.