Vortex — application & API security
Vortex is BestDefense’s application and API security scanner. Point it at a web app or an API you own, and it probes for vulnerabilities — missing security controls, injectable parameters, exposed data, and more — then ranks what it finds by severity so you know what to fix first.
Vortex offers three scan types, from broad automated reconnaissance to an AI-driven pen-tester that reasons its way through your application like an attacker would. Every finding comes with evidence and per-finding actions: fix it with AI, accept the risk, or hand it to Jira.
Scan types at a glance
Section titled “Scan types at a glance”| Scan type | What it does | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Analog | Broad dynamic (DAST) reconnaissance and scanning across your app or API | Every plan |
| AI pen-test | An agentic, ML-driven pen-tester that reasons, explores, and attempts exploitation in distinct phases | Growth and higher |
| API | Programmatic scanning focused on your API endpoints and contracts | Varies by plan |
Each scan also has an intensity — Quick, Standard, Thorough, or Maximum. Quick is available on every plan; higher intensities generally require Growth or higher.
How a scan works
Section titled “How a scan works”- Go to Vortex → Run scan.
- Choose your target site (or add one).
- Choose a scan type — Analog, AI, or API.
- Choose an intensity.
- Optionally attach pre-configured test users so Vortex can scan behind authentication.
- Launch. The report page shows live progress while the scan runs.
When the scan finishes you get a report you can explore, act on, and export.
Where to go next
Section titled “Where to go next”- Analog scans — broad DAST scanning, available on every plan.
- AI pen-test scans — the agentic pen-tester and its four phases.
- API security scans — scanning APIs specifically.
- Reading a Vortex report — the overview, severity breakdown, and grouped findings.
- Findings & accepting risk — working with individual findings.
- AI remediation — turn a finding into a pull request.
- Scheduling scans — run scans automatically on a cadence.
If you’re brand new, start with the Quickstart.