9 Best PHP Code Security Scanner to Find Vulnerabilities

PHP is one of the most popular server-side programming languages, powering over 75% of all websites on the internet. With great power comes great responsibility, and PHP developers must be diligent about writing secure code to protect their web applications.

This is where static and dynamic code analyzers come into play. These automated tools can detect vulnerabilities and weaknesses in your PHP codebase to help reinforce your application security posture.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the 9 best PHP security scanners to find vulnerabilities in your code.

Why PHP Code Security Scanners Are Essential

PHP has a wide attack surface because of its flexibility and extensibility. The language allows developers to mix HTML and PHP code, which can lead to XSS vulnerabilities if not properly sanitized. The eval() function enables runtime code execution that could be exploited. The ease of accessing superglobals like $_GET and $_POST also opens doors for injection attacks.

While seasoned developers can spot many issues through manual code reviews, it‘s impossible to catch everything, especially in large, complex applications. Security scanners automate the process of analyzing code for vulnerabilities.

Here are some key benefits of using a PHP code scanner:

Find bugs early: Catch security flaws during development before they make it to production. Fixing bugs earlier in the cycle is faster and cheaper.
Detect overlooked issues: Scanners can identify vulnerabilities that are easy for humans to miss through manual reviews. Their static and dynamic analysis techniques are more rigorous.
Enforce secure coding standards: Custom rules can be configured to enforce internal security best practices and policies.
Identify high-risk areas: Reports quickly highlight components and flows posing the biggest threats.
Improve quality: Many tools find code smells and general bugs beyond just security issues.
Supplement testing: Scanners do not replace the need for penetration testing and auditings. Use them together for defense-in-depth.

Next, let‘s explore some top options for PHP code analysis.

1. RIPS

RIPS is one of the most advanced and widely-used PHP security scanners. It leverages industry-leading static code analysis techniques to detect over 200 unique vulnerability types.

RIPS PHP security scanner interface

Some key features include:

Detailed vulnerability reports with remediation guidance
Custom risk scoring based on OWASP Top 10 and other standards
Integration into CI/CD pipelines
IDE plugins for real-time scanning during development
Graphical mapping of data flows and attack vectors

RIPS offers SaaS and on-premises deployment options to fit different budgets and requirements.

2. PHPStan

PHPStan is a popular open-source static analyzer for PHP. It only requires the codebase and PHP 7.1+ to run.

Key features:

Easy installation via Composer
Strong typing checks and runtime error detection
Extensible through custom rules
Clear error reporting directly in the IDE
Multiple configuration levels from loose to strict analysis

PHPStan is a great choice for developers wanting an easy way to incrementally add static analysis into their processes without much overhead.

3. Psalm

Psalm is an advanced static analysis tool that provides detailed feedback about potential errors and vulnerabilities by leveraging both static and conditional types.

What makes Psalm unique:

Can detect subtle logical bugs uncaught by other tools
Low false positive rate
Can infer complex interprocedural control flow
Integrates with GitHub Actions
Supports PHP 5.6+

Psalm requires more setup than other scanners but offers stronger analysis capabilities in exchange.

4. Php Inspections (EA Extended)

Php Inspections (EA Extended) is a popular static code analyzer bundled as a plugin for PHPStorm and other JetBrains IDEs.

It offers 200+ inspections across security, performance, compatibility, and more.

Benefits include:

Real-time feedback displayed directly in the IDE code editor
Customizable rule severity levels
Quick fixes for automated issue remediation
No need to install separate tools or run scans

For developers already using JetBrains IDEs, Php Inspections provides seamless static analysis without added friction.

5. Exakat

Exakat is an automated code review engine for PHP focused on security and performance. It runs static analysis powered by over 400 built-in rules.

Key features:

Compatible with PHP 5.3 through 8.x releases
Detailed reports with risk levels and remediation tips
Rules mapped to OWASP Top 10 and SANS Top 25 vulnerabilities
Framework-specific rules for WordPress, Drupal, CakePHP, etc.
Custom coding standards can be implemented
Graphical analysis representations

Exakat offers a cloud scanning service with flexible plans based on the number of projects. An on-premises dockerized engine is also available.

6. SonarQube for PHP

SonarQube is an open source code quality platform that can be extended with various language-specific plugins, including one for PHP.

The SonarPHP plugin provides:

140+ coding rules focused on bugs, security, performance, and maintainability
Customizable quality profiles aligned to industry standards
Interactive dashboard to browse vulnerabilities
Integration with GitHub, Azure DevOps, and other DevOps tools via SonarCloud
Automatic scanning via Maven, Gradle, MSBuild, etc.

SonarQube is suitable for organizations wanting an all-in-one quality and security analysis platform for multiple languages beyond just PHP.

7. Phan

Phan is a static analyzer that focuses on detecting subtle bugs and potential security issues through various techniques:

Static type checking and inference
Data flow and taint analysis
Dead code detection
Syntax checking

It can be run from the command line or integrated into continuous integration workflows. Some key perks:

High quality results with few false positives
Detailed code snippets shown for each issue
Can analyze code bases with mixed PHP versions
Extensible through custom plugins

Phan is maintained by Rasmus Lerdorf, the original creator of PHP.

8. PHP Assumptions

PHP Assumptions analyzes code paths in PHP files to make sure assumptions made by developers hold true.

For example:

Checking return values before using them
Validating variable types
Verifying required function arguments
Asserting exceptions are caught

It helps avoid bugs by signaling when code conditions are not met. The tool is configured by writing "contracts" in PHP to define the assumptions for analysis.

9. PHP MAVEN

PHP MAVEN is an open source PHP analyzer and validator that detects security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, and general code correctness.

Features include:

180+ security rules covering XSS, SQLi, CORS, encryption, authentication, and more
IDE integration
Multiple output formats like text, JSON, SonarQube
Easy configuration
Detailed documentation of available rules

PHP MAVEN provides broad coverage of security risks and integrates smoothly into modern PHP development workflows.

How to Choose the Right Scanner

With numerous options for PHP code scanning, how do you determine the best fit? Here are some key criteria to consider:

Coverage: Look for a tool offering extensive rules mapped to major vulnerabilities like OWASP Top 10 to avoid gaps.
Accuracy: Lean towards scanners with lower false positive rates and more precise issue detection.
Integration: Pick one allowing tight integration into your existing development environment and SDLC.
Customizability: Options to configure rules severity, define coding standards, and customize for frameworks are useful.
Reporting: Detailed, actionable reports make remediation easier.
Support: Documentation, training resources, and technical support ease onboarding.

Try out a few scanners on a sample PHP project to get a feel for the interfaces, functionality, and results before deciding. Most offer free trials.

Integrating PHP Code Scanning Into Your Processes

The value of any code scanner is realized when integrated continuously into software delivery and testing:

During development: Run scans locally in IDEs or at commit to get rapid feedback on new code.
In CI/CD pipelines: Automate scans during build and release processes to catch issues pre-production.
Alongside other testing: Use scanners with QA processes like penetration testing for defense-in-depth.
Monitoring in production: Some scanners can hook into running apps to detect issues in production code.
Code reviews: Incorporate scan reports into manual review processes.

Take an incremental approach when introducing scanners to avoid overwhelming teams with too many new findings initially. Phase them in over time.

Reinforcing PHP Application Security

Static and dynamic analysis tools provide automated assistance for writing more secure PHP code, but they cannot replace human intuition and wisdom completely.

Here are some additional tips for securing PHP apps:

Adopt security best practices: OWASP, SANS, and other authorities publish excellent guidelines for secure PHP development. Familiarize yourself with these recommendations.
Perform thorough manual reviews: Humans can still deduce vulnerabilities scanners might miss through code reviews.
Test extensively: Combine unit, integration, penetration, and other testing techniques beyond just scanning.
Harden infrastructure: Apply latest security updates, disable unnecessary services, restrict network access, and implement other host hardening steps.
Monitor production: Employ a web application firewall (WAF), intrusion detection system (IDS), and monitoring to protect running apps.
Learn from incidents: Analyze past breaches during post mortems to uncover other weaknesses.
Get external audits: Schedule recurring application security audits by consultants who approach code from new angles.

Conclusion

Static and dynamic code analysis are no longer optional. They are fundamental steps of the modern secure software development lifecycle.

PHP‘s widespread usage across web applications means tons of vulnerable code is constantly being produced. Security scanners help developers write safer PHP by automatically flagging common bugs and vulnerabilities.

Just be sure to tune your scanner‘s configuration thoughtfully with relevant rules so you get actionable results. Integrate scanning into your workflows to get the most impact.

By combining automated security scanners with other best practices like testing, monitoring, and auditing, you can release PHP code with confidence.

What PHP security tools do you rely on? Please share your experiences and questions below!