Verifying Target Ownership

When you add a new target to Acunetix 360, you need to verify its ownership. This verification is critical because you must not scan a website without proper authorization from the owner. This document explains how to verify ownership of a target in Acunetix 360.

IMPORTANT: Scanning a website without authorization is against the law. Invicti is not responsible for such actions and cannot be held responsible for potential damage to the target website.

 

How to verify target ownership

To verify your ownership of a target website, you can use any of the following methods:

TIP: If you have a large number of websites or you are unable to use any of the verification methods listed, we recommend submitting a ticket through our Help Center so we can allowlist your account.

Verification by HTML File Upload

  1. Log in to Acunetix 360.
  2. Select Targets > Targets from the left-side menu.

  1. Click Edit next to the relevant target.

  1. Click Verify. The Verify Ownership window is displayed.
  2. By default, the File Upload method is displayed.

  1. Click Download your verification file. The Save dialog is displayed. Select a Save location, then upload it to the root folder of your website.
  2. Click Verify that it is correctly set up to check if the file has been uploaded correctly.
  3. Click Verify.
  4. The URL field in the Edit Website window displays a green Verified button, and you are authorized to scan that website.

Verification by Meta Tag

  1. Log in to Acunetix 360.
  2. Select Targets > Targets from the left-side menu.

  1. Click Edit next to the relevant target.

  1. Click Verify. The Verify Ownership window is displayed.
  2. Select the Alternate Methods tab.
  3. Select HTML tag.
  4. Copy the meta tag text from the field and paste it into the <head> tags in the website's home page.

  1. Click Verify.
  2. The URL field in the Edit Website window displays a green Verified button, meaning you are now authorized to scan that website.

Verification by TXT Record in DNS

  1. Log in to Acunetix 360.
  2. Select Targets > Targets from the left-side menu.

  1. Click Edit next to the relevant target.

  1. Click Verify. The Verify Ownership window is displayed.
  2. Select the Alternate Methods tab.
  3. Select DNS record.

  1. To use this DNS verification method you need to be able to add a new record to the domain's DNS zone. Add a new TXT record in your domain's zone. The Domain Name and Record (value) for the new TXT DNS record are specified in the verification step.
  2. Click Verify.
  3. The URL field in the Edit Website window displays a green Verified button, and you are authorized to scan that website.


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