Knowledge Base

Each Target you add is configured (by default) so that Acunetix accumulates information about the Target, such as URLs, vulnerabilities, and other relevant information. This data is stored in a Knowledge Base for the Target. For each subsequent scan against the Target, Acunetix makes use of the Target Knowledge Base to give a head start to the scanner – for example, by providing a list of URLs that have been discovered in previous scans. This improves the accuracy of the scanner over time as it collects "knowledge" about the web application, especially in the case of Targets which use paths that are not reachable in a predictable or consistent manner.

How to disable the Knowledge Base

You can disable use of the Knowledge Base in future scans if you wish to retain a scanner behavior that only follows URLs that the crawler can reach during a scan. Once the Knowledge Base is re-enabled, future scans will again make use of any data collected in previous scans.

To disable the Knowledge Base for a Target:

1. Select the relevant Target from the Targets page.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Target Settings page.
3. Click the down arrow next to Advanced.
4. Locate the Knowledge Base section and uncheck the box next to Use knowledge base in future scans.
5. Click Save at the top of the Target Settings page.

How to delete the Knowledge Base

To delete all Knowledge Base data for a Target:

1. Select the relevant target from the Targets page.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Target Settings page.
3. Click the down arrow next to Advanced.
4. Locate the Knowledge Base section and click Delete knowledge base.