Scanner Selection

Choose the right scanners for your security analysis needs. Different scanners find different vulnerabilities. The best approach combines multiple scanner...

Last updated: January 14, 2026

Scanner Selection

Choose the right scanners for your security analysis needs.

Scanner Selection Strategy

Different scanners find different vulnerabilities. The best approach combines multiple scanner types for comprehensive coverage.

Scanner Types

Type Finds Examples
Static Analysis Known patterns, code smells Slither, Aderyn, SolidityDefend
Fuzzing Edge cases, runtime bugs Echidna, Medusa
Symbolic Execution Mathematical proofs Mythril, Halmos
Linting Code quality issues Solhint

Recommended Presets

For Development

Use: Quick Scan

  • Fast feedback loop
  • Catches obvious issues
  • Doesn't slow down development

Scanners: Slither, Aderyn, Solhint

For Pull Requests

Use: Standard Scan

  • Balanced coverage
  • Reasonable time
  • Good for CI/CD gates

Scanners: Slither, Aderyn, Semgrep, Solhint, Wake

For Pre-Audit

Use: Deep Scan

  • Maximum coverage
  • All scanner types
  • Worth the extra time

Scanners: All available scanners

Scanner Comparison

Static Analyzers

Scanner Detectors Speed Best For
Slither 93 Fast General coverage
Aderyn 88 Very fast Quick feedback
SolidityDefend 204+ Medium Maximum coverage
Semgrep 47 Fast Custom patterns
Wake - Fast Framework projects

Fuzzers

Scanner Type Speed Best For
Echidna Property-based Slow Invariant testing
Medusa Parallel Medium Faster fuzzing
Moccasin Vyper fuzzer Medium Vyper contracts

Symbolic Execution

Scanner Type Speed Best For
Mythril Symbolic Slow Deep analysis
Halmos Symbolic Slow Mathematical proofs

Choosing by Contract Type

Simple Token

Recommended: Quick or Standard

A basic ERC20/ERC721 likely has known patterns:

  • Slither catches common issues
  • Aderyn provides fast analysis
  • SolidityDefend adds depth

DeFi Protocol

Recommended: Deep

Complex financial logic needs:

  • Full static analysis suite
  • Fuzzing for edge cases
  • Symbolic execution for math

Upgradeable Contracts

Recommended: Standard + SolidityDefend

Proxy patterns have specific risks:

  • Storage collision checks
  • Initialization issues
  • Upgrade safety

Multi-Contract System

Recommended: Deep (project mode)

Cross-contract interactions need:

  • Project-aware scanners (Wake)
  • Full dependency analysis
  • Fuzzing with all contracts

Choosing by Goal

Find Bugs Quickly

Use: Slither + Aderyn

Both are fast and catch most common issues.

Maximum Coverage

Use: Deep Scan (all scanners)

Some bugs are only found by specific scanners.

Audit Preparation

Use: Deep Scan + Review All Findings

Run everything, then triage carefully.

CI/CD Pipeline

Use: Quick or Standard

Balance coverage with build time.

Scanner Dependencies

Project-Only Scanners

These require project uploads (not single files):

Scanner Why
Echidna Needs test harness
Medusa Needs test harness
Halmos Needs test context
Moccasin Needs Vyper project

Language-Specific

Scanner Languages
Slither Solidity, Vyper
Vyper analyzer Vyper only
Moccasin Vyper only
Sol-azy Rust/Solana

Coverage vs Speed

Fast (< 2 minutes)

  • Slither, Aderyn, Solhint, Semgrep

Medium (2-10 minutes)

  • Wake, SolidityDefend, Medusa

Slow (10+ minutes)

  • Mythril, Echidna, Halmos

Optimization Tips

  1. Use Quick for development - Fast feedback
  2. Use Standard for CI - Balanced
  3. Use Deep before releases - Maximum coverage
  4. Skip slow scanners in CI - Add them nightly instead

Custom Scanner Sets

Saving Custom Sets

  1. Select your preferred scanners
  2. Click Save as Preset
  3. Name your preset
  4. Reuse on future scans

Team Presets

On team plans:

  • Admins can create team presets
  • Apply across organization
  • Ensure consistent scanning

Scanner Effectiveness

View Effectiveness Data

Go to Analytics → Scanner Effectiveness to see:

  • Which scanners found issues
  • Finding distribution by scanner
  • False positive rates

Use Data to Optimize

If a scanner:

  • Finds many issues → Keep using it
  • Has high false positives → Consider removing
  • Never finds anything → May be redundant

FAQ

Q: Should I always run all scanners?
A: Not necessarily. For daily development, Quick is fine. Use Deep for important releases.

Q: Why are fuzzing scanners grayed out?
A: Fuzzers need project mode. Upload a ZIP with test harnesses.

Q: Does scanner order matter?
A: No. All selected scanners run in parallel.

Q: Can I add custom scanners?
A: Enterprise plans support custom scanner integration.

Next Steps