Free Cipher Suite Analysis
Free tool
Check the cipher suite your server negotiates and flag weak algorithms. Includes ready-to-paste Nginx, Apache, and Node configs.
- Negotiated cipher suite check
- Flags CBC and legacy ciphers
- Ready-to-paste server configs
No credit card requiredRead-only, no exploitationNo setup or code required
Used by 5,000+ developers and engineering teams
What you get for free
18 core security checks via this tool, passive scans, step-by-step remediation, security score on every result.
What Essential adds from €199/mo
Pentest credits every month, +17 advanced checks, weekly passive scans, email alerts and audit-ready PDFs for SOC 2 / ISO 27001 / PCI.
What this analysis covers
- The cipher suite your server negotiates with a modern client
- Whether that suite is an AEAD cipher or a weaker CBC suite
- It reads one negotiated suite, so it doesn't list every suite your server accepts or confirm PFS on its own
Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS)
PFS ensures that past communications remain secure even if long-term private keys are compromised. Look for ECDHE (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman Ephemeral) or DHE (Diffie-Hellman Ephemeral) in your cipher suite names to ensure PFS is enabled.
Modern Security Standards
- Preferred: TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384, TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
- Acceptable: TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
- Avoid: RC4, 3DES, CBC mode without proper padding
- Deprecated: MD5, SHA-1 (except for HMAC in TLS 1.2)
What are Cipher Suites?
Cipher suites are combinations of cryptographic algorithms used to establish secure connections. They determine encryption strength, key exchange methods, and message authentication. Modern cipher suites use AEAD (Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data) for optimal security and performance.
Cipher Suite Optimization
- Prioritize AEAD ciphers (AES-GCM, ChaCha20-Poly1305)
- Enable ECDHE for Perfect Forward Secrecy
- Disable weak ciphers (RC4, 3DES, CBC without proper padding)
- Use strong key exchange algorithms (ECDHE, DHE)
- Configure cipher suite order by strength
Implementation examples
Once you've identified the gap, applying the fix is straightforward. Server-side cipher ordering stays off: with a modern suite list every option is strong, so letting the client pick the one that suits its hardware is faster and no less safe. Turn it back on only if you have to keep a weaker suite in the list for old clients. Here are the three configurations developers reach for most often.
Nginx
ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
ssl_prefer_server_ciphers off;
ssl_ciphers "ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-ECDSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256";
ssl_ecdh_curve X25519:secp384r1;
ssl_session_cache shared:SSL:10m;
ssl_session_tickets off;Apache
SSLProtocol all -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1
SSLHonorCipherOrder off
SSLCipherSuite ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384:ECDHE-ECDSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305:ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256
SSLOpenSSLConfCmd Curves X25519:secp384r1
SSLSessionTickets offNode.js (Express + Helmet)
import https from "node:https"
import fs from "node:fs"
import express from "express"
import helmet from "helmet"
const app = express()
app.use(helmet({ hsts: { maxAge: 31536000, includeSubDomains: true, preload: true } }))
https
.createServer(
{
key: fs.readFileSync("server.key"),
cert: fs.readFileSync("server.crt"),
minVersion: "TLSv1.2",
ciphers: [
"TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384",
"TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256",
"TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256",
"ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384",
"ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384",
"ECDHE-ECDSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305",
"ECDHE-RSA-CHACHA20-POLY1305",
].join(":"),
honorCipherOrder: false,
ecdhCurve: "X25519:secp384r1",
},
app,
)
.listen(443)Tool-specific questions
What's the difference between AES-128 and AES-256?
AES-256 provides stronger encryption than AES-128, but both are considered secure. AES-128 is often preferred for performance, while AES-256 is used for maximum security requirements.
Should I disable all CBC ciphers?
Prefer AEAD suites. CBC ciphers can be vulnerable to padding oracle attacks, and the scan flags CBC suites as weak. Keep them only if you still need to support old clients.
What are AEAD ciphers?
AEAD (Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data) ciphers provide both encryption and authentication in a single operation, making them more secure and efficient than traditional ciphers.
How often should I review cipher suite configuration?
Regular reviews are recommended, especially after security updates or when new vulnerabilities are discovered. Use Barrion's continuous monitoring to track cipher suite changes over time.
Can I use different cipher suites for different TLS versions?
Yes, you can configure different cipher suites for different TLS versions. TLS 1.3 has a simplified cipher suite list, while TLS 1.2 offers more options but requires careful configuration.
Why Barrion
Built for the engineers who already have enough to fix.
Speed
Fast results
Instant analysis with a detailed report. You see findings as the scan runs, not after.
Coverage
Comprehensive checks
The full passive scan runs 18 checks on the free plan, covering TLS, headers and cookies. Paid plans run 35+ and add CORS, DNS, email auth and more.
Action
Step-by-step fixes
Every finding ships with the exact remediation step for your framework. Hand it to the engineer who owns the surface.
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FAQ
Frequently asked.
What is Barrion?
Barrion runs continuous, agentic AI penetration tests of web applications and APIs. AI agents test your app the way an attacker would, safely, on a schedule or on demand. Findings are checked against the live app before they're reported, and tracked across runs as new, still open, resolved or regressed. From Standard level up, a security engineer reviews each report. Barrion AB is based in Gothenburg, Sweden. A free passive scan is the quickest way to start.
How safe is Barrion to use for security testing?
AI pentests send real test requests, so they're rate-limited and non-destructive, and you approve the exact scope before a single request goes out. You can point them at staging too. The free passive scan only reads your live app. It never submits forms, brute-forces endpoints or touches anything that changes state, so it's safe to run against production.
What types of security issues does Barrion identify?
AI pentests look for the issues an attacker could exploit, like SQL injection, cross-site scripting and broken access control. Findings are checked against your live app, and confirmed ones come with the request and response that prove them. Anything we couldn't confirm is clearly marked and capped in severity. The passive scan catches misconfigurations in TLS and HTTPS, security headers, cookie flags, CORS policy, DNS records, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and network exposure.
What specific security checks does Barrion perform?
Barrion covers two surfaces. AI pentesting is the active part: specialist agents chain requests to find exploitable flaws such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting and broken access control. Findings are checked against your live app, and confirmed ones come with the request and response that prove them. The passive scan is read-only and safe to point at production. On paid plans it runs 35+ checks (18 on the free plan): transport security (HTTPS, HSTS, TLS version, cipher suites, certificate expiry, hostname and chain validity, OCSP stapling), HTTP response headers (Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, Content-Type, server information disclosure), CSP and framing (Content-Security-Policy, bypass detection, Trusted Types, X-Frame-Options), cross-origin policy (COOP, COEP, CORP and the full CORS header set), cookie flags and anti-CSRF tokens, mixed content, vulnerable JavaScript libraries, DNS records including DNSSEC and CAA, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), open ports and subdomain takeover. Findings from both are ranked by severity and come with step-by-step remediation.
Will my auditor or enterprise customers accept the pentest report?
The report maps every finding to OWASP WSTG, a security engineer reviews it from Standard up and signs it off from Deep up, and a free retest shows what you fixed. Teams use it as evidence for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and NIS2 work. Whether it's accepted is up to your auditor.
How often does Barrion test my app?
Continuously or on demand. On the Business plan you save a pentest and it reruns daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, every six months, yearly or on your own rhythm. On any plan you can start a pentest or a passive scan on demand. A passive scan also runs on a schedule and alerts you when something new shows up.
Is Barrion suitable for security testing of all business sizes?
Yes. Solo developers often start with the free passive scan and a single pentest. Teams with several apps run pentests on a schedule, and it fits alongside the tools you already run.
How does Barrion handle data security and privacy during security testing?
Passive scans are read-only: they only look at what your app already exposes publicly. For AI pentests we keep the findings in your report, and confirmed findings include the request and response behind them, so you can review and reproduce them. Test credentials you add are encrypted. Barrion is hosted in Sweden, data is stored in the EU and AI processing runs in the EU. Our trust page lists every subprocessor. Pentests are rate-limited and only run inside the scope you approve.
What if I'm not satisfied with Barrion's security testing service?
You can cancel anytime in the dashboard, and paid plans carry a 14-day refund window from the first charge. If something isn't right, contact us and we'll make it work for your team.
How does Barrion help with SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIS2, and other compliance frameworks?
Barrion's pentest reports come as PDF, XLSX and JSON, mapped to all 97 OWASP WSTG test cases, with engineer review from Standard up, sign-off from Deep up and a free retest after fixes. Teams use them as evidence that supports SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS and NIS2 work. Whether a report is accepted is up to your auditor or customer.
Anything else? Email contact@barrion.io.