Which vulnerability is least likely to be identified by a web vulnerability scanner?

A web vulnerability scanner is designed to identify common vulnerabilities in web applications, including issues such as improper handling of user input, configuration weaknesses, and common coding flaws. Among the options, a race condition is least likely to be detected by such a scanner.

Race conditions occur when the timing of events creates unexpected behavior, particularly when two processes access shared resources simultaneously. They typically depend on the specific sequence of operations and the timing of those operations, which may not be replicable or identifiable by automated scanning tools. These tools often focus on static testing of web application code and the responses generated by that code, rather than the dynamic conditions of concurrent processing that give rise to race conditions.

In contrast, vulnerabilities like path disclosure, local file inclusion, and buffer overflow are more direct and can often be tested and identified through standard scanning techniques that look at inputs, outputs, and system responses. These types of vulnerabilities can usually be triggered by specific requests or inputs, making them more suitable for identification by scanning tools designed to probe for well-known weaknesses in web applications.