88 Network Vulnerability Scanning Tools

Network vulnerability scanning tools, cover a broad range of systems, often incorporating all of the devices which make up your local internal network or the devices and services you have which may be accessible externally over the internet.

There are lots of vulnerability scanning tools currently on the market. Many specialize in web applications, secure code analysis, and cloud services.

This article includes information regarding Tenable products.  Forge Secure is now a Tenable partner and reseller which should be taken into account with any reviews or recommendations.

A network vulnerability scanner can assess this broad range of devices by focusing on the services and open ports that your devices run, as well as the configuration of the device and reviewing the patching and versions of the system and installed software.

Vulnerability scanning services do have their limitations. Depending on the individual tool, they may have limited ability to check your specific device or software, so it is always worth following some vulnerability scanning best practices, considering getting as much information as possible regarding the coverage of a tool, or utilizing trial versions, to ensure it will cover your specific requirements.

The following network vulnerability scanners are focused on identifying vulnerabilities within your internal and external network, although some are more specialized to the external attack surface or web application scanning, and some have additional features beyond only network scanning.

For a more detailed guide on vulnerability scans review the following, Vulnerability Scan Guide.

Network Vulnerability Scanning Tools

	Company	Product	Trial/Demo	Notes
	APISec	APISec	Free Trial	APISec has a focus on API testing rather than an entire web application.
	AppCheck	AppCheck	Free Trial	Vulnerability scanning solutions for your external and internal infrastructure and web applications.
	Armis	Armis Centrix	Demo	Asset Management with security and patch management.
	AT&T Business	AlienVault USM	Free Trial	Asset discovery and vulnerability scanning solution.
	Beyond Security	BeSECURE	Demo	A VM tool designed to scan your infrastructure for vulnerabilities.
	Camel Secure	CAVM	Demo	Vulnerability scanner focused on API testing with integrations to aid with development.
	Carson & Saint	TR-3	Free Trial	A cloud based scanning solution designed around small business use.
	Carson & Saint	BB-9	Contact Provider	An on premises vulnerability scanning appliance to install and scan your infrastructure.
	Carson & Saint	SAINTCloud	Contact Provider	A cloud based scanning solution that can also be used for penetration testing access.
	CISOfy	Lynis	Free Trial	Linux and Mac Vulnerability Scanning and Hardening.
	ConnectSecure	ConnectSecure	Free Trial	Security scanning solution targeted at MSP’s.
	CyberAnt	NetCaptain	Demo	Scan and track your infrastructure vulnerabilities.
	Cyberteq	mUnit	Contact Provider	Detect vulnerabilities and assign tasks and assets to system owners.
	CyberWatch	CyberWatch	Demo	Agent and Agentless scanning options for vulnerabilities and compliance, with patch management solutions included.
	Cycognito	Cycognito	Demo	Continuous security testing with a focus on web applications.
	Cymulate	Cymulate Platform	Demo	Identify attack surface, vulnerabilities and attack paths.
	Cyrisma	Vulnerability Management	Demo	Vulnerability identification for your internal and external assets, with patch deployment options.
	Dectar	ACSIA CRA	Contact Provider	Mapping and Scanning for your external attack surface.
	Deepinfo	Deepinfo	Demo	Identify assets and vulnerabilities that make up your external attack surface.
	Defendify	Defendify	Free Essentials Version	Scanning and prioritization for your external and internal assets.
	Detectify	Detectify	Free Trial	Search, identify and scan your external attack surface.
	EdgeScan	EdgeScan	Demo	Search, identify and scan your external attack surface.
	Enginsight	Enginsight	Free Trial	External and Internal vulnerability scanning with automated responses and patching options are available.
	ESET	ESET Protect MDR	Contact Provider	Vulnerability Scanning & Patch Management Features
	Flexera	Flexera	Video Demo	A vulnerability and patch management solution.
	Fortra	Frontline VM	Demo	A SaaS vulnerability management solution providing vulnerability scanning and compliance auditing.
	Fortra	Tripwire IP360	Demo	Provides visibility and scanning for your on-premises and cloud networks.
	Fortra	Alert Logic	Demo	Identify vulnerabilities in your network devices, web applications, and cloud solutions.
	FullHunt	FullHunt	Free Trial	Identify assets and vulnerabilities that make up your external attack surface.
	GFI	LanGuard	Demo	Network discovery and vulnerability scanning, which allows you to categorize your assets into groups for different teams.
	Greenbone	OpenVAS	Free	An open-source vulnerability scanning tool for your infrastructure
	Havoc Shield	Havoc Shield	Demo	Vulnerability scanning for your devices and applications.
	Holm Security	S&N Scanning	Free Trial	Scan external and internal infrastructure using a cloud or on-premises solution.
	IBM Security	Randori Recon	Free Trial	Maps out external attack surface and vulnerabilities
	Infiltration Systems	Infiltrator	Free	Network scanning and auditing tool for your internal devices.
	Intruder	IVS	Free Trial	An Agent based scanning solution to install on each of your assets.
	Intruder	EVS	Free Trial	An external scanning solution to target your IP’s and Web apps.
	ITrust	IKare	Free Trial	Detect and scan your network assets, allocating devices into logical groups.
	Lupasafe	Lupasafe	Free Trial	Vulnerability scanning for your devices, web apps, and networks, with the addition of monitoring for data breaches.
	Mageni	Mageni	Free	Scanning for your internal and external devices.
	ManageEngine	Vulnerability Manager Plus	Free Trial	Vulnerability scanning and device management solution.
	Microsoft	EASM	Contact Provider	Identify assets and vulnerabilities that make up your external attack surface.
	Microsoft	Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management	Free Trial	Device management and vulnerability identification solution for Microsoft Windows devices.
	NetVigilance	WebScan	Contact Provider	External infrastructure and web application vulnerability scanning.
	NetVigilance	External Scan	Contact Provider	External infrastructure vulnerability scanning.
	NetVigilance	Internal Scan	Contact Provider	Agent-Based vulnerability scanning for your Windows devices.
	NinjaOne	Vulnerability Management	Free Trial	Endpoint vulnerability identification, with device management capabilities, including alerting of issues and applying patching and mitigation.
	OnSecurity	Scan	Free Trial	Continuously identify, scan and monitor your external attack surface.
	Outpost24	Sweepatic	Free Scan	Discovery, mapping, and vulnerability identification of your internet-facing assets.
	Patrowl	Patrowl	Demo	External attack surface identification and vulnerability scanning.
	Pentera	Pentera Core	Demo	Internal Network Vulnerability Scanning and Attack Chain Mapping
	Pentera	Pentera Cloud	Demo	Cloud Infrastructure Vulnerability Scanning and Attack Chain Mapping
	Penteston	Penteston	Contact Provider	Vulnerability scanning for your external network and applications.
	Peris.ai	Bima	Contact Provider	Identify vulnerabilities and track progress within a vulnerability management program.
	Positive Technologies	MaxPatrol 8	Contact Provider	Vulnerability scanning for your devices and software with options for pen-testing conducted using the installed system.
	Positive Technologies	XSpider	Contact Provider	Vulnerability scanning for your devices, software and web applications.
	Positive Technologies	MaxPatrol VM	Contact Provider	Vulnerability scanning for your devices and software.
	Qualys	VMDR	Free Trial	Scan, prioritize and remediate your vulnerabilities.
	Rainforest Tech	Rainforest Infra	Demo	Cloud based device and network scanning solution.
	Rapid7	InsightVM	Free Trial	An Agent and Server scanning solution for your infrastructure assets and integrating with dozens of other solutions to aid in reporting and vulnerability management.
	Rapid7	Nexpose	Free Trial	An on-premises vulnerability scanning solution with a range of supported integrations.
	RapidFire Tools	VulScan	Demo	External and internal network scanning with ticket creation options for remediation.
	Reconfirm	Reconfirm	Demo	External attack surface mapping and vulnerability identification with data breach detection options.
	Red Maple	FractalScan	Free Version	External attack surface mapping and vulnerability identification.
	ResilientX Security	ResilientX	Free Trial	External attack surface identification and vulnerability scanning of your external assets.
	Ridge Security	RidgeBot	Demo	Security scanning and adversary emulation to identify attack paths.
	RoboShadow	Vulnerability Scanner	Free Option	External vulnerability scanning and device endpoint scanning.
	SecOps Solution	SecOps	Free Trial	An agentless vulnerability scanning and management solution that can aid in patching and remediation.
	SecPod	SanerNow	Free Trial	Vulnerability scanning and management for your assets.
	SecPoint	Penetrator	Free Trial	Scan external and internal assets through a cloud solution and Microsoft Hyper-V option.
	SecPoint	Cloud Penetrator	Free Scan	Scan external assets through this cloud only solution of the vulnerability scanner.
	Security For Everyone	Security For Everyone	Free Trial	Continuous vulnerability scanner for your external assets.
	Secyour	Secyour Scanner	Demo	External vulnerability scanning and attack surface discovery.
	Shield Cyber	Shield	Demo	Attack surface mapping and vulnerability identification.
	SyxSense	SyxSense Secure	Demo	Vulnerability scanning and device management.
	Tac Security	ESOF VACA	Free Trial	Scanning options for vulnerabilities and configuration, with patch management solutions included.
	Tanium	XEM	Free Trial	Vulnerability identification and prioritization platform.
	TechBridge	tbVA	Demo	Scanning options for vulnerabilities, configuration and compliance for your internal and external infrastructure in addition to web applications.
	Tenable	Nessus Essentials	Free	The free version of the Nessus vulnerability scanner, although limited to 16 IP Addresses.
	Tenable	Nessus Professional	Free Trial	A vulnerability scanner focused on identifying infrastructure vulnerabilities.
	Tenable	Nessus Expert	Free Trial	A further developed Nessus Vulnerability scanner, incorporating Web Application scanning and External attack surface scanning.
	Vicarius	vRx	Free Trial	Vulnerability scanning, with patch deployment and mitigation methods.
	Vulners	Linux Scanner	Contact Provider	A Linux vulnerability scanning tool to install on each required device.
	Vulners	Windows Scanner	Contact Provider	A Windows vulnerability scanning tool to install on each required device.
	Vulners	Perimeter Control	Free Scan	A vulnerability scanning tool for your external perimeter.
	WithSecure	Elements Vulnerability Management	Free Trial	Agent and Network based scanning to cover your whole infrastructure.
	WizNucleus	CyberWizPro	Demo	A vulnerability management platform for identification, tracking and remediation
	XM Cyber	XM Cyber	Demo	Vulnerability identification and attack path mapping.

Choosing the right tool for you

Do you have lots of remote workers?

Where you have a large number of remote workers and equipment that isn’t set up in a central location, a single vulnerability scanning device that scans all other devices, may not be the most effective solution.

When scanning remotely your devices may not always have access to a VPN for their office, connections may drop, and the scanner may consume a large amount of bandwidth and run slowly.

Where this is the case, scanning solutions that offer Agent-based options might be your preferred choice. This allows you to install software on each of your remote devices, so the devices scan themselves and then submit the results to a central location at regular intervals.

Do you have devices that you cannot install software on?

For other businesses, you may have a large amount of networked devices that do not have the option to install software on. For these situations, a central server that acts as your vulnerability scanner and creates a network connection to remotely log in to your other devices will be your preferred option.

External or Internal Vulnerability Scanning Tools

Depending upon where the majority of your infrastructure and services are located, you may gain more benefit from a vulnerability scanning software that is focused around your external attack surface and includes options to discover and map out services you may not be aware of.

For a more in-depth review of two vulnerability scanning tools, a comparison of Nessus and OpenVAS can be referred to here.

Additional Features Beyond Vulnerability Scanning

Many tools are now designed as a complete vulnerability management solution, allowing you to not only scan for vulnerabilities but also to assign remediation tasks to your teams, track the progress of devices and vulnerabilities over time, and even deploy patching and configuration changes to your devices.

The solution you choose may need to take into account these additional features so that you can identify vulnerabilities in your systems and also implement a solution to manage your devices and their security threats.

Multiple User Accounts and Permission Levels

If you are working as part of a large team or need other users to have access to the results but not to set up their own scans, having a solution with varying account permissions available can be a useful feature to work with the output of the vulnerability scanner.

Create A Prioritized List Of Vulnerabilities

Where multiple vulnerabilities need to be addressed, a useful feature of any vulnerability scanning tool can be to create ordered lists of vulnerabilities based upon their priority to be addressed.

These ordered lists can take into account multiple factors beyond impact severity and also allow organizations to add their own specific business context to a vulnerability.

A more complete description of vulnerability prioritization is provided under the post, “What is Vulnerability Prioritization“.

Assign Tasks and Track Vulnerabilities

Ensuring your team is being allocated the appropriate jobs and that patches and mitigation actions are being deployed is vital as part of a vulnerability management program. Being able to track this information within a single platform can be a useful feature if operating as a vulnerability manager.

Integration With Your Current Solutions

Many vulnerability scanners offer options to integrate with your existing solutions, acting as additional sources of data and information. This could be through ticketing options such as Jira or making API calls to display the vulnerability data within another platform.

Other solutions have integrations to incorporate data from other sources into their own platform, intending to be the primary dashboard you interact with, but including data from secondary sources.

Depending on the solutions you already have in place, integration options should be considered when choosing your vulnerability scanner.

Patching and Mitigation Deployment Options

While some vulnerabilities may require more planning and testing before deploying a patch, for some issues the ability to identify and deploy patches all from a single console can be a valuable and time-saving feature when maintaining a secure infrastructure.

Compliance and Configuration Scanning Solutions

If you are working towards a compliance certification or have your own standards that you want to ensure are maintained for all of your devices, a compliance and configuration scanning option and some scanning best practices can help to ensure you are alerted to any devices that fall outside your intended security standard.

Automated Vulnerability Scanning Schedule or Continuous Vulnerability Scanning

For many modern vulnerability scanners, a useful option is to be able to configure your scanning protocols at the start, and have these scans run on a scheduled loop or continuously running one after another, to search for any newly identified threats.

Alerts for Recently Disclosed Vulnerabilities

Vendors will often disclose recently discovered vulnerabilities that are known to impact their systems. Vulnerability scanning tools which make use of these news feeds to alert you of potential security risks, can be useful to proactively secure your business.

Checks Against Known Data Breaches

For many security tools that focus on your internet-facing assets, options are available for searching through known data breaches and looking for records that relate to your company and domains. This can be a useful indication of where issues may have occurred in the past which impact your business, and provide useful mitigation strategies, such as changing affected accounts or updating company policies to avoid further data breaches.

Vulnerability Scanning Software Limitations

Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing

Some tools aim to simulate the activities of Penetration Testing, this can be through gathering information about your devices and vulnerabilities and aiming to draw an exploitation path through your network.

This visual representation of how an attacker may exploit one issue and use this to further escalate their access to other devices and areas of your business can be useful when planning defense-in-depth strategies and taking preventative actions to eliminate attack paths.

While this feature can be very useful with vulnerability scanning, particularly with internal network vulnerability scanners, there are still limitations in their capabilities and the types of vulnerabilities and connections they can make. While these tools and features have begun to approximate certain actions a penetration tester may make, they still shouldn’t be considered a complete replacement for all the different types of security testing.

Over the next few years, with further development of tools and the incorporation of AI technologies, the gap between automation and manual testing may begin to close.

Vulnerability Scans and False Positives

False Positives occur when your network vulnerability scanner tools report security vulnerabilities that your devices are not affected by.

This type of issue can occur when a specific setting, device response, or identified patch is reported incorrectly. Sometimes a repeat vulnerability scan is enough to determine the error, although some scanners will consistently report the same issue.

Although this can be frustrating it is an issue that is quite common across many vulnerability scanning tools and is often the reason some businesses choose a managed vulnerability scanner, as typically these results will be manually verified before reported.

While some companies may advertise they have “100% zero false positives”, this may indicate a smaller number of vulnerabilities that are identified and reported by the scanner, which is itself a limitation of the scanner’s capabilities.

Vulnerability Scanning for Non-Standard Solutions

As vulnerability scanners are designed around the most common network devices, operating systems, and software solutions, where you have systems that fall outside of this standard, you may find you have blank spots in your coverage for security threats.

While this may not be a common occurrence for many businesses it can pose a particular challenge for some, and highlights some of the limitations of security scanning tools.

In these situations it is likely manual penetration testing would be required to assess your systems security vulnerabilities, although it should also be pointed out that an uncommon solution may not be familiar to a penetration tester either, in which case you may need to be selective with your security testing partner and ask for prior experience working on similar solutions.

Conclusion

Investing in a network vulnerability scanning tool can be a difficult decision when trying to find a tool that meets your requirements, helps to improve your security, and provides useful information and features.

In many cases, a single vulnerability scanner will not be enough to meet all of your requirements. If this is the case a preferred option may be to use freely available resources where possible and to invest in tools where necessary.

Alternatively, you can find a security testing partner who already uses multiple vulnerability scanners and can assess all of your systems saving the requirement of purchasing multiple tools, however, you will likely have less regular security testing conducted, so there is a need to find a balance between price and regular vulnerability scanning that works for your requirements.

Where you have any further questions regarding different cybersecurity solutions, our consultants are available to address any concerns you may have.