10 Best Network Scanning Tools for Network Security

Network scanning tools are designed with only one purpose. To prevent and observe threats like misuse and unauthorized manipulation of a network.

Network scanning tools, a covenant of Network Security, recognize loopholes and vulnerabilities of the network to safeguard it from unique and abnormal behavior that poses a threat to the system destroying any confidential and personal information.

What is network scanning?

For proper maintenance and evaluation of the network security system, the following processes are brought out:

• Discovery of two active hosts on a network and identification of filtering systems among them
• Scanning of commonly used TCP and UDP network services
• Discovery of TCP Sequence Number of both the hosts
• Scanning and transfer of data packets to a particular support number

There are various Network Scanning Tools (IP and Network Scanner) meant for the maintenance and assessment of a Network Security System.

1) Acunetix

Acunetix Online is a completely automated versatile scanning tool which is able to recognize and report on a plethora of well-known network threats and misconfigurations.

Key features:

• Operating services and open ports are located
• Security of routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers is evaluated
• DNS zone relocation, weak SNMP community strings, weak passwords, and TLS/SSL ciphers, badly configured Proxy Servers, are tested.
• A complete audit of network security across the audit of the Acunetix web application is taken out by including this tool with Acunetix online.

2) OpenVAS

The Open Vulnerability Assessment System (OpenVAS) tool is a free and secure tool for scanning network security. Lots of OpenVAS components are permitted below the General Public License or GNU. The Security Scanner that includes the important component of OpenVAS runs in a Linux environment only.

Key Features:

• OpenVAS can be included with Open Vulnerability Assessment Language (OVAL) to write down vulnerability tests.
• Scanning options given by OpenVAS are:
  • Full scanning of the complete network.
  • Scanning of the web server and web applications.
  • Scanning for WordPress vulnerability and WordPress web server problems.
• Demonstrated ability to function as a robust network vulnerability scanning tool with a smart customized strategy.

3) Wireshark

Being an open-source tool, Wireshark has considered its utility as a network protocol analyzer capable of working on several platforms.

Key Features:

• Data vulnerabilities cropping up among the active client and server on a live network are scanned with this tool.
• Network traffic can be observed and the network stream can be pursued.
• The Wireshark tool functions on Linux, Windows, as well as on OSX.
• It shows the stream development of TCP session and includes tshark, a tcpdump support rendition (tcpdump is a packet analyzer working on a command line).
• Experience of Remote Security Exploitation is the solitary problem with the Wireshark tool.

4) Nikto

Nikto works as an open-source web server scanner. It conducts fast testing to recognize suspicious activities on the network simultaneously with other network programs capable of utilizing network traffic.

Key Features:

• Full HTTP substitute support.
• Reporting in HTML, XML, and CSV formats tailored as per requirement.
• The scanning properties of Nikto will refresh automatically.
• Web server choices, HTTP servers, and server configurations are reviewed.

5) Angry IP Scanner

Angry IP Scanner  is a free and open-source network scanning tool that scans IP addresses and also performs port scans successfully and quickly

Key Features:

• The scan report includes data like computer name, hostname, NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System), MAC address, workgroup information, etc
• The report can be created in Txt, CSV, and/or XML format
• It works with a Multi-threaded Scanning strategy where a different scanning thread for every individual IP address enhances the scanning method

6) Advanced IP Scanner

Advanced IP Scanner is an open-source and free network scanning tool that operates on the Windows platform. It has the ability to recognize and scan any device on a network including remote gadgets.

Key Features:

• It allows RDP, FTP, and HTTPS services to run on the remote machine.
• It carries out various actions like remote access, remote wake-on-LAN, and a speedier shutdown.

7) Qualys Freescan

Qualys Freescan is an open-source and free network scanning tool that gives scans for local servers, Internet Protocols, and URLs to recognize security ambiguities.

Key Features:

• Qualys Freescan supports Vulnerability tests for SSL-related problems and malware.
• Qualys Freescan supports Tests network configuration upon Security Contents i.e.; SCAP.
• Qualys Freescan is capable of operating only 10 free scans. And therefore cannot be utilized for normal network scans.
• It helps to differentiate network problems and security patches to dispose of it.

8)SoftPerfect

SoftPerfect is a free network scanning tool with a collection of advanced Multi-thread IPv4/IPv6 scanning characteristics. It gives data like hostname and MAC address that is associated with LAN network obtained from HTTP, SNMP, and NetBIOS.

Key Features:

• It collects data on local and external IP addresses, secluded wake-on-LAN, and shut down.
• It assists in enhancing the performance of the network and identifies the working status of devices on a network to check network availability.
• This tool has a shown utility for the multi-protocol environment.

9) Retina Network Scanner

RN Scanner gives a security patch for Adobe, Microsoft, and Firefox applications. It is an unconnected network vulnerability tool capable of promoting the assessment of threats obtained from the Operating System, finest network performance, and applications.

Key Features:

• It is a free tool that operates on a Windows server with the requirement of security fixes up to 256 IPs.
• This tool offers user-customized scanning simultaneously enabling the user to select the type of report delivery.

10) Nessus

Nessus is a widely applied network security scanner that operates in a UNIX system.

The tool which was previously open-source and free software is now commercial software. The free version of Nessus is available with limited security features.

Key Features:

• The main security highlights of Nessus consist of:
  • Web-based interface
  • Client-Server architecture
  • Remote and local security checks
  • Built-in plug-ins

• Nessus tool is available with 70,000+ plug-ins and services or functionalities like the discovery of malware, scanning of web application scanning, and monitoring of system configuration, etc.
• Amongst the advanced characteristics are multi-network scanning, automated scanning, and asset detection.
• Nessus is available with 3 versions namely Nessus Professional, Nessus Home, and Nessus Manager/Nessus Cloud.

Also Read: 8 Top-Notch Penetration Testing Tools

Conclusion

Network Scanning Tools can turn the important tasks of prevention of network intrusion into a much easier one.  Moreover, Swift and continuous scanning of networks problems help us to arrange a prevention method to get rid of them.

Today, all major software industries working on an online viewpoint make use of Network Scanning Tools to stop network attacks.

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