NETWORK SCANNING

In today’s world, many companies carry out operations via an online platform that can often be exposed to risk due to security breaches caused by malicious intruders. In order to mitigate these risks, maintain a robust network and provide a safe service to their customers, using network scanning tools is a must. 

This just amplifies the need to understand technology as we keep moving forward. As days pass, newer and newer technology keeps coming up, and sites like (https://techieplus.net/) keep track of them. This helps in staying updated and informed as time keeps moving forward so that we can secure ourselves from the various kinds of threats that may emerge.

Network scanning tools are essential to prevent attacks on the network. They identify loopholes in the network and any abnormalities that could compromise the integrity of the system. This process helps the company fix any issues they may have and create a plan for dealing with or preferably avoiding future breaches of security.

In technical terms, the function of a Network Scanning Tool is to:

  • Detects all active hosts and maps them to their IP addresses
  • Detect TCP sequence number of both the hosts
  • Run TCP and UDP network services

In this article, we will provide a comprehensive review of what we believe are the best Network Scanning Tools in the market as of March 2021. We urge you to consider the following factors before you make a decision, as each tool provides different functionalities that you may or may not require.

Factors to consider before choosing a Network Scanning Tool

  • Hardware and software requirements of the network scanning tool
  • If the features of the tool meet the requirements of your company
  • Reviews from as many sources as possible 
  • License and training cost
  • Quality of support offered by the company

The top Network Scanning Tools in 2021 are:

SOLARWINDS NETWORK DEVICE SCANNER WITH NETWORK PERFORMANCE MONITOR 

It uses an SNMP protocol to discover devices on your network routinely.

Key Features

  • Automatic scanning and discovery of devices. The scan can be run once or can be scheduled to run at regular intervals (recommended). 
  • Automatic mapping of network topology, customized dynamic network maps.
  • Monitor fault, availability, and performance metrics
  • Information is displayed in customisable charts and dashboards.
  • Hop-by-hop analysis of cloud or on-premise applications or services
  • Swiftly identify root cause with intelligent, dependency, and topology-aware network alerts.
  • Cost: Free Trial – 30 days, Pricing starts at $1,638

ACUNETIX NETWORK SECURITY SCANNER 

A comprehensive security scanner that detects and fixes over 50000 known network vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. 

Key Features

  • Identifies vulnerabilities and presents results on Acunetix dashboard 
  • Enables easy generation of network security report 
  • Detects misconfigurations such as weak SNMP community strings, TLS/SSL cyphers, etc. 
  • Detects OS End of Life
  • Discover open ports and running services
  • Cost: Free for one year, Pricing starts at $4,495 for 1 to 5 sites. 

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor

A budget-friendly network monitoring tool that sends alerts to users before a data breach occurs.

Key Features

  • Email and SMS alerts prior to a security compromise 
  • Network topology mapping and visualisation
  • Can monitor jFlow, sFlow, IP SLA, Firewall, IP, LAN, Wi-Fi, Jitter, and IPFIX
  • Identify the bandwidth of applications and devices to avoid performance bottlenecks in the server.
  • Cost: Free version – up to 100 servers (1 sensor required for each monitoring entity), Paid version – 30-day free trial, unlimited sensors.

INTRUDER 

An easy-to-use online vulnerability scanner that runs scans across your digital infrastructure and automatically generates an exposure analysis report.

Key Features

  • Finds weaknesses in your system and provides straightforward advice to rectify them and minimise exposure to external attacks 
  • Runs Emerging Threat Scans when new vulnerabilities are found to ensure their targets are protected 
  • Scan for flaws like SQL injection and cross-site scripting in websites
  • Integration with cloud services – Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google Drive, etc.
  • Only reports risks that require action to avoid noise
  • Results are verified to avoid false positives. 
  • Cost: Free Trial – 30 days, Pricing from $97/month

ADVANCED IP SCANNER 

A widely used free, open-source network scanning tool that detects devices allows for remote control of devices, including turning them on and off.

Key Features

  • Scans and lists all devices (including wireless devices) on Local Area Network
  • Offers remote access via RTP and RAdmin, shut down and wake-on-LAN
  • Provides access to shared folders
  • Detects MAC addresses
  • Scan results can be exported to a CSV file. 
  • Cost: Free

Network scanning tools should play a key role in a company’s security strategy. One must understand that the risk of cyber-attack is ever growing with the growing number of attack surfaces and hence, take necessary steps to mitigate the risk of exposure to these attacks. Ideally, a network scanning tool must be chosen such that it strikes the right balance between finding and alerting users about existing or possible breaches of security while avoiding too much noise from false alarms.

By Anurag Rathod

Anurag Rathod is an Editor of Appclonescript.com, who is passionate for app-based startup solutions and on-demand business ideas. He believes in spreading tech trends. He is an avid reader and loves thinking out of the box to promote new technologies.