Nmap vs. Rapid7 InsightVM

If you're a sysadmin, or anyone who's had to deploy network services, you've almost certainly had to use Nmap at some point or other. Need to see what devices are on your LAN? Nmap can tell you that. Want to check which ports your web server has open to the internet? Nmap is your friend.

Nmap is a powerful command-line tool and has many options that require some reading of documentation to get the best out of (although generally straightforward). If the thought of working at the command-line scares you (presumably not if you're reading this review), then you may want a much simpler tool, or at least check out Zenmap GUI.

Incentivized

Rapid7 InsightVM is perfect for a scenario where IT admin or CISO wants to scan its infrastructure to be sure that there is no vulnerability that could be exploited from outside or inside the company. It also could be used to automate patching and dealing with vulnerabilities. It's also adapted for users that need cloud security management

Incentivized

• NMap provides a very fast and a very thorough network "sweep" that allows you to quickly map out exactly what's on your network.
• NMap is highly configurable. The "canned" choices are very good in most instances, but using various switches and options, you can create a very specific scan and get exactly the results you're looking for.
• NMap is easy to use. Even a new administrator will be able to use the graphical version (Zenmap) with efficiency right away.

Incentivized

• Being a vulnerability scanner tool, its purpose is to scan the systems to find the vulnerabilities. We can define the assets like IP address for the scans and it also allows to either schedule the scan at a preferred time or start the scan immediately. Upon completion of the scan, this tool can result provide the details like host type, OS information, hardware address, along with the vulnerabilities.
• Rapid7 Nexpose has a list of templates to perform the scan. Once the templates are defined then the scans are performed accordingly.
• It also contains an option to add credentials/authentication using passwords, usernames, private keys to perform the credential-based scans which I think is a great feature.

Incentivized

• exporting, There's a serious lack of ability to export the information in a readable format to present to VPs and such. I always find myself doing a lot of data massaging to get it in a pretty format
• some scans can trigger sensitive IDS/IPS
• SYN scans can be particularly aggressive and cause problems on remote systems.

Incentivized

• In comparison to Tenable SecurityCenter we saw it didn't exactly find the same vulnerabilities which we would assume it should have
• We rely on a ticketing system and not our VM tool to assign tasks so wasn't too useful having that in there
• Filtering capabilities aren't as good as its competitors

Incentivized

There is a very large support community and a robust selection of add-ons and scripts. Once you get the use down this is one of the most powerful tools and you can find anything you are looking for as far as examples on the web. While not having official support its not lacking by any means.

Incentivized

I gave it a seven due to the functionality and general ease of use after the initial setup headaches, but compared to Qualys, Rapid7 Nexpose falls short on features and ease of use. Their support drags this rating down a point as well. I have gone weeks with no update on semi-critical issues and typically have to make call after call to get a semi-coherent response.

Incentivized

Alternatives to Nmap (other IP scanners) are often much more limited in what they can do; They often only allow you to scan a specific subset of ports or a limited number of IP addresses in one command. Nmap is unrestricted in that regard. What makes Nmap stand out above the rest, is the complete network analysis package you get with it. It allows IP scanner, network deep-dives, hardware analysis, vulnerability analysis, encryption detailing, and so much more, in one free application

Incentivized

Nessus Pro does scans, but does not maintain an inventory from scan to scan. There is no history for a specific device, you have to look inside the results of each scan. Search across inventory is non-existent. There are no dashboards for data analysis. This is no tracking for remediation

Incentivized

• Nmap with Wireshark is free, so it's been a great combo team to gather info and test.
• It's allowed us to avoid fines from false positives and to fix actual issues ourselves.
• Great for finding hosts, helps keep the network secure.

Incentivized

• Can reduce time to patch most critical vulnerabilities
• Can help to identify who is spending time patching things of lower risk thus keeping the organization in a more vulnerable position
• Easily provides the patch team with a work plan to enhance security more quickly

Incentivized