Top 40+ Network Security Audit Tools
Network security audit tools scan a network and report on its security. They flag threats, vulnerabilities, and missing patches, then alert administrators.
These tools vary widely in function. Some handle patch management. Others fall into the categories below:
- Vulnerability scanners
- Penetration testing tools
- Firewall audit tools
- Network security monitoring tools
- Security information and event management (SIEM) tools
- Identity and access management (IAM) tools
- Network security monitoring tools
- Compliance automation platforms
Vulnerability scanners & penetration testing tools
Vulnerability scanners
These tools scan these assets for vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. They create a detailed inventory of all assets, such as desktops, laptops, servers, firewalls, printers, and software components like applications, containers, and virtual machines.
There are three key things vulnerability scanners provide security teams with:
- Known weaknesses: Vulnerability scanners identify weaknesses based on previously exploited threats.
- Risk level: The scanners assess how dangerous each weakness could be.
- Actionable recommendations: Vulnerability scanners can suggest patching a specific software version or reconfiguring a firewall.
Examples of vulnerability scanners:
Several of these also serve as penetration testing tools.
- LevelBlue USM Anywhere (formerly AlienVault USM): A unified security management platform that combines vulnerability scanning, asset discovery, intrusion detection, and threat intelligence.
- Intruder: A cloud-based scanner that finds and ranks exposed attack surface issues as they appear.
- Invicti: Scans web applications for vulnerabilities and confirms findings automatically to cut false positives.
- Burp Suite: A web application testing tool that combines scanning with manual testing.
- Nessus: A vulnerability scanner from Tenable covering servers, network devices, and applications, with plugin coverage updated daily.
- Astra Pentest: A scanner that pairs automated testing with manual review and produces reports formatted for compliance audits.
- Metasploit: An exploitation framework that confirms whether a detected weakness can be exploited in practice.
Read more: Top vulnerability scanning tools.
Penetration testing tools
Penetration testing identifies, tests, and remediates weaknesses in security controls. Common tool types include:
- Port scanners: Identify open ports to detect running systems and applications, helping testers find potential attack vectors.
- Vulnerability scanners: Search for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in servers, OS, and apps, guiding testers to exploitable weaknesses.
- Network sniffers: Monitor network traffic to analyze communication, protocols, and encryption, revealing potential vulnerabilities.
- Web proxy: Intercepts and modifies web traffic to detect hidden vulnerabilities like XSS and CSRF.
- Password crackers: Test password strength by cracking hashes, identifying weak passwords that could be exploited for privilege escalation.
Examples of commercial penetration testing tools
- Burp Suite (free and paid options available): Burp Suite by Portswigger is a suite of tools designed for testing web application security. It includes Burp Proxy, a popular web proxy used for man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, enabling penetration testers to intercept and analyze traffic between the web server and browser.
- Invicti (commercial): Invicti is a tool that provides automated vulnerability assessment for web applications. It helps penetration testers find and fix vulnerabilities in websites, including dynamic web applications and HTML5 sites.
Examples of open source/freemium penetration testing tools
- Kali Linux (open source): An operating system from Offensive Security that bundles tools for penetration testing and security audits:
- Armitage: Graphical network attack management tool
- Nmap: Port scanner
- Metasploit: Penetration testing framework with thousands of exploits
- John the Ripper: Password cracker
- Wireshark: Packet analyzer
- OWASP ZAP: Web application security scanner
- Burp Suite: Web application security testing suite
- Wireshark (open source): A network protocol analyzer that captures and inspects network traffic packet by packet.
- Hashcat (open source): A password-cracking tool built to handle complex hashes.
- Nmap (open source): A network scanning tool that discovers devices and services on a network.
AI agents in penetration testing
An autonomous agent outperformed 9 of 10 certified human testers on a live 8,000-host network. One agent, XBOW, reached the top of a public bug-bounty leaderboard.1
Examples of commercial AI penetration testing agents
- XBOW: An autonomous agent for web application testing that became the first AI to reach the top of HackerOne’s public leaderboard.
- Horizon3.ai NodeZero: An autonomous tool for network testing, focused on credential attacks, lateral movement, and Active Directory abuse.
Examples of open source/freemium AI penetration testing agents
- Strix (open source): Agents that confirm a vulnerability by running the exploit and generating proof, built to run inside a CI/CD pipeline.
- PentestGPT (open source): A reasoning assistant that suggests the next step while a human runs the commands.
Firewall audit tools
A firewall audit tool examines firewalls and their rule sets without manual review. It audits network traffic controls such as access control lists (ACLs), monitors rule changes in real time, and runs scheduled audits.
Additionally, it monitors firewall rule modifications in real-time and conducts audits based on a scheduled timeline.
Examples of commercial firewall audit tools
- FireMon Policy Manager: Tracks firewall policy changes and flags rules that raise risk.
- SolarWinds Security Event Manager: Collects and correlates log data with prebuilt compliance reports and automated responses, such as blocking an IP or disabling an account.
- ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer: Analyzes firewall logs and reports on rule usage.
- Tufin Orchestration Suite: Manages firewall change requests and records the approval trail.
- Cisco Defense Orchestrator: A cloud console for managing security policy across Cisco firewalls and devices.
- Panorama: Provides one console for managing Palo Alto Networks firewall policy across sites.
- Fortinet FortiManager: Manages firewall policy across large Fortinet deployments.
- AlgoSec: Analyzes firewall rules against compliance requirements and maps each rule to the applications it supports.
- Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform: Audits device and firewall configurations against policy through its Policy Compliance module, then scores the findings by risk alongside vulnerability data.
- Titania Nipper: Checks firewall, router, and switch configuration files against standards such as PCI DSS, CIS, and STIG, and reports the exact fix for each failed check.
Examples of open source firewall audit tools
Three open-source options cover firewall auditing at no licensing cost. They suit teams able to handle setup without vendor support.
- Firewall Orchestrator: Imports firewall configurations from Check Point, Fortinet, Cisco, and Juniper, then produces rule-set documentation and compliance reports.
- Firewall Audit: Reads a rule set, compares it against a user-defined policy file, and flags every mismatch. It runs from the command line as a single binary, which suits CI/CD pipelines.
- Batfish: Analyzes configuration files from routers, switches, and firewalls without connecting to live devices. It can test a proposed rule change before deployment to confirm which traffic the change would permit or block.
Read more: Firewall audit software, open source firewall audit tools, and firewall change management software.
Network security monitoring tools
Network security monitoring examines traffic and infrastructure to find potential threats.
These tools scrape metrics from firewalls, routers, and switches through exporters such as SNMP. The metrics reveal performance patterns, traffic anomalies, and possible security issues, including unusual traffic spikes.
Examples of network security monitoring tools
These are not dedicated security tools. They monitor infrastructure and collect historical performance data, which supports security analysis alongside a SIEM.
- Paessler PRTG: Monitors Windows environments and network device performance.
- AKIPS: Handles large-scale monitoring across high device counts.
- Zabbix: An open-source platform for enterprise monitoring.
- Prometheus: Collects metrics and triggers alerts in real time.
- LiveAction LiveNX: Visualizes network traffic flows and performance data.
- ManageEngine OpManager: Monitors network devices, servers, and traffic from one console.
- Nagios XI: Monitors infrastructure health and alerts on outages or threshold breaches.
Security information and event management (SIEM) tools
SIEM tools act as a central control point for security data. They gather, analyze, and correlate events from network devices, servers, and security systems.
Examples of commercial SIEM tools
- Splunk Enterprise Security: A SIEM covering network and application monitoring. Behavioral analytics are limited, and it ships without built-in SOAR or UEBA.
- Microsoft Sentinel: A SIEM and SOAR platform for Microsoft environments. Playbooks are extensive but require coding. Non-Microsoft coverage is narrower.
- IBM QRadar SIEM: A modular SIEM supporting more than 300 log sources.
- Exabeam LogRhythm SIEM: A platform built around user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), with SOAR and log management. Some integrations need custom parsing.
- Sumo Logic: A cloud log analysis platform with fast queries and built-in visualizations.
- Datadog: Ingests logs and connects them to application performance monitoring and metrics. Plotting is limited, and fields need mapping before searches work well.
- ManageEngine EventLog Analyzer: Collects and correlates log data with prebuilt compliance reports.
- Rapid7 InsightIDR: A cloud SIEM that combines log data with user behavior analytics and endpoint signals.
Examples of free open-source SIEM tools
Core SIEM tools: These solutions offer key SIEM functionalities, including built-in log correlation, alerting, data visualization, compliance reporting, and more.
- Wazuh (free for on-prem version): Provides log analysis, vulnerability detection, and compliance reporting with alerting.
- Graylog (freemium):Centralizes log collection with alerting and dashboards.
- OSSEC (open-source): A host intrusion detection system for log collection and analysis. It lacks full SIEM features such as log management and correlation.
- SecurityOnion (free): A host intrusion detection system for log collection and analysis. It lacks full SIEM features such as log management and correlation.
Logging repositories usable as SIEM: These collect and process logs but lack built-in correlation.
- The ELK Stack (freemium): Aggregates, processes, and visualizes logs. Correlation and alerting need building.
- Fluentd (freemium): Collects and forwards logs to other platforms. No event correlation or alerting.
- OpenSearch (freemium): An alternative to Elasticsearch for log storage and analysis. Detection rules need building.
Read more: Open Source SIEM Tools and SIEM Systems
Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS) tools
IDS/IPS tools inspect network traffic for attack patterns. An IDS raises an alert. An IPS blocks the traffic without waiting for a person to act. During an audit, they show which attacks reached the network and which were stopped.
Examples of IDS/IPS tools
- Cisco Secure IPS: Blocks malware and malicious traffic, and classifies threats inside encrypted traffic without decrypting the connection.
- Check Point Quantum IPS: Combines signature and behavioral protection inside Check Point’s next-generation firewall, with per-policy control over inspection depth.
- Palo Alto Networks: Classifies traffic by application, user, and content before applying threat prevention rules, which gives each block full context.
- Fortinet FortiGuard IPS: Applies deep packet inspection and virtual patching, which shields a vulnerable system against a known exploit before the vendor patch arrives.
- Splunk: Detects intrusions through anomaly rules applied to log data, then triggers automated remediation steps.
Open-source options include Snort, Suricata, OSSEC, and Fail2Ban.
Read more: intrusion detection and prevention tools and AI IPS.
Identity and access management (IAM) tools
IAM tools centralize access control for applications and APIs. They use identity and context data to give each authenticated user access to the right apps, resources, and APIs, and nothing more.
Examples of IAM tools:
- ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus: Handles self-service password management, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and single sign-on for mid-size and large companies with remote staff.
- Cisco Duo: Provides MFA and device trust checks, with APIs for third-party security platforms.
- Microsoft Entra ID: A cloud IAM service covering authentication and access management.
- RSA SecurID: Offers risk-based authentication and granular access controls for enterprises.
- IBM Verify: Handles large-scale cloud access management.
- Okta Workforce Identity: Provides adaptive risk-based MFA, access controls, and user lifecycle management.
- JumpCloud: A cloud directory platform that manages user identities and device access across operating systems.
Network segmentation tools
Segmentation splits a network into zones so a breach in one zone cannot reach the rest. Auditors verify it directly: PCI DSS requires proof that the cardholder data environment remains separate from the rest of the network.
Microsegmentation goes further and applies rules per workload rather than per network zone. These tools support an audit by mapping which systems can reach which, then showing where the boundaries fail.
Examples of network segmentation tools
- Illumio: Applies zero-trust segmentation policies across data centers and clouds, and visualizes traffic flows between workloads.
- Cisco Secure Workload: Enforces microsegmentation for workloads running on-premises and in public or private clouds.
- VMware NSX: Delivers software-defined networking with a distributed firewall that applies rules throughout the network rather than at the edge.
- Akamai Guardicore Segmentation: Blocks lateral movement between systems and keeps a live map of the network that updates as devices change.
- Check Point CloudGuard Network Security: Enforces segmentation policy in cloud networks, with API support for automated deployment pipelines.
- Faddom: Maps application dependencies and IT infrastructure, which shows where segment boundaries should sit before rules are written.
Read more: network segmentation tools and microsegmentation tools.
Add as preferred sourceCompliance automation platforms
These platforms map one set of controls to many frameworks, collect evidence automatically, and keep an audit trail ready for review. They do not scan the network. They record what the other tools find.
Examples of compliance automation platforms
- Vanta: Automates evidence collection and control monitoring across frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS.
- Drata: Maps controls across overlapping frameworks to avoid testing the same control twice.
- Sprinto: Automates compliance workflows and evidence gathering for cloud-based companies.
Further reading
- Top 10 Microsegmentation Tools
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention Tools
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
- Network Security Policy Management Solutions (NSPM)
FAQs
A network security audit is a structured review of how well a network defends itself. It checks devices, traffic, access rules, and configurations against a known standard and reports any gaps.
An audit answers four questions:
– What assets sit on the network, including unmanaged ones?
– Which of them carries known weaknesses?
– Do access rules and firewall settings match policy?
– Does the setup meet the rules a regulator or framework requires?
The tools below each cover part of this work. No single tool answers all four questions, so most teams combine several.
A typical audit runs in six steps:
1. Set the scope. List every asset on the network, including devices nobody manages.
2. Scan for weaknesses. Run a vulnerability scanner across those assets.
3. Review the rules. Check firewall policies and access permissions against the written policy.
4. Test the defenses. Use penetration testing tools to confirm which weaknesses are exploitable.
5. Map findings to a framework. Match results to PCI DSS, ISO 27001, NIS2, or another standard in scope.
6. Fix and re-check. Remediate, then scan again to confirm the fix worked.
Cite this research
Pick the format that matches where you're publishing. Pasting the link version into your CMS preserves the backlink.
@misc{dilmegani2026,
author = {Dilmegani, Cem and PhD., Ezgi Arslan,},
title = {{Top 40+ Network Security Audit Tools}},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
howpublished = {\url{https://aimultiple.com/network-security-audit-tools}},
note = {AIMultiple. Retrieved August 3, 2026}
}Reference Links
Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission.
Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Be the first to comment
Your email address will not be published. All fields are required. Comments are left in their original language.