OpenSCAP alternatives
Looking for a better tool, or simply want to learn about alternatives? There is typically more than one option.
Alternatives (by tag)
- JShielder
- LUNAR
- Lynis
- nixarmor
- Nix-Auditor
- seccheck
- sysechk
- Anchore
- AutoNessus
- CMSmap
- Damn Small FI Scanner
- Damn Small JS Scanner
- Jackhammer
- Nikto
- Nmap
- OpenVAS
- portSpider
- Seccubus
- Spaghetti
- sqlmap
- ssh_scan
- testssl.sh
- Tulpar
- Vane
- vulnix
- Vuls
- Whitewidow
- WPScan
- WPSeku
- wpvulndb_cmd
- XSS Hunter
- YASAT
- Zenmap
Alternative: JShielder
JShielder is a security tool for Linux systems to make them more secure by adding system hardening measures.
Project details
JShielder is written in Python, shell script.
Strengths
- + Used language is shell script
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- system hardening
Alternative: LUNAR
LUNAR is a security scanner that runs on a Linux system or other flavors of Unix. It provides insights on what can be done to harden the system.
LUNAR is short for Lockdown UNix Auditing and Reporting and runs on the system itself.
Project details
LUNAR is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- security assessment
- self-assessment
- system hardening
Alternative: Lynis
Security auditing tool for systems running Linux, mac OS, or Unix, to perform an in-depth health check.
Lynis is an open source security auditing tool that is available since 2007 and created by Michael Boelen. Its primary goal is to evaluate the security defenses of systems running Linux or other flavors of Unix. It provides suggestions to install, configure, or correct any security measures.
Project details
Lynis is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + Commercial support available
- + More than 50 contributors
- + More than 3000 GitHub stars
- + Used language is shell script
- + Very low number of dependencies
- + Project is mature (5+ years)
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- IT audit
- penetration test
- security assessment
- system hardening
Alternative: nixarmor
Nixarmor is a set of shell scripts to harden Linux systems and help with security automation. It configures the system to increase its security level.
Project details
nixarmor is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + Used language is shell script
- + The source code of this software is available
Weaknesses
- - Not ready for production usage
- - No updates for a while
- - Project looks outdated (old code or documentation)
Typical usage
- system hardening
Alternative: Nix-Auditor
Nix-Auditor is a tool to help with scanning Linux systems and test them against CIS benchmarks.
This fairly new tool is written in shell script to scan Linux systems with the focus on security auditing.
Project details
Nix-Auditor is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + Used language is shell script
Weaknesses
- - Full name of author is unknown
- - Unknown project license
Alternative: seccheck
Seccheck is a security scanner for Linux systems. It is originally written for SuSE Linux by Marc Heuse.
Project details
seccheck is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Weaknesses
- - Project looks outdated (old code or documentation)
Typical usage
- security assessment
- system hardening
Alternative: sysechk (System Security Checker)
System Security Checker, or sysechk, is a tool to perform a system audit against a set of best practices. It uses a modular approach to test the system.
Project details
sysechk is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + Used language is shell script
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- IT audit
- system hardening
Alternative: Anchore
Anchore is a toolkit to perform in-depth container analysis, inspection, and controlling them. Among security scanning, it can do a wide range of functions.
Project details
Anchore is written in Python.
Strengths
- + Commercial support available
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- system hardening
Alternative: AutoNessus (autonessus)
The AutoNessus tool helps with automating vulnerability scans via the Nessus API. It lists policies and can configure the state of scans.
This tool is useful to time scans, for example by having it run outside of business hours, and stop when the day starts.
Note: originally another tool was named AutoNessus. That is now Seccubus.
Project details
AutoNessus is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Weaknesses
- - No releases on GitHub available
Typical usage
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: CMSmap
CMSmap is a security tool to perform reconnaissance on a web target. It helps with the detection of several popular content management systems (CMS).
Project details
CMSmap is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- application testing
- information gathering
- vulnerability scanning
- web application analysis
Alternative: Damn Small FI Scanner (DSFS)
Project details
Damn Small FI Scanner is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- security assessment
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: Damn Small JS Scanner (DSJS)
Project details
Damn Small JS Scanner is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
Alternative: Jackhammer
Jackhammer is a collaboration tool to get security and developer teams together. Focus is on static code analysis and dynamic analysis vulnerability discovery.
The tool uses RBAC (Role Based Access Control) with different levels of access. Jackhammer uses several tools to do dynamic and static code analysis (e.g. for Java, Ruby, Python, and Nodejs). It checks also for vulnerabilities in libraries. Due to its modular architecture, it can use several scanners out of the box, with options to add your own.
The Jackhammer project was initially added to GitHub on the 8th of May, 2017.
Project details
Jackhammer is written in Ruby.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- collaboration
- information sharing
Alternative: Nikto
Nikto is an open source security scanner which tests web servers for potential vulnerabilities.
Project details
Nikto is written in Perl.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
- + Well-known tool
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
- web application analysis
Alternative: Nmap
Nmap is a security scanner that can perform a port scan, network exploration, and determine vulnerabilities
Nmap is short for "Network Mapper". It is a free and open source utility for network discovery and security auditing. It was release in September of 1997 by Gordon Lyon, commonly known under his pseudonym "Fyodor".
Project details
Nmap is written in C, C++, Lua, Python.
Strengths
- + Project is mature (10+ years)
- + The source code of this software is available
- + Well-known author
- + Well-known tool
Weaknesses
- - Software usage is restricted (e.g. commercially)
Typical usage
- network scanning
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: OpenVAS
OpenVAS is a framework of several services and tools offering a vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management solution.
OpenVAS is an open source vulnerability scanner that emerged from when Nessus became closed source in October of 2005.
Project details
OpenVAS is written in C.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
- + Well-known tool
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: portSpider
portSpider is a security tool to scan network ranges and find open ports. The goal of the tool is to find vulnerable services.
Project details
portSpider is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- network scanning
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: Seccubus
Seccubus automates vulnerability scanning with support for Nessus, OpenVAS, NMap, SSLyze, Medusa, SkipFish, OWASP ZAP, and SSLlabs.
Supported engines and tools:
- Nessus
- OpenVAS
- Nmap
- Nikto
- Medusa
- Qualys SSL labs
- SkipFish
- SSLyze
- testssl.sh
- ZAP
Alternative: Spaghetti
Spaghetti is a web vulnerability scanner to find flaws in common web applications and frameworks. It can perform fingerprinting and vulnerability discovery.
Project details
Spaghetti is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- penetration test
- vulnerability scanning
- vulnerability testing
Alternative: sqlmap
The sqlmap performs automatic SQL injection and can take over a database. It is a valued tool for pentesters and those who want to test their web applications.
Alternative: ssh_scan
The ssh_scan utility is a SSH configuration and policy scanner maintained by the Mozilla Foundation. It helps to secure Linux systems running the OpenSSH.
This tool is light on its dependencies, as it only uses Ruby and BinData. The scanner is simple to use, as it is limited in the number of parameters and options. There is also the ability to show the results on the screen or export the data to a JSON file. The latter is great if you want to do further processing of the details, or simply store them for later comparison.
Project details
ssh_scan is written in Ruby.
Strengths
- + More than 10 contributors
- + The source code of this software is available
- + Supported by a large company
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
- system hardening
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: testssl.sh
testssl.sh is a command line tool which checks a system on any port for the support of TLS/SSL ciphers, protocols, as well as some cryptographic flaws.
Key features of testssl.sh include:
- Clear output: you can tell easily whether anything is good or bad
- Ease of installation: It works for Linux, Darwin, FreeBSD, NetBSD and MSYS2/Cygwin out of the box: no need to install or configure something, no gems, CPAN, pip or the like.
- Flexibility: You can test any SSL/TLS enabled and STARTTLS service, not only webservers at port 443
- Toolbox: Several command line options help you to run YOUR test and configure YOUR output
- Reliability: features are tested thoroughly
- Verbosity: If a particular check cannot be performed because of a missing capability on your client side, you'll get a warning
- Privacy: It's only you who sees the result, not a third party
- Freedom: It's 100% open source. You can look at the code, see what's going on and you can change it.
Project details
testssl.sh is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + Used language is shell script
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- application testing
- configuration audit
Alternative: Tulpar
Tulpar is a security tool to scan web targets for possible vulnerabilities. It checks a wide range of items and attack types for this particular purpose.
Project details
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- application security
- application testing
- web application analysis
Alternative: Vane
Vane is a forked project of the now non-free popular WordPress vulnerability scanner WPScan.
Project details
Vane is written in Ruby.
Strengths
- + More than 25 contributors
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- application security
- web application analysis
Alternative: vulnix
Vulnix is a security scanner for NixOS. It specifically looks for vulnerabilities in available packages and comes with a command line interface (CLI).
Project details
vulnix is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: Vuls
Vuls is a vulnerability scanner for Linux and FreeBSD. It is written in Go, agentless, and does a remote login to find any software vulnerabilities.
Project details
Vuls is written in Golang.
Strengths
- + More than 50 contributors
- + More than 4000 GitHub stars
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- system hardening
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: Whitewidow
Whitewidow is a security tool to perform automated SQL vulnerability scans. It can be used during penetration tests or for security assessments.
Project details
Whitewidow is written in Ruby.
Strengths
- + More than 500 GitHub stars
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- application security
- penetration test
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: WPScan
WPScan is a security tool to perform black box WordPress vulnerability scans, including enumeration of used plugins
Project details
WPScan is written in Ruby.
Strengths
- + More than 25 contributors
- + More than 2000 GitHub stars
- + The source code of this software is available
Weaknesses
- - Software usage is restricted (e.g. commercially)
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: WPSeku
WPSeku is a WordPress vulnerability scanner that can be used to scan remote WordPress installations.
With WPSeku a WordPress installation can be tested for the presence of security issues. Some examples are cross-site scripting (XSS), sql injection, and local file inclusion. The tool also tests for the presence of default configuration files. These files may reveal version numbers, used themes and plugins.
Project details
WPSeku is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Weaknesses
- - Unknown project license
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
- vulnerability scanning
Alternative: wpvulndb_cmd
wpvulndb_cmd is a command-line security tool to perform a vulnerability scan on WordPress installations. It uses WP-CLI and the WPScan vulnerability database.
Project details
wpvulndb_cmd is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
- web application analysis
Alternative: XSS Hunter
XSS Hunter helps with finding XSS attacks and trigger a warning when one is succesful. It exists as an online service, or self-hosted installation.
By using a specific link, XSS Hunter can see when some attack successfully is triggered. It will then store information like the vulnerable page's URI, referer, HTML DOM, the screenshot of page, and cookies. Regarding the victim, it stores the IP address and the user agent.
Alternative: YASAT
YASAT describes itself as another simple stupid audit tool to test Linux systems. It has many tests for checking the security configuration of the system.
The YASAT tool performs a system scan to detect configuration issues and possible improvements for hardening the system.
Project details
YASAT is written in shell script.
Strengths
- + Used language is shell script
Weaknesses
- - No updates for a while
Typical usage
- IT audit
- security assessment
Alternative: Zenmap
The graphical user interface for the well-known network and vulnerability scanner nmap.
Zenmap is a graphical user interface (GUI) for Nmap. It can be of great help to start a network scan by simply selecting the options you want. Besides Linux, it also runs on Microsoft Windows, macOS, BSD, and other flavors of Unix.
One of the strengths of Zenmap is the ability to store profiles, which can be reused for later scans. The command creator is another one, which helps interactively create the right nmap commands. Recent scans are stored in a searchable database and scan results can be saved and compared.
Project details
Zenmap is written in Python.
Strengths
- + The source code of this software is available
- + Well-known tool
Typical usage
- penetration test
- security assessment
