IT Teams
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Top 10 Network Security Tools in 2024
10th January, 2024
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Network Security tools aim to prevent devices, technologies, and processes from unauthorized data access, identity thefts, and cyber threats.
Network security prevents unauthorized access of information or misuse of the organizational network. It includes hardware and software technologies designed to protect the safety and reliability of a network and data.
Network security tools are essential to secure your organization's network to stop several threats that could damage the system and the network. It helps to monitor the network and prevent data breaches.
The network security tool can examine all the traffic across a network. Traffic monitoring helps the organization proactively identify the issues and threats before it turns into significant damage to the organization. Network security tools send real-time alerts for any unusual behavior to prevent any breaches.
Some of the benefits of Network Security Tools are:
Network security tools will minimize the business and financial impact of any breach, as they help you stay compliant with regulations and prevent breaches.
Network security helps your business stay compliant and provides multiple levels of security to increase the scope of your business and offer a better workplace for your employees.
It ensures the protection of any sensitive information and data shared across the network.
Now let’s see the top 10 Network Security tools.
Best 10 Network Security Tools
1. Wireshark
Wireshark is an open-source network protocol analyzer that helps organizations capture real-time data and track, manage, and analyze network traffic even with minute details.
It allows users to view the TCP session rebuilt streams. It helps to analyze incoming and outgoing traffic to troubleshoot network problems.
Features
Deep inspection of hundreds of protocols
Capture real-time data and offline analysis
It runs on multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux, macOS, etc.
It provides color codes to each packet for quick analysis.
Pros
Supports multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux, etc
Easily integrates with third-party applications
Cons
Steep learning curve
Difficult to read the encrypted network traffic
2. Nexpose
Nexpose is a network security software that provides real-time information about vulnerabilities and reduces the threats in a network. In addition, Nexpose permits the users to allot a risk score to the detected vulnerabilities so that they may be prioritized as per the security levels.
Nexpose helps IT teams to get real-time scanning of the network and detect network vulnerabilities. It also continuously refreshes and adapts to new threats in software and data.
Features
Nexpose provides real-time network traffic.
It provides a risk score and helps IT teams prioritize the risk as per the security levels.
It shows the IT teams different actions they can take immediately to reduce the risk.
Pros
Easy to use
In-depth scanning of network vulnerabilities.
Cons
No domain-based authentication for Linux devices
Lack of customer support
3. Splunk
Splunk is used for monitoring network security. It provides both real-time data analysis and historical data searches.
It is a cloud-based platform that provides insights for petabyte-scale data analytics across the hybrid cloud.
Splunk’s search function makes application monitoring easy and user-friendly.
It contains a user interface to catch, index, and assemble data and generate alerts, reports, dashboards, and graphs in real-time.
Features
Splunk attributes risk to users and systems and maps alerts to cybersecurity frameworks, and trigger alerts when the risk exceeds the threshold.
It helps in prioritizing alerts and accelerating investigations with built-in threat intelligence.
It helps to get automatic security content updates to stay updated with the emerging threats.
Pros
The indexing of data is easy
Easy to use
Cons
Steep learning curve
4. Nagios
Nagios is a network security tool that helps to monitor hosts, systems, and networks. It sends alerts in real-time. You can select which specific notifications you would like to receive.
It can track network resources like HTTP, NNTP, ICMP, POP3, and SMTP. It is a free tool.
Features
Nagios help to monitor IT infrastructure components, including system metrics, network protocols, application services, servers, and network infrastructure.
It sends alerts when an unauthorized network is detected and provides IT admin with notice of important events.
It provides reports which show the history of events, notifications, and alert responses for later review.
Pros
Great tool for live monitoring
User friendly
Data monitoring can be tracked easily
Cons
Limited reporting capabilities
The system slows down while monitoring the data
5. Tor
Tor is a network security tool that ensures the privacy of users while using the internet. It helps in preventing cybersecurity threats and is useful in safeguarding information security.
Tor works on the concept of onion routing, and the layers are layered one over the other similar to the onion. All the layers function smartly so that there is no need to reveal any IP and geographical location of the user. Therefore, limiting the visibility of any sites, you are visiting.
Features
Tor software is available for Linux, Windows, as well as Mac
It helps to block the third-party trackers, and ads can't follow you
It prevents third-party watching your connection from knowing what websites you visit
It aims to make all users look the same and is difficult for trackers
Pros
It protects the online identity
Provides a high-level privacy
User-friendly interface
Cons
The system gets slower during navigation
Starting and browsing time is high
6. Nessus Professional
Nessus professional is a network security software that can detect vulnerabilities like software bugs and general security problems in software applications, IT devices, and operating systems and manage them appropriately.
Users can access a variety of security plug-ins as well as develop their own and scan individual computers as well as networks.
Features
It provides customization of reports by vulnerability or hosts and creates a summary for the users.
Sends email notifications of the scan results
It helps meet government, regulatory, and corporate requirements
It scans cloud applications and prevents your organization from cybersecurity threats
Pros
It offers flexibility for developing custom solutions
Nessus VA scan covers all standard network devices like endpoints, servers, network devices, etc.
Provide plug-ins for many vulnerabilities
Cons
The software slows down when you scan a large scope
Poor customer support
7. Metasploit
Metasploit is security software that contains various tools for executing penetrating testing services. IT professionals use this tool to reach security goals such as vulnerabilities in the system, improving the computer system security, cyber defense strategies and maintaining complete security assessments.
The penetration testing tools can examine various security systems, including web-based apps, servers, networks, etc.
It allows the organization to perform security assessments and improve its overall network defenses and make them more responsive.
Features
The tools are used to take advantage of system weaknesses
The module encoders are used to convert codes or information
Metasploit allows a clean exit from the target system. It has compromised
Pros
Good support for penetration testing
Useful to learn and understand vulnerabilities that exist in the system
Freely available and includes all penetration testing tools
Cons
Software updates are less frequent
Steep learning curve
8. Kali Linux
Kali Linux is a penetration testing tool used to scan IT systems and network vulnerabilities. The organization can monitor and maintain its network security systems on just one platform.
It offers a security auditing operating system and tools with more than 300 techniques to make sure that your sites and Linux servers stay safe.
Kali Linux is used by professional penetration testers, ethical hackers, cybersecurity experts, and individuals who understand the usage and value of this software.
Features
Kali Linux comes with pre-installed tools like Nmap, Aircrack-ng, Wireshark, etc., to help with information security tasks.
It provides multi-language support.
It helps to generate the customized version of Kali Linux.
Pros
Pre-installed tools are ready to use
Simple and user-friendly interface
Cons
Limited customization
The installation process is complicated
9. Snort
Snort is an open-source network security tool used to scan networks and prevent any unauthorized activity in the network. IT professionals use it to track, monitor, and analyze network traffic. It helps to discover any signs of theft, unauthorized access, etc. After detection, the tool will help send alerts to the users.
Additionally, Snort is used to perform protocol analysis, detect frequent attacks on a system, look for data captured from traffic, etc.
Features
Snort provides a real-time traffic monitor
It provides protocol analysis
It can be installed in any network environment
Pros
Good for monitoring network traffic
Good for detecting any network intrusions
Cons
Complicated settings and configuration
Steep learning curve
10. Forcepoint
Forcepoint is a cloud-based security solution and is used to define network security, restrict users from accessing specific content and block various attempts to hack or get your organization's information.
The IT admin can customize Forcepoint to monitor and detect any unauthorized acts in a network and can take the appropriate action required. It adds an extra level of security for critical threats.
Forcepoint is majorly for the organizations working in the cloud, and it will be able to block or provide warnings about any risky cloud servers.
Features
Forcepoint helps in monitoring any unusual cloud activities.
It provides tracking of any suspicious behavior and sends alerts to the IT admins.
It protects and secures data.
It helps to limit the access of your employees within the scope of your organization.
Pros
Good support
Easy to set up and user-friendly interface
Cons
Creating reports is difficult
Less flexibility in real-time screen monitoring
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