Open source security and the value of Nmap: Making the case to your clients
It's not unreasonable for a customer to be hesitant to allow open source security tools on their network. This tip weighs Nmap against comparable commercial scanners and provides you with selling points to convey to your clients.
It's not unreasonable for customers to be hesitant to allow open source security tools on their network. They worry about the security of open source software. This tip weighs Nmap against comparable commercial scanners and provides you with selling points to convey to your customers.
Nmap and the open source debateAs Nmap is free it obviously comes in ahead of other network mappers in terms of cost. However, many IT administrators remain wary of open source software, often citing the lack of any warranty protection as a drawback when selling a proposal involving open source tools to senior management. For critical applications, such as network operating systems, many feel it is too much of a risk. However, it's extremely unusual for proprietary software suppliers to actually warrant that their software will provide you with uninterrupted and error-free operation. While Nmap doesn't come with a warranty, it is well supported by its enthusiastic development and user support communities. It is also well-documented, with up-to-date man pages, whitepapers and tutorials, though there is no expensive hotline to call if you have a problem or query!
Mature, open source software, particularly in the field of IT security, can often be a viable alternative to proprietary software. A series of UK government-sponsored trials in to open source implementations produced interesting results, concluding that open source application software used for specific tasks is often fit for purpose, as well as highlighting the fact that buying specialist software can lead buyers to suffer "hidden lock-in." However, as most open source software begins life on a Unix-based machine, the Windows-ported versions, which are often built on top of the original underlying library, don't necessarily take full advantage of the Windows environment in the way software written specifically for Windows does. Another area where open source tools do tend to fall behind their proprietary competitors is the integrated GUI. Thankfully there are some GUIs being developed for Nmap for those who prefer to stay away from the command line.
Read more on how to make the case for the security of open source software like Nmap..
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Michael Cobb, CISSP-ISSAP is the founder and managing director of Cobweb Applications Ltd., a consultancy that offers IT training and support in data security and analysis. He co-authored the book IIS Security and has written numerous technical articles for leading IT publications. Mike is the guest instructor for SearchSecurity's Web Security School and, as a SearchSecurity.com site expert, answers user questions on application and platform security.
This tip originally appeared on SearchSecurity.com.
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