A Rapid7 product called NeXpose is a vulnerability scanner. It is not the only vulnerability manager that Rapid7 customers can choose from. It is being looked into.
NeXpose is vulnerability management that has both a free and a premium version accessible for download. This application was one of the pioneering items that helped put Rapid7, the company that produced it, on the map. Rapid7 is also the sponsor of the Metasploit project, which enables the Metasploit Framework to be provided free of charge while simultaneously generating revenue through the production of the premium tool Metasploit Pro. The approach that Rapid7 adopts is the same as that of NeXpose.
What does NeXpose do?
NeXpose is an application that manages vulnerabilities. An automated penetration testing system is the type of security instrument that falls under this category. A vulnerability manager goes over a list of techniques that hackers use, which is then condensed into the essential elements that are required for each attack vector to be successful.
While a penetration tester will try each attack and record the results, a vulnerability manager will only look for the vulnerabilities in the system that would make it possible for an attack to be successful. A vulnerability scan is the active search conducted by a vulnerability manager and is referred to as a vulnerability scanner.
A vulnerability scanner is much quicker than a pen testing operation since it does not need to spend any time hacking the target system in order to determine its vulnerabilities. It is able to speed through thousands of tests for vulnerabilities in the system’s security, which are also referred to as “exploits.”
The NeXpose server is always active. This ongoing check will perform a sweep of a system when it is first launched, and it will also check new components as they are added to the system. The disclosure of a new vulnerability prompts action from the NeXpose team. Therefore, this site provides a continuously updated list of security flaws.
The capacity of NeXpose to establish a connection with Metasploit Pro is one of the tool’s many appealing features. When this integration is turned on, NeXpose flags exploits so that they can be investigated in greater depth. This enables the network manager to test the attack that the identified vulnerability makes possible and determine whether or not the system is in fact susceptible to the vulnerability.
When NeXpose does a scan of a system and identifies vulnerabilities, it will display those exploits in its dashboard and assign a score to each of them ranging from one to one thousand, with one thousand being the greatest importance. Many vulnerability scanners employ a categorization system that goes from 1 to 10, or they simply name the severity of a problem as Low, Medium, or High. This rating method, on the other hand, is far more fine-grained than any of those approaches.
When an entry in the summary list of vulnerabilities is clicked on, a more in-depth analysis of the vulnerability is displayed. This is a list of malware and hacker campaigns that take use of this vulnerability, in addition to specifics on where the error can be found.
The Policy Assessment and Remediation Reporting modules of NeXpose are two of the program’s more noteworthy features. The Policy Assessment service does a scan of the system and makes recommendations for changes to the configuration settings and operational procedures in order to enhance the safety of the system. The Remediation Reporting service compiles a list of the top 25 measures that the IT Department ought to perform in order to lessen the risks posed by security flaws. As the team works through the solutions, this list is subject to change. The technicians will benefit much from following this superb task list.
The creation of the NeXpose platform
The Community Edition of NeXpose is the free edition that serves as the platform for all other versions. On the other hand, rapid7 also produces a paid version of Nexpose that is simply referred to as Nexpose. Rapid7 is an industry-leading manufacturer of cybersecurity systems. Comparisons can be made due to the fact that it owns both NeXpose and Metasploit, which both feature free community versions in addition to premium versions. On the other hand, the history of Nexpose has taken a path that is very dissimilar to that of Metasploit.
Metasploit started off as an independent private effort, but over time it evolved into an open-source project that is supported by the community. Open-source systems provide a number of challenges due to the high cost of developing and maintaining current software packages and the rapid rate at which unfunded projects become obsolete. There are numerous examples of once-revolutionary free software that have fallen by the wayside due to a lack of financing for their continued development. OpenOffice is an excellent illustration of this dilemma. As a result, in order to tackle this issue, some open-source organisations look for commercial partners to fund the continuation of the Community Edition while simultaneously exploiting the brand for their own commercial products.
The method that Rapid7 utilised for the development of NeXpose was the exact opposite of the one that is used for the Metasploit model. NeXpose started out as a paid product but eventually expanded to include a free Community Edition. Over the course of these many years, the list of paid editions has undergone numerous changes. At one point in time, there were several different editions of NeXpose available, including Ultimate, Enterprise, Consultant, and Express.
It would appear that Rapid7 is discontinuing support for its NeXpose product in favour of its InsightVM offering. The deployment choices available with each of these two vulnerability managers is where the biggest distinction lies between them. On-premises software is what NeXpose is, whereas a software as a service (SaaS) platform is what InsightVM is. All of Rapid7’s newest products are developed on the Insight platform, which serves as the company’s central operating system at the moment. The company has migrated all of its security products to the cloud and is gradually getting rid of the capabilities that were previously only available on the Insight platform.
It can be difficult to locate the NeXpose Community Edition these days. The Radi7 Free Tools page does not include it anymore after removing it. In addition, there is no longer an option to receive it “forever free.” Instead, it is advertised as a free trial of NeXpose Community for a period of one year. A further limitation of the Community Edition is that it can only scan up to 32 different targets.
It is clear from the demonstration of the premium NeXpose system that this product is no longer the primary offering of the company. On each and every page of the Rapid7 website that advertises NeXpose, users are encouraged to give InsightVM a shot instead. On the web pages that promote InsightVM, there is no mention of the on-site NeXpose that we could find.
How much does it cost to use NeXpose?
Although Rapid7 does not offer a pricing list for its NeXpose product line, it does issue price lists for its Insight line of software. However, the competitor vulnerability management firm Faraday does provide subscriptions to NeXpose, and the rates for those subscriptions are published on their website. The prices are based on bands calculated from multiple different monitored devices. These are the costs for a subscription that is valid for one year.
• 128 devices – $3,200
• 256 devices – $6,400
• 512 devices – $11,264
• 768 devices – $15,616
• 1,024 devices – $19,968
• 1,536 devices – $27,136
• 2,048 devices – $34,304
• 2,560 devices – $39,680
The fact that purchasers, in this scenario, are required to further acquire a subscription to the Faraday platform in addition to a subscription to NeXpose contributes significantly to the high cost of the plan.
NeXpose is available for a free trial period of 30 days through Rapid7.
NeXpose deployment choices
On-premises deployment is supported through the NeXpose package. The server, which houses the NeXpose Security Console, and the Scan Engines, which act as data gathering agents, are the two components that make up the overall system. The Security Console can be installed in a single location, and it will still be able to interface with Scan Engines located in multiple locations.
The following types of operating systems are compatible with the installation of the Security Console and the Scan Engines:
• Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS, 18.04 LTS , or 20.04 LTS
• Windows Server 2012 R3, 2016, or 2019 from Microsoft
• Windows 8.1, developed by Microsoft
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server versions 6, 7, or 8
• CentOS 7
• Oracle Linux 7
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
There are also versions of Scan Engine available for use on the cloud platforms provided by AWS and Azure.
In every circumstance, the implementation of the operating system must utilise a 64-bit architecture. A web browser is required in order to access the console. The web browser can be any of the following:
• Chrome from Google
• Mozilla Firefox
• Mozilla Firefox ESR
• The Microsoft Edge browser
Discuss the benefits and drawbacks.
NeXpose is a vulnerability scanner that has received widespread praise from the community of network administrators since it is thorough. As a result, a great number of people are going to be dissatisfied by the implication that Rapid7 may be planning to deprecate this product in favour of the InsightVM alternative. According to Rapid7, the most recent version of NeXpose is called InsightVM. However, customers who prefer to run NeXpose on their hosts won’t be happy to see that InsightVM can only be purchased as a cloud-based SaaS solution.
Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of NeXpose, shall we?
Pros:
• The software can be installed on Linux, Windows, and Windows Server.
• Completes a cursory scan of the entire system, and then immediately begins scanning any newly added assets.
• When a new vulnerability is discovered, this system immediately revises its procedures and does a full system scan.
• Provide the administrators of the network with a list of the top 25 most pressing issues to resolve.
• Formulates suggestions for alterations to existing security policies
Cons:
• There must be a significant amount of RAM available.
• There is not a patch manager that is related with it.
• It seems to be heading in the opposite direction.
Various Substitutes for NeXpose
There will come a day when NeXpose is no longer supported, and judging by the signs coming from Rapid7, that day could come sooner rather than later. Therefore, whether you are in the market searching for a vulnerability management for the first time or are considering replacing NeXpose with another solution, there are various excellent alternatives accessible to choose from.
The procedure that we followed in order to find a replacement for NeXpose
We examined the available vulnerability managers on the market, such as NeXpose, and evaluated our choices in light of the following criteria:
• A scanner that is constantly active
• A mechanism that will rescan the entirety of the network whenever any newly discovered vulnerabilities are found
• A vulnerability scanner capable of locating occurrences of the OWASP Top 10
• A service that makes use of AI to detect logical weaknesses in computer programming, which hackers may utilise to their advantage
• Conduct audits to identify any database security flaws or data loss.
• A free tool or a free trial for an evaluation that does not cost anything
• Value for money, which is exemplified by a favourable combination of features and a cost that is reasonable
We have done extensive research and come up with a number of fantastic alternatives to NeXpose that, bearing in mind these criteria for selection, we believe are superior.
The following is a list that we have compiled of the top five alternatives to NeXpose:
1. The Invicti (ACCESS FREE DEMO) A Web application vulnerability manager is what this is, and it evaluates how secure a system is from an outside perspective. It can be made to run continuously, periodically, or on demand to do scans and sweeps respectively. On a regular basis, Invicti will drill through APIs in order to locate supporting microservices that third parties may host in order to function as specialised web vulnerability scanners. In addition, the service offers a comprehensive analysis of the code, during which it looks for logical flaws that could later be used as zero-day attacks. Options for deployment include using a software as a service (SaaS) platform or installing software locally on a computer running Windows or Windows Server. Get your hands on an Invicti demo system so you can try it out for yourself.
2. Acunetix (ACCESS FREE DEMO) This vulnerability manager is offered in three separate versions, and each edition serves a purpose that is marginally distinct from the others. An external Web application scanner that checks for more than 7,000 vulnerabilities, including the OWASP Top 10, is included in each and every edition of the software. A vulnerability scanner that may be run on demand is included in the Standard Edition. The Premium Edition includes not just the option to schedule scans but also a network vulnerability scanner that examines the system for up to 50,000 potential flaws. The most comprehensive design, Enterprise, allows for continuous operation. Each plan is available either as a hosted SaaS package or as downloadable software that can be installed on computers running Windows, macOS, or Linux. Get an evaluation using a test version of the system.
3. ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus Due to the fact that this is an on-premises programme, it can serve as an acceptable replacement for NeXpose. However, this tool goes one step farther than its competitors because it possesses both a patch manager and a configuration manager, enabling it to repair a significant number of the vulnerabilities that it identifies. By default, the software package does a vulnerability scan once every 90 minutes; however, the user can change the interval between scans. A threat intelligence feed is made available to the system by ManageEngine. This feed is always current on the most recent exploits. The software is installed on Windows Server, and agents run on devices that can scan Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. You can evaluate this product by using a free trial that lasts for 30 days. In addition, there is a free edition that can scan up to 25 different devices.
4. Rapid7 InsightVM (recommended) This is the alternative service to NeXpose that Rapid7 recommends you use instead of NeXpose. This service offers scanning of vulnerabilities that may be present in Web applications and is supplied from the cloud. It is also able to evaluate systems that are hosted on other cloud platforms, and with the installation of an on-site agent, it may investigate your network to look for vulnerabilities. In addition, it is possible to scan several websites using a single account. A risk assessment service is also included with InsightVM, and it will inform you if any of your partner companies have been the victim of devastating attacks. InsightVM, which is a component of a suite of security solutions available on the Insight platform, can finally collaborate with its stablemates to build a comprehensive plan for the protection of digital assets. A free trial of InsightVM can be used for a period of 30 days.
5. The Syxsense Secure Platform Another vulnerability manager that is provided via a cloud platform may be found here. This package comes with an endpoint detection and response module, a patch manager, and a port scanner. Installable on Windows, macOS, and Linux, the EDR modules serve as agents for all of the security capabilities provided by the package once they have been activated. You have the option of running the vulnerability scanner manually whenever you like, or setting it to run automatically on a schedule at a predetermined interval. When vulnerabilities are found that can be linked back to outdated software, the patch manager is automatically triggered. The patch management then searches for the applicable patches and copies over the installers for those updates. The storage space necessary for these patches and the log records that the tool generates for auditing compliance with standards is included in the SaaS package. There is a free trial version of Syxsense Secure that lasts for 14 days.
