Network Security Audit Tools: 10 Best Solutions

As cyber threats continue to evolve, companies fail to detect threats in their infancy, finding out about the attack only when hackers come forward to declare the extent of their intrusion, making the process even more expensive. According to the study, less than a third of the businesses realized that they had been hacked internally. When the attackers exposed the breach, the cost to the businesses was a million dollars more than what it would have cost if the breach had been discovered internally.

This figure raises the alarm for all businesses. That is why network security audit tools are crucial since regular scanning and monitoring are necessary to safeguard corporate IT perimeters. They not only discover the weak points but also ensure that there are compliance measures and immediate threat detection in the organization’s structure.

In this article, we will first describe the role of information security audit in networks, and how network auditing tools are at the core of compliance, and handling of security incidents. Next, we will describe why it is important to adopt modern solutions by referring to the current trends in infiltration.

After that, we will list of 10 network security audit tools, which are different based on their focus on analytics, interface, and more. Finally, we will discuss how to select the right solution and conclude with practical tips for your next network security audit.

What is a Network Security Audit?

A network security audit is an assessment of the organizational communication network from the components such as routers, switches, endpoints, and virtual networks to determine compliance with the organization’s security policies, and assess for risks. As part of a larger information security audit framework, network-focused audit may focus on open ports, traffic irregularities, misconfigurations, or firmware that has not been patched.

Since the United States is home to nearly 50% of the leak sites data in the world, any disregard of the network flaws can be a significant loss to brand image and continuity. That is where advanced network auditing software comes into the picture, configuring devices, searching for possible vulnerabilities and identifying unusual network activity. Such audits align scanning, threat detection, and compliance in iterative cycles across usage and day-to-day security management.

Need for Network Security Audit Tools

Traditional security techniques such as one-time port scan or even the periodic policy review are not adequate for large-scale corporate networks. A global survey shows that 59% of companies were hit by ransomware attacks in the first two months of the last year, highlighting the urgency of infiltration threats.

This environment creates the need for advanced audit network security tools that consolidate detection, correlation, and compliance in one solution. In the following part, we will explain why these solutions are crucial:

1. Swift Detection in a Rapid Threat Landscape: Today’s criminals are employing more stealthy techniques such as living off the LAN attacks and highly advanced port scanning techniques which are indistinguishable from normal operations. Network audit tools give real-time information and identify suspicious activities of the network and relate to infiltration patterns. By comparing normal traffic rates to exceptions, these solutions significantly decrease the time spent in the area. Without them, infiltration can run rampant, especially in these short-lived container environments that some scans tend to overlook.
2. Unified View Across Hybrid & Multi-Cloud: Today, companies find themselves trying to manage on-premise data centers, growth in public cloud, and distributed endpoints. When it comes to ephemeral usage in containers or serverless frameworks, manual process adaptations are not sufficient anymore. Network security audit solutions provide integrated scanning for AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-premises segments while combining temporary usage with effective penetration testing. It provides a single interface for real-time monitoring to ensure that infiltration angles do not go unnoticed.
3. Automated Compliance & Risk Prioritization: Regardless of your particular goal, whether it is compliance with PCI DSS or HIPAA requirements, the process of extracting relevant logs and checking configurations might be quite time-consuming. Network security assessment techniques and tools enhance these tasks, providing ready-made reports and pointing out the most critical issues. By adopting them, teams ensure that patch resources are used effectively to address the infiltration vectors with the most risk. This creates efficiency in the audits and creates harmony between the use of the concept of ephemeral usage and acknowledged frameworks.
4. Protection of Critical Data & Brand Reputation: A single infiltration can cause an enterprise to shut down or lose vital information through leaks. Sophisticated network audit tools combine scanning with intelligent reaction, quarantining compromised hosts before further infiltration occurs. This containment approach correlates well with the fact that infiltration early costs much less to remediate. Through ephemeral usage, infiltration attempts are contained within short-lived containers, thus minimizing their impact on the organizational infrastructure.
5. Real-Time Collaboration & Enhanced Efficiency: Manual analysis of syslogs or performing ad hoc scans can freeze security teams and allow infiltrations to go unnoticed during busy cycles. By leveraging effective network security audit tools, staff can share dashboards, automate the scanning processes, and consolidate the findings. Less blind spots make infiltration expose itself quickly even as the networks grow. This integration promotes a more flexible security approach, which aligns well with temporary usage, developers’ processes, and periodic compliance evaluations.

Network Security Audit Tools for 2025

To assess and monitor the security of the network effectively, enterprises require dedicated solutions that encompass scanning, threat intelligence, and compliance. Here we present ten solid network security audit tools for 2025, each of which has its vector – from multi-cloud position to real-time hunting. Therefore, understanding the differences between them will help you identify the ideal solution for your current needs and potential future developments. Let’s examine them in detail:

SentinelOne

SentinelOne is an AI-powered solution that enhances detection, automation, and intelligence to protect networks from build time to runtime. Its Singularity™ Cloud Security offers real-time coverage for ephemeral usage in containers, on-prem servers, or multi-cloud infrastructures. It goes beyond conventional network auditing software by actively engaging in the process and using AI-based protection with zero kernel dependence to neutralize such attempts. This integration combines effective scanning with a rapid response to threats, aligning temporary usage with daily development tasks.

Platform at a Glance:

Unlike traditional network scanning, Singularity™ Cloud Security employs the use of artificial intelligence for surveillance of any abnormal activities. Verified Exploit Paths™ help in prioritizing the risks as they underline the specific ways that an attacker can gain entry. By offering comprehensive protection for VMs, serverless, and container clusters, SentinelOne retains a focus on ephemeral usage from the ground up. It remains one of the most popular network security audit tools for many security teams due to its posture management, vulnerability scanning, and cloud config checks.

Features:

1. Real-Time Protection: Identifies new flow interactions, short-lived usage patterns and attempts at infiltration in real-time.
2. Agentless Insights + Runtime Agent: Combines scanning with direct agent-less monitoring, filling the gap between short-lived usage in the cloud or containers.
3. Vulnerability Management: Identifies unpatched applications or open ports on multi-cloud or on-premises environments.
4. Hyperautomation & Low-Code Workflows: Accelerates patching tasks, incident handling, or compliance verification with limited human intervention.
5. Full Forensic Telemetry: Provides detailed logs for infiltration analysis, allowing the analyst to easily trace back through the sequence of events.

Core Problems that SentinelOne Eliminates:

1. Delayed Threat Recognition: Unlike other scanning methods, real-time scanning makes it almost impossible for infiltration attempts to go unnoticed.
2. Cloud Misconfigurations: Automatic posture evaluations help in identifying the security position of data in a short-lived environment such as an ephemeral container or serverless.
3. Lack of Unified Visibility: A single console consolidates information from on-premises, public cloud, and hybrid environments.
4. Manual Response Bottlenecks: Automated quarantines or patch tasks decrease the time adversaries spend in the infiltration stage.
5. Opaque Compliance: Standardized architectures and compliance scans integrate infiltration identification with compliance approvals.

Testimonials:

“As a company with 30,000 employees and 26,000 endpoints worldwide, we have diverse operational needs that SentinelOne Singularity Complete effectively addresses.”

“SentinelOne Singularity Complete effectively addresses numerous challenges. As a cloud-based SaaS solution, it seamlessly protects office and remote workers, safeguarding laptops and other devices. Its comprehensive coverage extends to cloud infrastructure across multiple operating systems like iOS, Linux, and Windows, including Kubernetes environments. This versatility, coupled with its ability to fulfill various use cases, has made SentinelOne Singularity Complete our trusted security solution for the past four years.”

• Asim Naeem (Principal IT Security & Compliance at IBEX Holdings Ltd) 

Find out how IT teams streamline network monitoring with SentinelOne SIngularity™ in verified reviews on Gartner Peer Insights and Peerspot.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor provides visibility into routers, switches, and servers, focusing on availability and throughput. It is commonly used for performance analysis, has scanning functions, and can reveal possible penetration vectors. Its integration connects bandwidth usage to advanced alerting, which can indicate abnormal traffic patterns, linking infiltration detection with everyday operations monitoring. IT teams use it due to its simple interface and compatibility with devices.

Features:

1. Performance Baselining: It learns normal traffic loads and identifies suspicious or infiltration-like traffic patterns.
2. Customizable Alerts: Alerts the staff on large traffic deviations or several failed login attempts, establishing the link between infiltration detection and daily traffic.
3. NetPath Visualization: Provides path-based maps from source to destination, which can help understand the infiltration path or the bottleneck.
4. Configuration Management: It helps to monitor the alterations in the settings of the network devices for temporal usage or improper configurations.

Explore real-world insights and user experiences with SolarWinds NPM on PeerSpot.

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor combines scanning and distributed probes that detect infiltration in large or branch-based networks. It supports SNMP-based device checks and provides application monitoring. It offers usage detection and baseline alerts to make infiltration attempts such as unauthorized port openings noticeable.

Features:

1. Integrated Sensors: Multiple native sensor types to track CPU, bandwidth, or ephemeral usage.
2. Flexible Alarms: Staff set alert levels for infiltration anomalies ranging from traffic spikes to unusual SNMP values.
3. Maps & Dashboards: Visualize entire network segments including infiltration detection with daily performance data.
4. Distributed Monitoring: Expands scanning to other offices or cloud subnets to have a single coverage point for infiltration.

See how IT teams leverage PRTG for network visibility and performance tracking on PeerSpot.

Nagios XI

Nagios XI is based on the Nagios platform and is designed for network and system monitoring. By connecting usage scanning with alerting, it shows infiltration anomalies, such as repeated login fails or abnormal CPU usage. The solution is also scalable for different sizes of infrastructures, whether small firms or large data centers.

Features:

1. Config Wizards: Making device additions easier, bridging between ephemeral usage expansion and continuous scanning.
2. Performance Graphs & Trends: Use historical analysis to showcase the infiltration patterns.
3. Large number of plugins: Can be tailored to individual device checks or fine-tuned for specific infiltration detection needs.
4. Multi-Tenant Dashboards: Let each team view relevant segments, from dev endpoints to production subnets.

Discover how enterprises monitor critical infrastructure with Nagios XI through firsthand user reviews on GPI.

ManageEngine OpManager

ManageEngine OpManager synchronizes device monitoring, configuration management, and alerting systems to mitigate infiltration across enterprise networks. It is useful for transient usage patterns, including running a new server or VM and immediately capturing it. When  its scanning is incorporated with performance measurements, different types of infiltration attempts, such as abnormal packet floods, are detected.

Features:

1. Real-Time Network Health: Device status overviews, including device health and infiltration detection, are provided on daily check-up dashboards.
2. Config Backup & Restore: Preventing infiltration from config tampering through the use of safe snapshots.
3. Workflow Automation: Auto-scripts for responding to infiltration triggers or device anomalies, which frees up staff time.
4. Virtual & Container Monitoring: Detects usage on nodes, making it impossible for infiltrators to operate without being noticed.

Read detailed feedback from IT professionals using OpManager for network monitoring and management on GPI.

Zabbix

Zabbix is an open-source software that functions in networks requiring scanning and involves no licensing costs. When combined with custom scripts, the basic level of usage detection exposes infiltration anomalies or performance issues. It is not beginner-friendly because it requries skills to handle configuration management. But it can be used for network security auditing.

Features:

1. Open-Source: It has a growing community, combining entry-level infiltration detection with professional custom checks.
2. Temporary Expansions: Use proxies or child servers for remote sites or temporary usage expansions.
3. Trigger Expression: Create infiltration detection rules that may involve multiple parameters.
4. Escalation & Notification: Progressive alert policies ensure that the appropriate staff or systems receive infiltration signals.

Learn how organizations optimize network performance with Zabbix, as shared by users on GPI.

Cisco Stealthwatch

Cisco Stealthwatch (now integrated into the Secure Network Analytics) is designed to identify infiltration through flow-based network traffic. As a result, it can determine whether a particular container traffic is abnormal or aligns with the regular usage of a specific period. This is achieved through extending the solution into Cisco’s network equipment to allow for better data correlation and thus decrease dwell times. For those invested in Cisco hardware, it can be a tool for network security audits.

Features:

1. Network Traffic Analysis: Monitors NetFlow, IPFIX, or sFlow to detect infiltration intrusion.
2. Encrypted Traffic Visibility: Capable of identifying traffic patterns even if the traffic is encrypted.
3. Threat Intelligence Integration: Compares infiltration signals with IP or domain feeds already known to be malicious.
4. Cloud-Based or On-Prem Deployment: A versatile solution for temporary usage from different environments.

Gain insights into how businesses enhance network security with Stealthwatch, straight from customers on GPI.

Datadog Network Monitoring

Datadog, known for its cloud-based performance monitoring, expands its network reach through its Network Monitoring feature. Through ephemeral usage such as ephemeral containers in microservices, Datadog can detect infiltration patterns. Its dashboards and correlation integrate the detection of intrusions with standard ops metrics to facilitate triage. Datadog can integrate with Docker or Kubernetes.

Features:

1. Cloud Observability: Combines network scanning with APM, logs, and temporary usage metrics all in one console.
2. Service Map & Flow: Shows directions of communications, highlighting infiltration patterns or the presence of unexpected delays.
3. Autodiscovery of Containers: Connects infiltration detection with deployment cycles and quickly identifies ephemeral workloads.
4. Flexible Alarms: Staff set parameters for alert conditions, including connection resets and domain blacklists.

Explore how Datadog empowers businesses with real-time network analytics, based on user experiences on PeerSpot.

Auvik Network Management

Auvik is designed for businesses and provides topologies, device configuration backups, and usage scanning. Staff can determine if there is any malicious traffic emerging from normal endpoints. It can do network security audits and reduce intrusion attempts.

Features:

1. Automated Network Mapping: Visual topologies show device functions, correlating temporary usage with scanning processes.
2. Config Management & Backup: Minimizes infiltration from accidental or malicious config changes.
3. Traffic Analysis & Notifications: Identify if the port is being used maliciously or if there is an increase in traffic, which will help prevent intruders from scanning for vulnerabilities from the other side of the firewall.
4. Cloud-Based Portal: This feature allows users to access dashboards from any location and consolidates infiltration detection across remote sites.

Understand how Auvik simplifies network management and troubleshooting, as shared by professionals on PeerSpot.

LogicMonitor

LogicMonitor is a network security auditing solution that provides observability and logging, network scanning, application and usage checks. It can detect new devices, containers, or cloud instances independently. It enables infiltration detection throughout the development process, from build to production, by establishing connections between temporary usage patterns and innovative correlation methods.

Features:

1. Auto-Discovery: This feature quickly discovers new provisioned nodes or ephemeral containers in minutes.
2. Event Correlation: Integrates scanning logs with application or OS-level events to identify infiltration patterns.
3. Dynamic Thresholds: This feature adapts the level of alerts based on the temporary fluctuations of usage, thus minimizing the number of false alarms.
4. Compliance & Audit Trails: Records device or user activity, helps staff meet compliance audit requirements.

See how enterprises ensure network reliability with LogicMonitor through expert reviews on PeerSpot.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Network Security Audit Tool

As for the network security audit tools mentioned above, the selection depends on environment complexity, staff competency, and financial capabilities. Since infiltration patterns are not static, it is crucial to implement a solution that is adaptable and can grow with the organization. In this section, we explore six considerations that connect short-term usage, multiple cloud growths, and compliance requirements to guide you in selecting the right platform.

1. Coverage Across On-Prem & Cloud: Some solutions are very good at scanning local networks but are lacking in environments based on ephemeral containers or serverless computing. On the other hand, tools that focus only on cloud computing might not pay enough attention to on-premises hardware or legacy equipment. Assess the capability of each tool in terms of consolidating scanning across all the endpoints, synchronizing infiltration detection with temporary usage in dynamic development cycles. If you are using multiple clouds, ensure the solution supports Azure, AWS, GCP, or other specialized cloud solution providers.
2. Integration & API Friendliness: Search for integration options that allow your potential tool to automatically ingest logs into SIEMs, ticketing systems, or identity solutions. This integration enables the infiltration detection integration, so that you can integrate the usage data with user directories or threat intelligence. Tools that cannot be easily integrated with each other cause problems of workflow automation and necessitate merging of data. The best strategy is always to choose solutions that fit well within your environment and can easily integrate into your environment.
3. Real-Time Detection & Automated Response: When infiltration occurs, the time to containment of infected hosts is critical. Some solutions only reveal the presence of anomalies when they perform their scans at fixed intervals, allowing infiltration to persist. Tools that have real-time triggers can automatically block, quarantine for a limited amount of time, or force patches. Thus, it is evident that prioritizing the advanced level of automation strongly contributes to the decrease in the infiltration success rates and downtime.
4. Compliance Mapping & Reporting: If your business falls under the HIPAA, PCI DSS, or similar regulations, you will require out-of-the-box compliance scans. Solutions integrating the ephemeral usage scanning with NIST or ISO 27001 frameworks facilitate external and internal audits. This saves the staff from manual checklists and allows for infiltration resilience plus straightforward regulation sign-offs. Ensure each solution can generate the necessary compliance logs or policy alignment for each of the solutions provided.
5. Scalability & Licensing Model: A small development company might only manage tens of nodes, while a large enterprise may manage thousands of nodes in different data centers. Make sure that the chosen solution can be scaled without increasing costs or reducing efficiency significantly. When it comes to ephemeral usage, such as container spin-ups and tear-downs at scale, discovery and licensing policies are crucial. As your environment scales up or down, you want the ability to detect infiltrations to improve or at least not get worse.
6. Ease of Deployment & Learning Curve: Certain solutions require a significant amount of resources or staff training, which may slow down infiltration coverage in the initial stages. Some highlight friendly interfaces that allow users to do most of the work, while others focus on automating the processes carried out by the staff. The best pick is the one that matches your staff’s experience level and willingness to embrace the use of ephemeral structures. Ideally, this solution fosters infiltration detection from day one without months of exhaustive configuration steps.

Conclusion

Today’s enterprise infrastructure includes on-premises servers, multiple cloud extensions, and short-lived container groups—elements that make infiltration challenging to detect and mitigate. With scanning integrated with advanced analytics and compliance, network security audit tools offer a single point of view that reveals suspicious port use, leftover credentials, or misconfigurations before attackers can exploit them. By implementing a reliable solution, compliance reporting is also facilitated and staff do not get bogged down by the logs. In the long run, these tools not only protect the brand image but also prevent the devastating financial losses of a massive breach.

With the evolving trends in the infiltration tactics, your approach to network auditing should also change. Maintaining short-term usage scanning, real-time correlation, and automated patching is now the new standard for security. So, take the next step and try any tool from the above. If you are curious to know more about the new possibilities of detecting cloud, on-premises, and ephemeral containers in one place, you can try SentinelOne Singularity™. The platform enhances your network security audit program with AI-based threat intelligence and autonomous security response. Request a free demo of SentinelOne Singularity™ and let us handle your security needs.

FAQs

What are Network Security Auditing Tools?

Network security audit software is sophisticated software that scans the network infrastructure in real-time for intrusion attempts, policy breaches, or misconfigurations. They integrate real-time scanning, threat protection, and policy management to identify vulnerabilities in advance. They cover transient use in containers and multi-cloud environments to offer end-to-end security coverage throughout an organization’s infrastructure.

How do network security audit tools improve threat detection?

By comparing actual usage patterns against pre-established baselines, network security audit tools rapidly identify anomalous behavior, such as unknown port scans and suspicious traffic spikes. They also monitor temporary containers and hybrid cloud traffic, with fewer blind spots. Ultimately, these tools accelerate response time, automate countermeasures, and stop intrusion from becoming a full-fledged breach.

What features should I look for in a network security audit tool?

A better audit solution must consolidate on-prem and multi-cloud scans, including tracking ephemeral usage—i.e., containers or serverless instances. Real-time threat detection and remediation are required, along with strong compliance reporting for PCI DSS and others. SIEM or identity platform integration and ease of dashboards enable teams to remediate infiltration risk promptly.

How do network security audit tools support regulatory compliance?

Network security audit tools map daily scans and threat intelligence to established standards like HIPAA or ISO 27001, generating simple-to-read reports. With real-time logs, they detect vulnerabilities and track remediation, critical for an audit pass. Their integrated dashboards and automated policy scans keep ephemeral use compliant, reducing manual effort while meeting strict regulations.

What industries benefit the most from network security audits?

While every industry can benefit from strong network security scans, industries like financial, healthcare, and government need them to ensure PCI DSS, HIPAA, and FedRAMP compliance. Even IT and e-commerce companies face large-scale infiltration attempts, particularly in the cloud. With the fusion of transient usage scans and policy tests, such audits protect sensitive information across many operations.

How do network security audit tools integrate with SIEM and endpoint security solutions?

Network security audit tools usually come with APIs or connectors that input real-time alerts and penetration indicators into SIEM systems, improving log correlation. Concurrently, endpoint security platforms may use the same telemetry for orchestrated threat containment. With this integration, transient usage is continuously monitored, filling the gap between device-level protection and network-level intelligence for end-to-end security coverage.