Scanner overview
Here is an overview of open-source, free, and commercial benchmark scanners:
| Name | Supported Operating Systems, Networks & Cloud Resources | Pricing / Licensing Model | Category / Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIS-CAT Pro / Lite | OS: Windows, Linux, macOS, AIX, Solaris Network: Cisco, Juniper, F5, Palo Alto |
Lite: Free (Limited) Pro: Commercial (CIS Membership) |
Official tool developed by the Center for Internet Security |
| DISA SCC (SCAP Compliance Checker) | OS: Windows, Windows Server, RHEL, Ubuntu, SLES, macOS | Free (US Government tool, processes SCAP/XCCDF) | Local host scanner for OS compliance |
| OpenSCAP | OS: Primarily Linux (RHEL, CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky, Ubuntu, Debian, SLES) | Free (Open Source / GPL) | Linux standard for SCAP & compliance audits |
| Tenable Nessus (Professional / Vulnerability Management) | OS: Windows, Linux, macOS, Unix Network: Cisco, Juniper, HP, Dell, Palo Alto, Fortinet etc. Cloud: AWS, Azure, GCP |
Commercial (Subscription per IP/Scanner) | Comprehensive market leader for vulnerability & CIS audits |
| Qualys Policy Compliance (PC) | OS: Windows, Linux, macOS, Unix Network & DB: Broad coverage of all major vendors |
Commercial (SaaS model based on asset count) | Enterprise SaaS for continuous compliance |
| Rapid7 InsightVM / Nexpose | OS: Windows, Linux, macOS, Unix Network: Large selection of network & security components |
Commercial (Subscription based on asset count) | Enterprise vulnerability and risk management |
| Greenbone Enterprise / Community | OS: Windows, Linux, macOS Network: Common routers, switches, and firewalls |
Community: Free (Open Source) Enterprise: Commercial (Includes CIS feed) |
Vulnerability scanner with built-in compliance checks |
| Wazuh | OS: Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris, AIX Network: Syslog/API integrations |
Free (Open Source) | XDR/SIEM featuring an integrated SCA module for CIS checks |
| Trivy (by Aqua Security) | Infrastructure: Kubernetes, Docker/Containers, IaC (Terraform etc.), AWS, Azure, GCP | Free (Open Source) Aqua Platform: Commercial |
Cloud-native & container security according to CIS |
| Prisma Cloud (by Palo Alto) | Cloud: AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, Alibaba Cloud Infrastructure: Kubernetes, Containers, Serverless |
Commercial (Enterprise Platform) | Comprehensive Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) |
| Check Point CloudGuard | Cloud: AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes | Commercial (Enterprise Platform) | CSPM & cloud compliance automation |
| Scout Suite (by NCC Group) | Cloud: AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud | Free (Open Source) | Multi-cloud security and compliance auditor |
| Microsoft Defender for Cloud / Endpoint | OS: Windows, Windows Server, Linux Cloud: Azure, AWS, GCP |
Commercial (Part of the MS Security ecosystem) | Integrated configuration & Secure Score auditing |
| WithSecure Elements (formerly F-Secure Radar) | OS: Windows, Linux, macOS Network: Common network components |
Commercial (SaaS model) | European alternative for vulnerability management |
| SaltStack SecOps (by VMware/Broadcom) | OS: Windows, Linux, Unix | Commercial (Add-on for SaltStack) | Compliance scanning with automated remediation |
| Lynis | OS: Linux, macOS, BSD, AIX, Solaris only | Core: Free (Open Source) Enterprise: Commercial |
Lightweight local system auditing for Unix/Linux |
Table: Overview OpenSource, free and commercial benchmark scanner solutions