Port Scanner - Hows ScanLine or SuperScan compare to Nmap

The subject line says it all. Can anyone offer any comments on using ScanLine or SuperScan as opposed to Nmap. Especially if host is a Windows OS targetting Windows OS

I'm been working through the Hacking exposed - Windows 2003 book by Joel Scambray and Stuart McClure and they promote ScanLine and SuperScan over Nmap.

I'm taking that with a pinch of salt as ScanLine and SuperScan are free tools from FoundStone (which is their company :!: )

Cheers

Do you mean superscan the little freeware portscanner? I've not used the other tool you mentioned, but even so Nmap is in a different league altogether

At Foundstone's website they have several free tools for download

www.foundstone.com/index.htm?subnav=reso...ources/freetools.htm

I'm building up my toolkit and time is, as always, at a premium so I am trying to focus on the most widely used that also provide best results and are easy to use.

Rather than trying to test and learn 3 or 4 different tools that should accomplish the same thing. Once I've gotten to grips with the primary tool (perhaps Nmap) then I can afford some time to learn the others.

So far Nmap looks to be the winner

Scanline I've never used.. (is it a command line portscanner for windows as a static binary ? I just made one of those )...

Superscan is decent.. but there is no comparison with nmap ! Superscan4 will do your basic SYN scanning and banner grabbing... and throw it out in an HTML page.

We're missing O/S detection, service fingerprinting, proper logging capabilities (machine readable, greppable, XML etc), Superscan doesn't seem to go anywhere as fast as the nmap rewrites (3.75+)..

It is very reliable though.. and is my Windows portscanner of choice..

If you have to compare nmap on win32 and superscan, then I pick superscan... but in a proper shootout.. it is blown away.

The Foundstone guys are cool though.. I just have this kookie feeling that they're gonna get bought over by Symantec soon.


Cheers,

The Foundstone guys are cool though.. I just have this kookie feeling that they're gonna get bought over by Symantec soon.

Your kookie feelings had the right feel, just the wrong direction... you might be interested to read about McAfee/Network Associates buying Foundstone www.mcafeesecurity.com/us/about/press/co.../20041004_154913.htm

Maybe Symantec will buy McAfee now that they have just brought Veritas? It sounds like a battle for world domination in the AV market is shaping up

Arghh its so hard being a prophet who gets the names wrong