How we did it
 
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For our testing, we configured a 12-system test network that contained a variety of platforms and configurations:
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We identified a list of 15 vulnerabilities on this network and compared scan results to this list (click here for a list of vulnerabilities used in this test).
Each scanner was installed on a Pentium III-800 dual-processor system with 512M bytes of RAM running Win 2000 Server with Service Pack 2. One note - ISS does not support running Internet Scanner on a Windows Server. Therefore, we ran this product on a Pentium III-500 system with 256M bytes RAM running Win 2000 Professional with Service Pack 2. We did not notice any differences except for the speed. For Nessus, we used Red Hat Linux 7.1 running on a single-processor Pentium III-800 system with 256M bytes of RAM.
We scanned this network with each of the vulnerability assessment scanners and compared the results. For the scan, we ran the most comprehensive option available on the product. For our reports, we generated at least an executive summary and a detailed vulnerability report.
To test performance on a more enterprise level, we attempted to run scans on a private Class C IP network range that contained approximately 47 Windows and Linux systems. We also attempted to scan a private Class B IP network range containing 500 Windows and Linux systems.
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Andress is a network security engineer at TiVo and a frequent contributor to many publications. She has also authored several books, including Surviving Security. Andress is also active on the conference circuit, speaking at Black Hat, NetWorld+ Interop, and numerous other conferences. She can be reached at mandy@arcsec.com
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