By Muhammed Shafin P (@hejhdiss)
In modern cybersecurity, most antivirus products claim to offer complete protection. However, many fail to address one of the most critical areas: deep network-level vulnerability scanning. Rather than building limited internal scanners, integrating existing tools like Nmap can significantly enhance security coverage.
This article presents one sample case using Nmap for internet/network-level detection, but similar concepts apply across other layers of security as well.
Problem with Current Antivirus Scanners
Most antivirus software:
- focuses on file-based malware detection
- performs limited or superficial vulnerability checks
- offers basic network alerts without full detail
- does not scan all ports or detect service versions
- lacks OS fingerprinting and deep inspection
This results in weak security coverage, especially in systems connected to home or public networks or running multiple smart devices.
Why Nmap is a Better Foundation
Nmap is a mature, open-source network scanner with capabilities such as:
- full TCP and UDP port scanning
- service and version detection
- OS fingerprinting
- scripted scanning using NSE (Nmap Scripting Engine)
- scan timing control and firewall evasion techniques
If integrated into antivirus products, Nmap can power:
- device-level network scans
- exposed service detection
- live vulnerability alerts
- real-time risk evaluation of active connections
Examples of what Nmap can detect that traditional antivirus tools miss:
- open SSH, Telnet, FTP ports
- outdated HTTP servers with known CVEs
- IoT devices broadcasting insecure services
- unauthorized devices connected to local networks
Limitations of Current Built-in Scanners
Most antivirus vendors attempt to build their own scanning tools but these:
- are limited to predefined port ranges
- do not expose detailed results to users
- lack customization
- rarely detect service versions or CVE exposure
- fail to identify full network topology or rogue devices
This Nmap-based method is only a sample in the internet/network detection area. Antivirus software can also integrate other specialized tools for memory inspection, system integrity checks, file anomaly tracking, bootloader protection, browser vulnerability detection, more memory behavior monitors, registry change detectors, cloud reputation checks, anti-rootkit scanners, and more.
Making it Usable for Non-Technical Users
To ensure non-technical users benefit from advanced integrations:
- scan results from tools like Nmap should be converted into human-readable alerts
- scripts or backend modules can interpret technical output into simple sentences
- warnings like "Open port 445 detected on your network" can be explained as "Your system may be exposed to SMB-related threats"
- antivirus interfaces can offer a basic and an advanced view to suit both beginners and experts
Suggested Solution
Security vendors should:
- integrate Nmap or equivalent scanning engines internally
- schedule regular background scans with user control
- display clear risk maps of open ports and services
- alert users on real-time exposure
- offer configuration options for technical users
- use Nmap NSE scripts for detecting real-world CVEs
- auto-translate scan outputs into user-friendly reports
- build pipelines for multiple categories including network, system, memory, boot, file, and browser detection
By building on proven tools rather than limited internal features, antivirus software can provide full-layer security at both consumer and enterprise levels.
Conclusion
Modern threats go far beyond just file-based infections. Exposed ports, live services, vulnerable memory states, misconfigured settings, and insecure applications are all active risk zones. Antivirus systems that ignore these layers provide only partial protection. Integrating powerful and flexible tools like Nmap and others can result in deeper, broader, and more accurate detection. This will allow antivirus platforms to evolve from being reactive file scanners into full-spectrum digital defenders.
Top comments (0)