Development of a cost-effective network situational awareness and vulnerability scanner for resource-constrained organizations

Abstract

Organizations with limited technical and financial resources often face significant challenges in maintaining secure network infrastructures. Commercial vulnerability scanners, while effective, are typically cost-prohibitive and require specialized knowledge, leaving many small businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofits exposed to cyber threats. This project presents the development of a cost-effective network situational awareness and vulnerability scanner designed specifically for resource-constrained environments. The system integrates automated host discovery using Nmap, vulnerability detection via OpenVAS, and interactive data visualization through a web-based dashboard built with Dash and Flask. To enable remote network assessments, the solution incorporates a reverse VPN tunnel using WireGuard, allowing the scanning server to securely access and analyze internal networks without requiring local deployment. The platform is containerized using Docker for ease of deployment and portability. Testing across various environments, including desktops and Raspberry Pi devices, demonstrated the system’s flexibility and effectiveness, though performance limitations were observed on low-powered hardware. By leveraging open-source technologies, this tool significantly lowers the barrier to implementing robust network security practices, providing scalable protection for organizations traditionally underserved by current cybersecurity solutions.