Credentialed Pre-Port Discovery: Don't Probe the Host, Ask It
Rapid7, Wednesday, September 9th, 2026
Authenticated scans can query a host for its open ports instead of inferring them through network probing.
InsightVM 8.58 adds an option for authenticated scans to query the target host directly for its open ports rather than inferring them through network probing.
The credentialed query, via SSH, Scan Assistant or Windows credentials, returns an authoritative list covering both TCP and UDP, which network probing cannot match on hardened hosts or large port ranges.
The trade-off is explicit: ports blocked by a firewall are reported but unreachable, causing timeouts and potentially terminating the scan. Enabling it is a per-template checkbox, with automatic fallback where credentials are absent.