Internal network security is critical yet often overlooked. Once attackers gain initial access through configuration drift, phishing, or compromised credentials, they can rapidly expand their foothold by exploiting internal vulnerabilities. This lateral movement can lead to devastating breaches, making internal vulnerability scanning as crucial as external assessments.

ProjectDiscovery offers two distinct approaches for internal network vulnerability scanning, each designed to fit different organizational needs while maintaining our core focus on exploitability and accurate detection.

Local Scanning & Upload

Run Nuclei locally and upload results to PDCP. Ideal for teams with existing scanning workflows or specific network restrictions.

Cloud-Managed Scanning

Use TunnelX for remote scan triggering through PDCP UI. Perfect for large networks and centralized security management.

Internal scanning helps identify misconfigurations, unpatched systems, and security gaps that could be exploited for lateral movement before attackers can leverage them.

Port Discovery with Naabu

Before running vulnerability scans, it’s recommended to first identify open ports in your internal network using Naabu - a fast and reliable port scanner. This ensures comprehensive vulnerability scanning coverage.

# Scan entire internal subnet and save results
naabu -host 192.168.1.1/24 -o internal_ports.txt

# Scan specific port ranges
naabu -host 192.168.1.1/24 -p 80,443,8000-9000 -o internal_ports.txt

# Faster scanning with increased rate
naabu -host 192.168.1.1/24 -rate 1000 -o internal_ports.txt

The discovered ports can be used as input for vulnerability scanning to ensure thorough coverage of all exposed services. Learn more about Naabu’s capabilities in our detailed documentation.

Naabu will soon be integrated directly into ProjectDiscovery’s internal vulnerability scanning capabilities. Contact our sales team to be notified when this feature becomes available.

Method 1: Local Scanning & Upload

This approach lets you run Nuclei locally and upload results to ProjectDiscovery Cloud Platform (ProjectDiscovery).

Set up your API Key

To connect your existing Nuclei results to PDCP you will need to create a free API Key:

  1. Visit https://cloud.projectdiscovery.io
  2. Open the setting menu from the top right and select “API Key” to create your API Key
  1. Use the nuclei -auth command, and enter your API key when prompted.

Configure Team (Optional)

If you want to upload the scan results to a team workspace instead of your personal workspace, you can configure the Team ID using either method:

  1. Run your scan with the upload flag:
# Single target
nuclei -u http://internal-target -cloud-upload

# Multiple targets
nuclei -l internal-hosts.txt -cloud-upload

# With specific templates
nuclei -u http://internal-target -t misconfiguration/ -cloud-upload

This method is ideal when you want to maintain complete control over scan execution or integrate with existing automation scripts.

TunnelX is our open-source tunneling solution, purpose-built by ProjectDiscovery to enable secure internal scanning. It establishes isolated SOCKS5 proxies that let you trigger scans directly from the ProjectDiscovery interface while ensuring your internal infrastructure remains protected and unexposed.

Cloud-managed internal scanning with TunnelX is an Enterprise-exclusive feature. Free and Pro users can still perform internal scans using the local scanning method described above.

Install TunnelX

Choose your preferred installation method:

Managing Multiple Networks

TunnelX allows you to create separate tunnels for different internal networks:

# Run tunnels with custom names for different networks
tunnelx -auth <api_key> -name prod-network
tunnelx -auth <api_key> -name staging-network

# Run in background
nohup tunnelx -auth <api_key> & # Linux/MacOS
start /B tunnelx -auth <api_key> # Windows

After successful connection, you’ll see your network appear as a selectable option in the network dropdown menu on the ProjectDiscovery Scans page.

Exploitability Focus

Every vulnerability includes proof of concept, eliminating false positives common in traditional scanners.

Multiple Networks

Scan different internal networks by running multiple TunnelX instances with unique names.

Secure Isolation

Each tunnel creates an isolated SOCKS5 proxy, ensuring network traffic remains protected.

Centralized Management

Monitor and manage all internal scans from a single ProjectDiscovery dashboard.

Choosing Your Approach

Use Local Scanning When:

  • You need complete control over scan execution
  • You have existing automation scripts
  • Network policies restrict external connections
  • You want to run scans on-demand

Use Cloud-Managed When:

  • Managing large internal networks
  • Need centralized scan management
  • Want automated recurring scans
  • Require multi-team collaboration

Always ensure you have proper authorization before scanning internal networks. Follow your organization’s security policies and compliance requirements.

Next Steps