Exposure management needs a reboot. Great research is the key to innovating new solutions.

Securing your total attack surface has never been more challenging. We believe that applied research is fundamental to building better security solutions to address both new problems and the persistent ones that dog security teams. By sharing our research, tools, and knowledge with our community, we can help each other proactively improve our defenses and raise the bar on attackers.

SSHamble: Exploit SSH protocol vulnerabilities

The runZero research team discovered a range of weaknesses across SSH applications that impact critical network security devices and software. These long standing issues remained undiscovered due to the lack of tooling available – until now!

Read our latest research report: The State of Asset Security

The runZero research team analyzed millions of assets across hundreds of enterprise networks, including internal infrastructure, internet-facing assets, and cloud environments. We found alarming gaps, unexpected trends, and much more.

Subscribe to our monthly runZero Hour series

Jump down the security rabbit hole with us every month as our research team unpacks risky exposures, attack surface anomalies, and the most random vulnerabilities lurking in your IT, OT, IoT, remote, cloud, and mobile environments.

runZero Research on the Road

Check out our upcoming speaking gigs

Friday, March 14, 2025 • Denver, CO
SnowFROC

Join our Founder and CEO, HD Moore, as he delivers the keynote at SnowFROC! He’ll share insights on building lasting security tools, open-source projects, and communities—making this a must-attend event in the heart of the Rockies.

Larry Wall said great programmers embody laziness, impatience, and hubris—traits that drive innovation but fragment security tools. Drawing from Metasploit and his latest projects, HD will share how to build for longevity and create tools that outlive their creators.

Don’t miss this deep dive into security innovation—see you in Denver!

Register Now
March 20, 2025 • 11:00am – 5:00pm ET • Virtual
Dark Reading: Cybersecurity's Most Promising New and Emerging Technologies

Tune in as HD Moore joins the Next-Gen SecOps panel to discuss the evolution of security operations with cloud services, automation, and decentralized teams.

Learn how new tools enhance threat detection, streamline operations, and improve visibility across a growing attack surface. The panel will also explore how to build a modern SecOps team, select the right technologies, and maintain clear visibility into cloud and enterprise assets.

Don’t miss this essential conversation!

Register Now
April 26-27, 2025 • San Francisco, CA
BSidesSF 2025

Join our Founder and CEO, HD Moore, in San Francisco as he charts the SSH multiverse! SSH—second only to HTTP in internet-wide exposure—has had a rocky year, and this talk dives into its many implementations, weaknesses, and real-world exposures.

Plus, don’t miss Rob King, Director of Security Research, as he explores the security implications of IT and OT convergence. His talk will cover OT protocols, device discovery, and navigating security challenges—even behind legacy protocol gateways.

Grab your ticket now for these deep dives into SSH and OT security!

Register Now
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Talk

DEF CON 32: SSHamble: Unexpected Exposures in SSH

The Secure Shell (SSH) has evolved from a remote shell service to a standardized secure transport that is second only to Transport Layer Security (TLS) in terms of exposure and popularity. SSH is no longer just for POSIX operating systems; SSH services can be found in everything from network devices, to source code forges, to Windows-based file transfer tools. While OpenSSH is still the most prominent implementation, it's now just one of dozens, and these include a handful of libraries that drive a wide range of applications.

Watch HD Moore and Rob King talk on stage at DEF CON 32, dig deep into SSH, the lesser-known implementations, many of the surprising security issues found along the way, and how to exploit them.

Latest runZero Hour Episodes

Watch recent episodes of our monthly research webcast exploring all things exposure and timely security topics.

Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 15: Network topology, detailed fingerprinting and MODBUS love
On this episode of runZero Hour, Rob King and Tom Sellers welcome Brianna Cluck, researcher extraordinaire from GreyNoise Intelligence, covering a...
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 14: Introducing Inside-Out Attack Surface Management
New inside-out attack surface management capabilities, tips for discovering elusive TLS and SSH stacks, a deep dive on the iSCSI protocol, and new...
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 13: Anniversary episode reflecting on 2024 through the lens of IT-OT/IoT convergence
In this special anniversary episode we gathered an all-star panel of cybersecurity experts to look back on 2024 through the lens of IT-OT/IoT...
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 12: A deep-dive into OT devices, protocols, and vulnerabilities
In this month’s episode of runZero Hour, we take a deep dive into new research insights on OT devices, protocols, and vulnerabilities.
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 11: A CISA insider's perspective on managing the KEV catalog
Tod Beardsley, CISA cybersecurity expert offers an insider’s look into CISA’s mission and management of the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV)...
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 10: RDP security, ATG & PC-WORX OT protocols
We dug into the details of three different protocols, and explored how our exceptionally creative customers help drive innovation in our platform.
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 9: (SSHamble Edition)
Didn't make it to DEF CON 32? We got you! This episode of runZero Hour explores all things SSH, including our new open-source tool: SSHamble.
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 8: Kaspersky Ban, Energy Sector & regreSSHion
The latest insights (and opinions!) on the impending US ban of Kaspersky products, the FBI's warning for threats against the renewable energy...
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 7: Fascinating Payloads & New Revelations in Threat Intelligence
Tune in for our monthly deep dive on the state of asset security. In Episode 7, we welcome a special guest, Brianna Cluck, from GreyNoise.
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 6: The Research Report Deep Dive
Join the runZero Research team as they discuss highlights of their new research and share insights derived from analysis of nearly four million...
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 5: XZ Utils Backdoor
On this episode, the runZero Research team dives into some hot topics including the XZ Utils Backdoor (CVE-2024-3094) and expert analysis of the...
Webcasts
runZero Hour, Ep. 4: Network Lookalikes and Fingerprinting Challenges
The fourth episode of runZero Hour, featuring the latest insights, anecdotes, and observations from the runZero Research team.

Latest Research Blogs

Dive into the latest findings, insights, and observations on attack surfaces from our research team.

runZero Research
RDP security: The impact of secure defaults and legacy protocols
Explore the evolution of the Remote Desktop Protocol to become secure by default and learn how to audit your environment for risky RDP configurations.
runZero Research
Proven fingerprinting techniques for effective attack surface management
Precise asset identification is critical for effective cyber asset attack surface management. See how runZero’s techniques are unmatched.
runZero Research
How to detect SSH key reuse
Unmanaged SSH keys leaves networks vulnerable to cyber attacks. Learn how Zero helps with auditing SSH keys to reduce unnecessary exposures on your...
runZero Research
End-of-life assets: managing risks in outdated technology
Outdated assets create a more accessible entry point for attackers to exploit your attack surface. Learn how the runZero Platform effectively...
runZero Research
Cyber asset management in the era of segmentation decay
Network segmentation faces limitations with modern equipment. See how a CAASM approach can improve asset discovery and threat protection.
runZero Research
How runZero speaks to the TwinCAT 3 Automation Device Specification (ADS) protocol
In industrial automation, TwinCAT 3’s Automation Device Specification (ADS) protocol ensures seamless communication between components and systems....
runZero Research
Unusual Assets: The riskiest factor in attack surface management
runZero’s research finds outlier assets, even if just slightly unusual, are often significantly riskier than others. The outlier score gives...
runZero Research
Active Asset Discovery in OT networks: runZero and the NREL/CECA Report
The Cohort 2 report describes how runZero safely discovers devices in a large, complex OT/ICS environment. Learn more about runZero's discovery...
runZero Research
AI in CAASM: The Risks of LLM data in security-critical workflows
Current generation AI tools provide appealing answers but struggle with a crucial challenge: knowing the truth, which poses great security risks.
runZero Research
SSHamble: Unexpected exposures in the Secure Shell
We conducted a deep dive into the SSH ecosystem and identified vulnerabilities across a wide range of implementations. During the research process,...
runZero Research
Attack Surface Challenges with OT/ICS and Cloud Environments
Learn why successfully navigating changes to operational technology and cloud attack surfaces is critical for successful asset security.
runZero Research
Evolving threat landscapes: a view through the lens of CAASM
See what our analysis of sample CAASM data reveals about the current threat landscape and how security teams are responding to challenges old and new.

Latest Rapid Responses

Get tips on addressing 0-day threats and see how to uncover them immediately with runZero prebuilt queries.

Rapid Response
How to find GitLab instances
GitLab issued a new critical patch release to resolve a SAML vulnerability in GitLab software.
Rapid Response
How to find SAP NetWeaver instances on your network
SAP Issued a security advisory for several of their products including NetWeaver. Here's how to find instances running on your network.
Rapid Response
How to find Edimax IP cameras on your network
On March 7th, 2025, CISA disclosed a vulnerability in all versions of the Edimax IC-7100 network camera.
Rapid Response
How to find Elastic Kibana on your network
On March 5th, 2025, Elastic disclosed a vulnerability in multiple versions of Kibana. Here's how to find affected versions on your network.
Rapid Response
How to find VMware ESXi installations on your network
On March 5th, 2025, VMware disclosed several vulnerabilities in its ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion products.
Rapid Response
How to find Palo Alto Networks devices running PAN-OS
Palo Alto Networks (PAN) warns of active exploitation of chained vulnerabilities against PAN-OS. Here's how to find PAN devices on your network.
Rapid Response
How to find Citrix NetScaler Console & Agent instances on your network
A new vulnerability was disclosed in NetScaler Console and NetScaler Agent that leads to privilege escalation
Rapid Response
How to find BigAnt Office Messenger on your network
On February 27, a vulnerability was disclosed in BigAntSoft BigAnt Office Messenger that can lead to complete system compromise.
Rapid Response
How to find Schneider Electric devices on your network
Schneider Electric has reported a critical vulnerability in its M850 and Quantum Modicon communications adapters, here's how to use runZero to find...
Rapid Response
How to find Craft CMS on your network
CISA warns that a Craft CMS remote code execution vulnerability is actively being exploited. Here's how you can find Craft CMS on your networks.
Rapid Response
How to find Rockwell Automation devices
Rockwell Automation has disclosed a vulnerability in their PowerFlex 755 industrial control system. Here's how to find vulnerable systems with...
Rapid Response
How to find Atlassian products on your network
Atlassian issued a security bulletin for high and critical vulnerabilities found within third-party dependencies of multiple products.
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Explorers, innovators, & experts

Meet the team behind our research.

We are a group of industry veterans with decades of experience in information security, who are committed to runZero’s foundational principle that applied research makes for better asset discovery, and that better asset discovery is the foundation of modern exposure management.

The goal of the runZero research team is to discover incredibly efficient ways to pinpoint at-risk devices and quickly get this information into the hands of our customers and community. We achieve this through both precise fingerprinting and fast outlier analysis across IT, OT, IoT, cloud, mobile, and remote environments. 

HD Moore

Founder & CEO

HD Moore is the founder and CEO of runZero. Previously, he founded the Metasploit Project and served as the main developer of the Metasploit Framework, which is the world's most widely used penetration testing framework.

More from HD Moore

Rob King

Director of Security Research

Rob King is the Director of Security Research at runZero. Over his career Rob has served as a senior researcher with KoreLogic, the architect for TippingPoint DVLabs, and helped get several startups off the ground. Rob helped...

More from Rob King

Tom Sellers

Principal Research Engineer

Tom Sellers is a Principal Research Engineer at runZero. In his 25 years in IT and Security he has built, broken, and defended networks for companies in the finance, service provider, and security software industries. He has...

More from Tom Sellers

todb

Section Chief for Vulnerability Analysis and Operations - CISA

Tod Beardsley is VP of Security Research at runZero, where he "kicks assets and fakes frames." Prior to 2025, he was the Section Chief for the Vulnerability Response section for CSD/VM/VRC at CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infra...

More from todb

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