/ Product Profile
    Palo Alto Networks

    (Expanse)

    Penetration Testing & Red TeamAttack Surface ManagementAsset DiscoveryVulnerability Management

    Palo Alto Networks (Expanse), now sold as Cortex Xpanse, is an external attack surface management and penetration-testing support product used to discover Internet-facing assets before an assessment begins. In the penetration testing and red team context, it helps security teams and service providers enumerate exposed hosts, map ownership, and identify unknown services and shadow IT so test scope is grounded in real external exposure. It is best for organizations that need continuous internet-scale reconnaissance to feed manual testing, red-team planning, and attack-path validation. Palo Alto Networks also offers separate consulting and testing services through Unit 42.

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    Picari insights

    Organizations needing continuous, internet-scale reconnaissance to inform manual penetration testing, red teaming, and attack path validation.

    Best for
    • Continuous external attack surface management
    • Pre-assessment reconnaissance for penetration testing
    • Identifying unknown internet-facing assets and shadow IT
    May not be ideal if
    • Internal network vulnerability scanning
    • Managed penetration testing services (without in-house expertise)
    • Small businesses with minimal internet-facing assets

    Core capabilities

    Continuous external asset discovery
    Cortex Xpanse routinely discovers assets an organization’s IT staff is unaware of and are not monitoring, using active attack surface management to find exposed systems.
    Internet-exposed system identification
    The platform scans the internet for exposed systems belonging to your organization and surfaces internal systems exposed to the internet.
    Risk-based exposed asset prioritization
    Xpanse sorts exposed systems it detects based on the severity of the risk they pose, helping teams focus remediation on higher-risk assets first.
    Suspicious traffic detection on exposed assets
    The platform detects whether a discovered exposed system has received suspicious traffic, supporting investigation of potentially targeted assets.

    Common use cases

    01

    Unknown Asset Identification

    02

    Attack Surface Reduction

    03

    Pre-Penetration Test Reconnaissance

    04

    Mergers & Acquisitions Due Diligence

    Things to consider

    Every product has trade-offs, and which of them matter depends on your environment, your team and your timeline.

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    Palo Alto Networks (Expanse) pricing and integrations

    For Palo Alto Networks (Expanse) integration and pricing details, ask Picari. Start a briefing with your question, such as whether it connects to your SIEM, identity provider and ticketing stack, or how it is priced at your seat count and data volume.

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    Profile last updated on 6 September 2026 by Picari.