Immunity Inc. has released a security tool that can scan an astounding 1 million IP addresses per hour, discovering if they're susceptible to hacks that allow attackers to hijack servers or retrieve sensitive data.

The entry-level package of Swarm, as the service is called, is a 4U server that includes 10 virtual machines. This gives it the ability to test a huge number of IP addresses against a battery of sophisticated exploits. The software inside scales linearly, meaning two of the boxes can scan roughly twice as fast, and so on, said Dave Aitel, head of Miami-based Immunity. Prices begin in the "low six figures."

Immunity is aiming Swarm at security professionals who work for large organizations with large online assets. The product allows them to have almost real-time situational awareness. If they learn of a new vulnerability in the latest version of the PHP programming language, for instance, they can almost instantaneously find out if any systems anywhere in their global network are at risk.

"Making it trivial for them to do a quick scan across that space changes their whole operational behavior," Aitel told Ars. "It's no longer something where you have to go get a cup of coffee and then come back. It changes the way you behave when it's easy."

Swarm includes a subscription to more than 800 exploits in Immunity's catalog, which is known as the Canvas framework. A video demonstration of Swarm is here.