Looking for vulnerabilities with OpenVAS and Greenbone

Security Search

Article from Issue 176/2015
Author(s):

OpenVAS scans your systems and discovers potential security problems. If you want to wield the power of OpenVAS without becoming a security expert, use the handy Greenbone user interface tool.

With the never-ending onslaught of hackers penetrating networks, most system administrators need a way of identifying vulnerabilities in a simple, consistent, and repeatable fashion. Wouldn't it be nice if users had a simple means for running a series of automated checks to identify known security problems?

One powerful and popular security analysis tool is The Open Vulnerability Assessment System, or OpenVAS. OpenVAS is actually a framework that supports scanning and reporting on your system's vulnerabilities. Scan a system, and OpenVAS will provided a detailed list of security issues. OpenVAS efficiently organizes the information, offering important details on the problem and what to do about it.

OpenVAS is available for download as a virtual appliance and is included in some security toolkits. The OpenVAS security scanner is often bundled with other security tools into specialized security-themed Linux distributions. A dedicated security distro can save you time, because you have more tools readily available depending on what you turn up with your analysis. Kali Linux is one of the more popular distributions, and Kali includes OpenVAS.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • OpenVAS

    The more IT infrastructure complexity increases, the more indispensable vulnerability scanners become. If you are not interested in retaining the consulting services of a professional hacker, you might want to entrust the task of detecting vulnerabilities to a specialized software tool, such as OpenVAS.

  • OpenVAS

    If you prefer to travel light and free, try OpenVAS, a GPLed fork of the Nessus scanning tool.

  • Smart Home Security

    Many IoT devices are so poorly protected against attacks that it is easy for an intruder to slip inside. With the right tools and best practices, you can bar the door.

  • Network Scanner OpenVAS 2.0 Enters Beta

    Beta test of the Open Vulnerability Assessment System (OpenVAS) is targeted at experienced users and developers of security solutions.

  • arp-scan

    When it comes to network recon, arp-scan allows you to collect device intel quickly and stealthily.

comments powered by Disqus