Exploring the OpenVAS vulnerability scanner

Scan Free

© Bram Janssens, 123RF

© Bram Janssens, 123RF

Article from Issue 109/2009
Author(s): , Author(s): , Author(s):

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

The Internet has become more dangerous over the years, with constantly changing threats and ever more sophisticated attackers. As have most security professionals, we have seen all manner of clever schemes designed to part businesses from their money and data. To help discover and manage threats, we rely heavily on free software tools. One of the most popular security tools is the Nessus vulnerability scanner by Tenable Network Security [1], which many have used to look for vulnerabilities on customer networks.

The decision by Tenable to change the licensing for commercial use was viewed with frustration by a number of security professionals. Prompted by the final announcement on Slashdot in October 2005 that Nessus would be closed source, Tim Brown made the decision to announce a fork. The result of that effort is OpenVAS [2], a free software fork of the Nessus vulnerability scanner predominantly licensed under the GPL.

At this time, OpenVAS has a thriving community, with contributions from both individuals and corporations from all over the world. The OpenVAS project is a member of Software in the Public Interest, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping organizations develop free software. A recent successful developers conference had 16 participants from four continents, and we have more than 13,000 vulnerability checks committed to our public SVN repository.

[...]

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

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subscriptions
Digital Subscriptions

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.

    more »
  • OpenVAS and Greenbone

    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.

    more »
  • 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.

    more »
  • 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.

    more »
  • Charly’s Column: w3af

    After toiling away to create a small but exclusive website, Charly wanted to run a security scanner against it to check for vulnerabilities. The choice of tools is enormous, but Charly chose w3af.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source