Nowadays, technology is becoming vast, and humans are mostly relying on it to make life easier. Many organizations are using technology to make their services and products even better. But as we heard “With great powers comes great responsibilities” and here the responsibility being talked about is the protection of every user. While checking the network’s security strength we can’t check every part on our own. Here, Nessus vulnerability scanner comes into the picture. It is like using technology to protect technology. Going for the best Cyber Security courses will aid you in getting familiar with the latest cyber security trends.
Tenable Nessus Scanner is a vulnerability scanner which is developed by Tenable to perform vulnerability assessment and penetration testing using Common Vulnerability and Exposure architecture. It is a subscription-based product. It was its humble beginning of open-source product which turned into a robust commercial product alter after its usage worldwide.
You have the option to utilize a managed Tenable Nessus scanner or Tenable Nessus Professional as a Docker image, allowing for deployment within a container. Tenable offers two base Tenable Nessus images, namely Oracle Linux 8 and Ubuntu. By leveraging environment variables, you can conveniently configure the Tenable Nessus instance and automatically apply desired settings to the image. Furthermore, utilizing operators and variables enables seamless deployment of the Tenable Nessus image, linked either to Tenable Vulnerability Management or Tenable.sc.
As the process of vulnerability assessment is long and it requires a lot of time, energy and resources. So, to overcome this issue we use automated vulnerability scanner and Nessus software is one of the popular one nowadays when it comes to automatic vulnerability scanner, and it is used by wide range of individuals in an organization like as follows:
Many organizations and individuals use Nessus for vulnerability assessment and for finding security weakness. There are multiple features of it which makes it a good choice for an organization and individual.
Nessus operates as a powerful cybersecurity tool by performing vulnerability scanning and assessment. Here's an overview of how it works in the realm of cybersecurity:
It plays a crucial role in conducting vulnerability assessments. It scans systems and networks for known vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and weaknesses. By identifying these vulnerabilities, organizations can proactively address them before malicious actors can exploit them.
It assigns severity ratings to identified vulnerabilities, helping security professionals prioritize their efforts. Vulnerabilities with higher severity ratings are typically addressed first, as they pose a greater risk to the system's security. This prioritization allows organizations to allocate their limited resources effectively.
It offers extensive coverage through its vast plugin database, which includes checks for various operating systems, software applications, network devices, and configurations. It provides a comprehensive view of potential vulnerabilities across a wide range of technologies, ensuring thorough scanning and assessment.
It networks monitor feature which performs scheduled or regular network scans. This approach allows organizations to detect newly emerging vulnerabilities or misconfigurations that may arise due to system changes, software updates, or new threats. Regular scans help maintain an up-to-date understanding of the security posture and promptly address any newly discovered vulnerabilities.
It aids in compliance assessments by checking systems against industry-specific security standards and regulations. It helps organizations ensure their systems meet the required security controls and guidelines defined by regulatory bodies. It can generate reports highlighting deviations from compliance standards, facilitating the remediation process.
It identifies missing patches and updates in systems, including both operating systems and applications. By highlighting the need for patching, it assists organizations in maintaining a strong patch management process. Timely patching is crucial to mitigate vulnerabilities and reduce the attack surface.
It generates detailed reports that provide insights into identified vulnerabilities, their severity, and recommended remediation steps. These reports serve as valuable documentation for security teams, auditors, and stakeholders. They help communicate the security posture, progress in vulnerability mitigation, and compliance status to relevant parties.
It integrates with other security tools and platforms, such as security information and event management (SIEM) systems, ticketing systems, and configuration management tools. This integration allows for streamlined workflows, automated response actions, and centralized visibility, enhancing the overall security operations.
By leveraging the capabilities of Nessus, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity posture, reduce the attack surface, and mitigate potential vulnerabilities and risks. It provides a comprehensive and proactive approach to vulnerability management, enabling security professionals to stay ahead of evolving threats and protect critical systems and data. It requires continuous education in the latest hacking techniques and tools, which can be achieved through CEH training online.
As mentioned above tenable Nessus is a subscription-based tool, you first must get a subscription of it according to your preference and usage. When you install Nessus vulnerability scanner it comes with Nessusd executable which is nessusd.exe. Follow the following steps:
Step 1: Obtaining the Nessus Installation Package
First you have to get the installation package of Tenable Nessus from its official website according to your operating system and download the latest version for utmost experience and service. Go to Tenable Nessus’s page by clicking here.
You can download it using curl, docker and for virtual machines too.
Step 2: Install Nessus
Once you have downloaded the installation package, follow the provided instructions to install it on your machine. The installation may vary according to your operating system but the installation package will guide you throughout the installation process. Starting it is one of the easiest tasks, once you install it on your system it will direct you to a localhost webpage with the URL as http://localhost/8834.
Here further configurations for setup will be done.
Step 3: Activation of Nessus
When you start it for the first time, it will give a prompt for the activation of the product. For the activation of the product, you have to create a tenable account and register the product and get the activation code which will activate your product.
You will get the page as above if you go for its professional trial.
Step 4: Configure Nessus
Once activated, you will find a wizard to create a user account. Create a user account.
After account creation it will download and setup plugins.
Then the you will be redirected to the dashboard of Nessus Professional. In case you if you are not able to start the scan wait for some time because compilation of plugins is taking place and after that you can start your work. You can check the progress of plugins compilation at the menu-bar where you can see a loop logo, before “Resource Center” option.
There are several Nessus scan types available for different methods of scanning like Host Discovery, network scan, advance scan, malware scan, Credential and Audit patch and many more. Host Discovery is the most common one and the one which is used most of the time at the beginning of the scan. Host Discovery tells the live hosts or any ports of the targeted system.
For the testing purpose we will consider http://testphp.vulnweb.com.
Nessus have its own plugin list but if the user wants to use their own plugin, then they can also use their customized plugins from the plugins tab but for that the scan is to be done with Advance Scan option but in our case, we are using Network scan. In advance scan we can customized each any every scan option.
One of the scan methods that is mostly used is nessus advanced scan. It gives the ability to customize or set each policy and parameters by ourself for scanning on specific technologies and getting desired output.
Now save all the setting using save button and launch the scan from the redirected page. After completion of the scanning, we will analyse the report.
Its reporting is one of the biggest advantages that it provides to its users. Even during scanning, Nessus let us see the current findings. In report you get 3 tabs, Hosts, Vulnerabilities and History. In the hosts tab it shows the proportion of the different severity level vulnerability finding in a single bar. In vulnerability tab it shows the detailed information of the vulnerability or the weakness that had been found. History tabs hold the data of how many times the scans had been performed.
It gives the risk information too like what’s the severity level. It gives the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) too. And for some findings they give reference contents too.
Some of the major benefits are as follows;
Nowadays no one will give you job just by interview. They need prior verification that you are capable for such position. So, you must pass some certifications. You can go for KnowledgeHut's Cyber Security certification online courses.
Nessus is a powerful and versatile vulnerability assessment tool that helps organizations proactively manage their security risks. With comprehensive coverage, advanced scanning techniques, and compliance auditing capabilities, it provides accurate vulnerability detection. Its scalability, customization options, and integration capabilities make it suitable for organizations of all sizes. By automating processes and offering continuous monitoring, it saves time and resources while ensuring ongoing security vigilance. With a strong user community and continuous innovation, it remains at the forefront of vulnerability assessment technology. Overall, it empowers organizations to strengthen their security, achieve compliance, and protect critical assets.
Nessus provides several scans like Host Discovery, Basic Network Scan, Active Directory starter, malware scan, web application tests, etc.
Yes, it is a web scanner but it is not limited to it. It can also perform database scan, compliance audit, mobile device scan and many more.
Typically, it scans for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations across various components of organization’s infrastructure. Components like operating system, database, web application, network, web servers, cloud infrastructures, etc.
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