OpenVAS is a full-featured vulnerability scanner. Its capabilities include unauthenticated and authenticated testing, various high-level and low-level internet and industrial protocols, performance tuning for large-scale scans and a powerful internal programming language to implement any type of vulnerability test.

Installation

Before installing OpenVAS, the first thing we need to do is ensure your system is up to date.

NOTE: Skip this step if you have an updated system

Once you have your system up to date, we can install OpenVAS

Having installed OpenVAS successfully, you will have access to the setup script. Launch it to configure OpenVAS for first-time use:

NOTE: Depending on your system configuration, you may need to install an SQLite database.

Remember to note down the password generated during the setup process as you will require it to log in to the Greenbone Security Assistant web interface.

Starting and Stopping OpenVAS

If you have OpenVAS configured properly, you can run it by executing the command:

This command should launch the OpenVAS service and open the browser. You can manually navigate to the web interface using the default listening ports.

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This command should launch the services listening on port 9390 and 9392

Troubleshooting Errors

Installing OpenVAS on older versions of Kali and other Debian flavors may result in some errors. Here’re some possible ways of fixing possible errors:

Install PostgreSQL or SQLite3 database

Next, use gvm commands:

NOTE: Depending on the version you have installed, you may need to use the gvm (Greenbone Vulnerability Manager) command other than OpenVAS.

Usage

Accessing OpenVAS Web UI

Using the Greenbone Security Assistant features, you can access the OpenVAS web UI from your local machine. You will need to have OpenVAS running to access the interface.

Open your browser and navigate to

http://localhost:9392⁠

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Use the username as admin and the password generated in the setup process.

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Add Target

The first step to using the Security Assistant is to add targets. Navigate to the configuration menu and select targets.

On the top left corner, select a blue icon to start adding targets. Doing that will launch a dialogue window that allows you to add information about the target, such as:

Target Name

The IP address

Once you add all the relevant information about the target, you should see it listed in the targets section.

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Creating a Scan Task

Let us now proceed to create a scan task. A task in OpenVAS defines the target(s) you want to be scanned and the required scanning parameters. For the sake of simplicity, we will use the default scan options.

Navigate to Scans sections and select Tasks in the dropdown menu. Click on the icon on the left-hand side to create a new task.

That will launch a window allowing you to provide all relevant information for a scanning task.

Task name

Scan target

Schedule

Use the default settings and click on Create.

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To run a task, click on the Play icon on the bottom left of the task list.

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Adding Users

OpenVAS allows you to add various users and assign various roles to them. To add a user or role, navigate to the administration section and click on users. Select the add new icon and add the user information:

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