Knowledgebase

OpenSCAP is an open-source framework that provides tools for compliance monitoring and vulnerability scanning. It is designed to automate security auditing tasks, check system configurations, and verify adherence to security benchmarks like CIS, DISA-STIG, and others. With OpenSCAP, you can easily monitor your system for security risks, misconfigurations, and vulnerabilities. This tutorial will guide you through the installation and configuration of OpenSCAP on AnonVM.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. What is OpenSCAP?
3. Installing OpenSCAP on AnonVM
4. Running OpenSCAP to Check Security Compliance
5. Understanding OpenSCAP Reports
6. Automating Security Checks with OpenSCAP
7. Troubleshooting OpenSCAP
8. Conclusion

1. Prerequisites

Before installing OpenSCAP on AnonVM, make sure you have the following:

• Operating System: OpenSCAP is available for Linux-based operating systems such as Ubuntu and CentOS. Ensure your system is updated.
• Root or Sudo Access: You need root privileges to install and configure OpenSCAP.
• Internet Connection: To download necessary OpenSCAP tools and security compliance content.

2. What is OpenSCAP?

OpenSCAP is a comprehensive framework for managing compliance and vulnerability scanning tasks. It includes various tools such as:

• oscap: The command-line utility for running OpenSCAP scans.
• SCAP Security Guide: A collection of predefined content for compliance checks (e.g., CIS benchmarks, DISA STIGs).
• OpenSCAP Workbench: A graphical interface for performing security scans (optional).

Key features include:

• Automated Security Auditing: Check system configurations against predefined security baselines.
• Vulnerability Scanning: Identify missing patches, misconfigurations, or outdated software.
• Compliance Reports: Generate detailed reports on compliance with security standards.

3. Installing OpenSCAP on AnonVM

Step 1: Update System

Before installing OpenSCAP, make sure your system is up-to-date. Run the following command:

For CentOS/RHEL:

Step 2: Install OpenSCAP

On Ubuntu/Debian:

You can install OpenSCAP tools from the default repository:

This will install the oscap command-line utility, which is the primary tool for running OpenSCAP compliance checks.

On CentOS/RHEL:

For CentOS or RHEL, install OpenSCAP with the following command:

Step 3: Install SCAP Security Guide (Optional)

OpenSCAP relies on security content, such as the SCAP Security Guide, to perform compliance checks. To install it, run:

On CentOS/RHEL, use:

This package includes the benchmark content, such as the CIS and DISA STIGs, used by OpenSCAP for auditing.

4. Running OpenSCAP to Check Security Compliance

Once OpenSCAP is installed, you can start using the oscap command-line tool to run security scans on your system.

Step 1: Run a Basic Scan

To run a compliance scan against a predefined benchmark (e.g., the CIS Benchmark for Ubuntu), use the following command:

Explanation:

• xccdf eval: The command to evaluate a given system.
• --profile: Specifies the security profile to use (e.g., cis).
• --results: Defines where the scan results will be saved (in this case, as an XML file).
• --report: Specifies the output in HTML format for easy reading.
• /usr/share/xml/scap/ssg/content/...: Path to the SCAP security content for your specific OS.

Step 2: Check the Results

After the scan finishes, you’ll have two output files:

• results.xml: Contains raw results in XML format.
• report.html: A human-readable report that can be opened in any web browser.

Open the HTML report to view the compliance status of your system.

5. Understanding OpenSCAP Reports

The reports generated by OpenSCAP provide details on your system's compliance. The HTML report will show the following:

• Passed Tests: Items where your system is compliant with the benchmark.
• Failed Tests: Items where your system did not meet the benchmark requirements.
• Not Evaluated: Items that could not be tested or did not apply.

Each test will indicate whether the associated configuration setting is in compliance with the security benchmark.

6. Automating Security Checks with OpenSCAP

You can automate OpenSCAP security checks using cron jobs to periodically run compliance scans. For example, to run a scan every week and generate a report, you can set up a cron job:

Step 1: Edit the Cron Job

Open the crontab file for editing:

Step 2: Add a Cron Job for Automated Scans

Add the following line to run the OpenSCAP scan every Sunday at midnight:

This cron job will automatically run the compliance check and generate a report at the specified time.

7. Troubleshooting OpenSCAP

If you encounter issues with OpenSCAP, here are some common troubleshooting steps:

1. Check Scan Results: If the scan fails to run, check the output XML and HTML reports for errors. Look for missing content or unsupported benchmarks.
2. Verify SCAP Content: Ensure that the appropriate SCAP content for your system is installed and available. Missing content can cause scans to fail.
3. Permissions: Ensure that the user running the oscap command has sufficient privileges to access system files and perform the scan.

To check for available updates or missing packages, use:

You can also verify the SCAP content’s integrity by running:

8. Conclusion

In this tutorial, we've installed and configured OpenSCAP on your AnonVM server to perform security compliance checks and vulnerability scanning. With OpenSCAP, you can ensure that your server adheres to industry security standards, such as the CIS Benchmark and DISA STIG. Additionally, you can automate these checks to maintain continuous security compliance.

By regularly running OpenSCAP scans, you'll be able to identify potential vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and ensure that your server remains secure and compliant.