Knowledgebase

OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability Assessment System) is a powerful open-source vulnerability scanner designed to identify potential security weaknesses in your systems and applications. It is a comprehensive security tool that includes a variety of features, such as network vulnerability scanning, configuration auditing, and more. This tutorial will guide you through installing and configuring OpenVAS on your AnonVM server for effective vulnerability management.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. What is OpenVAS?
3. Installing OpenVAS on AnonVM
4. Configuring OpenVAS
5. Running Vulnerability Scans
6. Analyzing Scan Results
7. Conclusion

1. Prerequisites

Before installing OpenVAS on AnonVM, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

• Operating System: Ubuntu/Debian or CentOS/RHEL-based OS.
• Root or Sudo Access: Root privileges are required for installation and configuration.
• Internet Connection: Necessary for downloading dependencies and updates.

2. What is OpenVAS?

OpenVAS is a comprehensive open-source vulnerability scanner that helps security professionals and system administrators assess the security of their systems. Some of its key features include:

• Network Vulnerability Scanning: OpenVAS can perform deep scans of network services and systems.
• Web Application Scanning: Detect vulnerabilities in web applications and services.
• Configuration Auditing: OpenVAS can check system configurations for compliance with security standards.
• Comprehensive Reporting: After scans, OpenVAS generates detailed reports, including critical findings and recommendations.

OpenVAS is part of the Greenbone Vulnerability Management (GVM) framework, which includes the scanning engine, a web-based user interface, and additional tools for scanning and managing vulnerabilities.

3. Installing OpenVAS on AnonVM

Step 1: Update the System

Before starting, make sure your system packages are up to date.

For Ubuntu/Debian:

For CentOS/RHEL:

Step 2: Add OpenVAS Repository (for Ubuntu/Debian)

To install OpenVAS (part of the Greenbone Vulnerability Management Suite), use the following commands.

1. Add the Greenbone repository to your system.

2. Install OpenVAS (Greenbone Vulnerability Management):

For CentOS/RHEL:

1. First, install the necessary dependencies.

Step 3: Install OpenVAS Scanner and Web Interface

1. Install OpenVAS Scanner (this will allow vulnerability scanning):

2. Install the Greenbone Security Assistant (the web interface for managing scans):

4. Configuring OpenVAS

Step 1: Set up the OpenVAS Database

Once the installation is complete, you need to set up the OpenVAS database to store the scan configurations and results.

This will initialize the database and configure OpenVAS. During this step, the system will automatically download and configure the required vulnerability detection feeds.

Step 2: Synchronize Feeds

To ensure you have the latest vulnerability checks, synchronize the OpenVAS feeds.

This process may take some time, as it downloads the most recent vulnerability definitions and configurations.

Step 3: Start OpenVAS Services

Start the OpenVAS services to run the scanner and web interface:

Step 4: Enable Services at Boot

Enable the services to start automatically when your server reboots:

5. Running Vulnerability Scans

Now that OpenVAS is installed and configured, it’s time to run your first vulnerability scan.

Step 1: Access the OpenVAS Web Interface

1. Open your browser and navigate to the web interface. By default, the web interface (Greenbone Security Assistant) runs on port 9392:

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   https://<your-server-ip>:9392

2. Log in using the default credentials (which you can change later):

   • Username: admin
   • Password: The password you set during the installation (or the default one provided).

Step 2: Configure a Scan

1. Once logged in, go to the "Scans" tab and click on "Tasks".
2. Click "New Task" to create a new scan.
3. Select a target to scan. This could be an IP address or a range of IP addresses.
4. Choose a scan configuration. OpenVAS offers several predefined scan configurations, such as "Full and fast scan", "Host discovery", etc.
5. Click "Save" and then click "Start" to begin the scan.

Step 3: Monitor Scan Progress

You can monitor the progress of your scan in real-time through the OpenVAS interface. Depending on the size and scope of your scan, this could take some time.

6. Analyzing Scan Results

Once the scan is complete, you can analyze the results:

1. Go to the "Scans" tab and select "Reports".
2. Open the report for the scan you just completed. The report will show you a list of vulnerabilities found, categorized by severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low, Info).
3. Review the findings and take action based on the severity level. High and critical vulnerabilities should be addressed immediately to mitigate risks.

OpenVAS provides detailed descriptions of each vulnerability, along with recommendations for remediation.

7. Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to install and configure OpenVAS on your AnonVM server for vulnerability scanning and management. We covered the installation of OpenVAS and its components, configuring the vulnerability management database, synchronizing vulnerability feeds, running scans, and analyzing the results.

By using OpenVAS, you can improve the security posture of your network by identifying and addressing vulnerabilities. Regular vulnerability scanning is essential for maintaining a secure infrastructure and ensuring compliance with industry security standards.

With OpenVAS, you now have a powerful, open-source tool at your disposal to monitor and improve the security of your systems.