OpenVAS Concepts and Scanning

Lab setup data from the Pluralsight course on:

OpenVAS Concepts and Scanning

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NOTE: this course is a full update of the previous (2017, 2020) versions.
Make sure the one you’re viewing is the up-to-date version (as of November, 2022, at least). Key elements of the Greenbone/OpenVAS system have changed – in particular the way the software is installed. So trust me, you don’t want to try making things work with an outdated guide.

Install and launch OpenVAS

# (On Ubuntu/Debian):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker docker-compose

# Download installation script and make it executable:
curl -f -O \
https://greenbone.github.io/docs/latest/_static/setup-and-start-greenbone-community-edition.sh \
&& chmod u+x setup-and-start-greenbone-community-edition.sh

# Run the installation script:
sudo ./setup-and-start-greenbone-community-edition.sh

# Launch all containers:
sudo docker-compose -f \
docker-compose.yml -p \
greenbone-community-edition up -d

# Set an admin password (use a different password!):
sudo docker exec -ti \
greenbone-community-edition_gvmd_1 \
sh -c "gvmd --user=admin --new-password=admin"

OpenVAS administration

# Sync and update definitions:
sudo docker exec -ti \
greenbone-community-edition_gvmd_1 \
sh -c "/usr/local/sbin/greenbone-scapdata-sync"

sudo docker exec -ti \
greenbone-community-edition_gvmd_1 \
sh -c "/usr/local/sbin/greenbone-feed-sync --type GVMD_DATA"

sudo docker exec -ti \
greenbone-community-edition_gvmd_1 \
sh -c "/usr/local/sbin/greenbone-feed-sync --type SCAP"

sudo docker exec -ti \
greenbone-community-edition_gvmd_1 \
sh -c "/usr/local/sbin/greenbone-feed-sync --type CERT"

# Print OpenVAS logs:
sudo docker exec -ti \
greenbone-community-edition_gvmd_1 \
sh -c "cat /var/log/gvm/gvmd.log"