Nessus Setup

Nessus is a widely used vulnerability scanner developed by Tenable. It is designed to identify security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and missing patches in computer systems, network devices, and web applications. Nessus is often employed by cybersecurity professionals to assess and harden IT infrastructure, helping to prevent cyberattacks by identifying and addressing weaknesses before they can be exploited.
Key Features of Nessus:
Vulnerability Scanning: Nessus can scan a variety of devices and services, including:
Operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS)
Network devices (routers, switches, firewalls)
Web servers and applications
Databases
Virtualized environments
Comprehensive Plugins: Nessus uses a system of "plugins" to identify vulnerabilities. These plugins are regularly updated by Tenable to reflect the latest threats and vulnerabilities.
High Accuracy: Nessus performs a range of checks and tests to ensure that vulnerabilities are identified with high accuracy, helping to reduce false positives.
Compliance Auditing: Nessus can be used to check systems for compliance with various security standards and regulations, such as:
PCI-DSS
HIPAA
CIS Benchmarks
NIST
Customizable Scans: Users can customize scans to focus on specific assets, ports, or protocols, allowing for targeted vulnerability assessments.
Reports: Nessus generates detailed reports of its findings, including risk ratings, descriptions of vulnerabilities, and remediation suggestions. These reports can be exported in various formats (PDF, HTML, CSV) for further analysis or presentation.
Integration: Nessus can integrate with other security tools and platforms, including SIEMs, to streamline vulnerability management processes.