Organizations undertake vulnerability assessments for their networks to detect any vulnerabilities, gaps, or loopholes that may exist in the system. The results of such an evaluation can assist a network administrator in better understanding the security posture of their network and inputting defensive measures in place to counter potential threats and weaknesses. Many vulnerability assessments involve the use of a network vulnerability scanner program, which can be either open-source or closed-source, or a combination of the two. A look at some of the most widely used open-source network vulnerability scanning tools is presented in this article.
1. OpenVAS (http://www.openvas.org/) is a free and open-source virtualization system.
OpenVAS is an abbreviation for Open Vulnerability Assessment Scanner, which is free to use. It is a full-featured open-source vulnerability scanner that covers a large number of vulnerabilities. Since its inception in 2009, Greenbone Networks has been responsible for its upkeep. Currently, more than 50,000 network vulnerability assessments are being performed on the OpenVAS framework as of July 2020. As a result of the transition from Nessus to a proprietary product from being an open-source tool, the OpenVAS project was created. Several plugins for OpenVAS are built in the Nessus Attack Scripting Language, which is an extension of the Nessus Attack Scripting Language (NASL).
A client-server architecture is used in this application; all searching, storing, and processing functions are performed at the server level. The client-side is used by network administrators, vulnerability scanners, and penetration testers to configure scans and examine data, among other things. OpenVAS is designed for all-in-one scanning and includes search capabilities for more than 26,000 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs).
2. OpenSCAP (https://www.open-scap.org) is a free and open-source software project.
Security tools, policy enforcement, and compliance with standards are all priorities for OpenSCAP, which is composed of several components. The Security Content Automation Protocol is the source of the name of this protocol (SCAP). The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is in charge of maintaining SCAP. OpenSCAP is a collection of open-source tools for the implementation of the SCAP standard, which is available for free download. A vulnerability scanner module is one of the tools that are included in the package. It includes automatic vulnerability scanning, which reduces the amount of manual effort required by a security team.
The OpenSCAP user interface is depicted in Figure 2.
The OpenSCAP user interface is depicted in Figure 2.
3. Nmap (https://www.nmap.org) is a network scanning tool.
Nmap is a network scanning program that is free and open-source. It may be used for port scanning, service fingerprinting and identifying operating system versions. In addition to being a network mapping and port scanning tool, it also includes the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE), which can aid in the detection of misconfiguration issues and security vulnerabilities. A command-line interface (CLI), as well as a graphical user interface (GUI), are both available (GUI).
Currently, the most recent version of this utility is 7.90, at the time of writing this post.
Nmap Command-Line Interface (CLI) (Figure 3).
Nmap Command-Line Interface (CLI) (Figure 3).
4. Wireshark (https://www.wireshark.org) is a network protocol analyzer.
A real-time network protocol analyzer, Wireshark is a tool that continuously monitors network traffic for vulnerabilities and suspicious activity. It is available for a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and OS X. Over time, it has evolved into a critical component of the security toolkits of many businesses and organizations. It continuously monitors network traffic and turns binary data into a human-readable format by employing correct structuring and encoding techniques. It is capable of supporting more than two thousand network protocols, making it an extremely helpful tool for network administration.
Wireshark is depicted in Figure 4.
Wireshark is depicted in Figure 4.
5. Metasploit (https://www.metasploit.com/) is a penetration testing tool.
Metasploit is mostly renowned as a critical tool for penetration testers for delivering and executing payloads and exploits; however, it also includes network scanning features that may be valuable for enterprises. In the years before 2009, the Metasploit Framework (MSF) was accessible as a free and open-source software package. Following its acquisition by Rapid7, the company made MSF available as a commercial tool for the first time. It does, however, offer a free version with reduced functionality, which is referred to as the Community Edition. The Express Edition and the Pro Edition are the names given to the premium editions of the software. The free version includes an intuitive Java-based graphical user interface that is simple to use.
Figure 5: The Metasploit Framework is used to scan an entire network.
Figure 5: The Metasploit Framework is used to scan an entire network.
Notes for the end of the book
Even though open-source goods have many distinct advantages, such as cost-effectiveness and a supportive community, they do not include the dedicated customer service that many enterprises require. We have also encountered cases when open-source tools were unable to discover a vulnerability that had previously been identified by an expensive commercial tool in the course of our security testing engagements. We are adamant that security testing should be made as simple as possible for enterprises to do. The BreachLock cloud platform, which we developed in response to this demand, now serves as a one-stop-shop for all of our clients’ information security testing requirements. Today is the day to schedule a discovery call with one of our specialists!
