This article describes the steps one can take to install and use the Nessus vulnerability scanner on Ubuntu Linux.
Nessus is an open-source vulnerability assessment and penetration testing tool one can install and use on a variety of platforms including, Raspberry Pi. It uses the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) architecture to make vulnerability assessment simple, easy, and intuitive.
For companies and individuals looking for a security and vulnerability scanner to secure their environments, Nessus should come in handy.
More information on Nessus can be found on their official website.
How to install Nessus on Ubuntu Linux
As mentioned above, Nessus is an open-source vulnerability assessment and penetration testing tool one can install and use on a variety of platforms including, Raspberry Pi.
Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux.
Download and install the Nessus DEB package
There are multiple ways to install the Nessus security scanners on Ubuntu Linux. The most straightforward way is to download its official DEB package and install it.
Tenable, the parent company provides Nessus packages for different Linux distributions, including Ubuntu Linux.
At the time of this writing, version 10.4.1 is the latest. To download via curl, run the commands below.
sudo apt install curl curl --request GET --url ' --output 'Nessus-10.4.1-ubuntu1404_amd64.deb'
After downloading the installer, run the commands below to install Nessus.
sudo dpkg -i Nessus-10.4.1-ubuntu1404_amd64.deb
After installing, the commands below can be used to start and enable Nessue’s services to automatically start up when the system boots.
sudo systemctl start nessusd sudo systemctl is-enabled nessusd
You can also check the Nessus’ service status by running the commands below.
sudo systemctl status nessusd
The command above should output similar lines as the ones below.
● nessusd.service - The Nessus Vulnerability Scanner
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/nessusd.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Tue 2022-11-15 10:28:01 CST; 17s ago
Main PID: 2906 (nessus-service)
Tasks: 13 (limit: 2282)
Memory: 55.6M
CPU: 15.495s
CGroup: /system.slice/nessusd.service
├─2906 /opt/nessus/sbin/nessus-service -q
└─2908 nessusd -q
Nov 15 10:28:01 Ubuntu2210 systemd[1]: Started The Nessus Vulnerability Scanner.
Nov 15 10:28:03 Ubuntu2210 nessus-service[2908]: Cached 0 plugin libs in 0msec
Setup Ubuntu Firewall
By default, the Ubuntu firewall isn’t enabled. However, if you are running a firewall on your system, you must allow the following ports and services.
Allow OpenSSH by running the commands below.
sudo ufw allow "OpenSSH"
Allow Nessus default port that it uses for its web portal.
sudo ufw allow 8834/tcp
Access the Nessus web portal
At this point, Nessus should have started on port 8834. Open your web browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address followed by port number 8834.
https://localhost:8834
On the setup screen, choose how you want to deploy Nessus. For this post, we are going to choose the Nessus Essentials option.
Set up your account to receive your activation code.
Once you get your activation code, enter it and continue. Then create a username and password for your account.
When you are done, Nessus should be downloading additional plugins and begin initializing. After a few moments, you should be allowed to sign into your Nessus portal.
Configure Nessus nessuscli
If you wish to manage Nessus via the command line easily, you may have to set up the bashrc settings below.
Add both Nessus bin directories to the system PATH via the ~/.bashrc config file in your home directory.
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/nessus/bin:/opt/nessus/sbin"' >> ~/.bashrc
Apply and reload your changes.
source ~/.bashrc
You should now be able to use the nessuscli command utility.
nessuscli help
Read the Get Started with Nessus for more help on running scans.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
This post showed you how to install and use the Nessus security scanner on Ubuntu Linux. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.
