Nessus: Nessus is a commercial vulnerability scanner developed by Tenable. It can be used to identify vulnerabilities on systems, applications, and network devices. Nessus uses a plugin-based architecture, which allows it to be updated frequently with new checks for vulnerabilities. It also includes a web interface for managing and analyzing scan results. Nessus is one of the most widely-used vulnerability scanners and is known for its accuracy and depth of coverage.

OpenVAS: OpenVAS is an open-source vulnerability scanner that is similar to Nessus. It’s developed by Greenbone Network and is based on the Nessus 3 codebase. OpenVAS uses a series of plugins and a management interface to perform scans and display results. The openVAS project aims to create a full-featured, open-source alternative to Nessus.

Nmap: Nmap (Network Mapper) is a free and open-source tool that is used to discover hosts and services on a computer network. It can be used to identify open ports and services on a target system and can also be used to perform simple OS detection and versioning. In addition to its basic port scanning capabilities, Nmap can also be used to perform more advanced tasks such as OS detection, version detection, and script scanning. It is commonly used by network administrators and security professionals.

Metasploit: Metasploit is an open-source framework that can be used to exploit vulnerabilities and conduct penetration testing. It includes a large collection of exploits, payloads, and encoders, as well as a powerful scripting interface for developing custom exploits. Metasploit is often used to verify the effectiveness of security controls and to identify vulnerabilities that may have been missed by other testing methods.

OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy): OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is an open-source web application security scanner. It is designed to be easy to use and to be able to find a wide range of vulnerabilities. ZAP provides automated scanners as well as a set of tools that allow you to manually analyze web applications. It can be run as a daemon and accessed via its own web interface, or it can be used as a library embedded in other tools.

Keep in mind that all of these tools should be used by qualified individuals and that they should not be considered a replacement for professional security assessments. Additionally, using those tools without proper authorization may be illegal or in violation of an organization’s policies.

Nessus: To perform a scan using Nessus, you would first need to install the Nessus software on a system that has access to the network you wish to scan. Once the software is installed, you can create a new scan policy, which will specify which hosts and ports should be scanned and which plugins should be used to check for vulnerabilities. Once the scan policy is configured, you can start the scan, which will take some time depending on the number of hosts and the depth of the scan. Once the scan is complete, you can view the results in the Nessus user interface, which will show you a list of vulnerabilities that were found and their severity.

OpenVAS: To perform a scan using OpenVAS, you would first need to install the OpenVAS software and set up the necessary components. Once the installation is done, you can log in to the OpenVAS web interface, and create a new scan task by specifying the target IP addresses or hostnames, and choosing which plugins should be used for the scan. After that you can launch the scan and wait for the results, once the scan is completed you can view the results in the web interface, which will show you a list of vulnerabilities that were found and their severity.

Nmap: To perform a simple port scan using Nmap, you would open a command-line interface and enter the command:

nmap [target IP or hostname]

For example, to scan the host 192.168.1.1 you would use the command:

nmap 192.168.1.1

You can also specify the range of ports that you want to scan, and many other options to customize the scan.

Metasploit: Metasploit is usually used in a scenario where you want to conduct a penetration test.

The process of using metasploit typically consists of several stages:

Information gathering, where you gather information about the target system using tools such as Nmap, and identify potential vulnerabilities.

Exploitation, where you use Metasploit to exploit one or more of the identified vulnerabilities to gain access to the system.

Post-exploitation, where you use Metasploit to further enumerate the system and gather sensitive information.

OWASP ZAP: To use ZAP to scan a web application, you would first start the ZAP proxy and configure your web browser to use the proxy. Once the proxy is running, you can navigate to the web application you wish to scan in your browser. ZAP will automatically intercept and analyze all requests and responses. After you have used the web application for a while, you can tell ZAP to actively scan the application for vulnerabilities. You can then view the results of the scan in the ZAP interface. ZAP also support scripting and automating some scans.

Keep in mind that this is just a brief introduction to how each tool might be used, and that each tool has a wide range of options and capabilities that I can’t cover here. Also, using those tools without proper authorization may be illegal or in violation of an organization’s policies.

Thanks to our Senior Cybersecurity Specialist for taking the time to explain our tools.

Are you looking for help navigating a vulnerability assessment or penetration test? We would be happy to discuss how M-TECH Business Solutions can be a valuable asset you. Contact Us today and we will be able to help you.