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Network Scanning Cookbook
Network Scanning Cookbook

Network Scanning Cookbook: Practical network security using Nmap and Nessus 7

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Network Scanning Cookbook

Understanding Network Scanning Tools

In this chapter, we will cover the following:

  • Introducing Nessus and Nmap
  • Installing and activating Nessus
  • Downloading and installing Nmap
  • Updating Nessus
  • Updating Nmap
  • Removing Nessus
  • Removing Nmap

Introducing Nessus and Nmap

In this section, we will learn about the various features available in Nmap and Nessus. This helps the user to fully understand the tools and their capabilities before using them.

Useful features of Nessus

The default screen on the Nessus web interface, Scans, is shown in the following screenshot; this is where you can see all the scans that you have scheduled/performed. In the top right, you can toggle between the Scans and Settings pages. Next, we will look into the scans interface:

The left pane of the Nessus default screen displays multiple tabs classified into folders and resources. The folders are basically different views of scans present on the server. For example, selecting the Trash...

Installing and activating Nessus

Nessus is a vulnerability scanner developed by Tenable Network Security. It scans hosts and subnets for network-level and service-level vulnerabilities. Nessus is available free of charge with restricted features for non-business users. It consists of two main components: NessusD (Nessus Daemon), and a client application that can be hosted on the same machine. Nessus Daemon is responsible for performing the scan and delivering the result to the client application, providing these results in various formats. Tenable also develops incremental updates and detection mechanisms, called plugins, which can be downloaded and updated regularly. It also provides additional probing functionality of known vulnerabilities; for example, if an FTP port is found to be open, Nessus will automatically try to log in using the anonymous user. Nessus has both a command...

Downloading and installing Nmap

Nmap is a free and open source network scanning and audit tool available at https://Nmap.org/. This tool is one of the most important components of a network-level security audit, as it allows the user to monitor or observe the network-level posture of a host by providing data about open ports and services running on these ports. The Nmap tool also allows interaction with these services and the running of various scripts using Nmap Script Engine (NSE). The following command is the syntax to perform TCP syn full port scanning on the host 127.0.0.1:

Nmap -sS -p1-65535 127.0.0.1

We will be looking into recipes for the usage of the Nmap tool in further chapters.

Getting ready

Nmap is available in...

Updating Nessus

Nessus can be updated either manually, or by scheduling automatic updates. The software update option can be found as a part of the Settings menu. This can be used to schedule daily, weekly, or monthly updates for Nessus software or even just the plugins. By default, Nessus uses its cloud server to download and install the updates, but you can also configure a custom server to download these updates.

Getting ready

You can update Nessus while connected to the internet or offline. If you want a hassle-free update or a quick one, you can ensure that the system is connected to the internet.

However, in order to update Nessus offline, you will have to download the update package from the Nessus website.

...

Updating Nmap

The most straightforward way to update Nmap is to download the latest available version of the software and manually install the package.

Getting ready

Download the latest stable version from https://Nmap.org/download.html/, making sure to choose the right version for the current operating system in use.

How to do it...

Perform the following steps:

  1. Right-click on the downloaded file and select Run as administrator. This is required to ensure that the tool has all the privileges to be installed properly on your machine.
  2. After this, you will be shown an open...

Removing Nessus

Removing the Nessus software is similar to removing Nmap. Once done, the port on which the service was running will be free and you will no longer be able to access the web interface.

Getting ready

The steps to remove Nessus vary from platform to platform. Before uninstalling Nessus, you may wish to back up all your policies and scan data by exporting them in the required format; for example, NessusDB.

How to do it...

Follow these steps to uninstall Nessus on Windows:

  1. Navigate to the Control Panel on a Windows machine
  2. Select Uninstall or change a program...

Removing Nmap

The uninstallation process of Nmap is pretty straightforward on both Windows and Linux. This will remove all the dependencies and libraries that have been installed by Nmap.

How to do it...

Follow these steps to uninstall Nmap on Windows:

  1. Navigate to the Control Panel of the Windows machine
  2. Select Uninstall or change a program
  3. Locate and select the Nmap package in the list of software installed
  4. Click Uninstall

This will uninstall the Nmap software and its data from any Windows machine.

There's more...

In Linux-based distributions you can simply delete...

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Key benefits

  • Plunge into scanning techniques using the most popular tools
  • Effective vulnerability assessment techniques to safeguard network infrastructure
  • Explore the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) and the features used for port and vulnerability scanning

Description

Network scanning is a discipline of network security that identifies active hosts on networks and determining whether there are any vulnerabilities that could be exploited. Nessus and Nmap are among the top tools that enable you to scan your network for vulnerabilities and open ports, which can be used as back doors into a network. Network Scanning Cookbook contains recipes for configuring these tools in your infrastructure that get you started with scanning ports, services, and devices in your network. As you progress through the chapters, you will learn how to carry out various key scanning tasks, such as firewall detection, OS detection, and access management, and will look at problems related to vulnerability scanning and exploitation in the network. The book also contains recipes for assessing remote services and the security risks that they bring to a network infrastructure. By the end of the book, you will be familiar with industry-grade tools for network scanning, and techniques for vulnerability scanning and network protection.

Who is this book for?

If you’re a network engineer or information security professional wanting to protect your networks and perform advanced scanning and remediation for your network infrastructure, this book is for you.

What you will learn

  • Install and configure Nmap and Nessus in your network infrastructure
  • Perform host discovery to identify network devices
  • Explore best practices for vulnerability scanning and risk assessment
  • Understand network enumeration with Nessus and Nmap
  • Carry out configuration audit using Nessus for various platforms
  • Write custom Nessus and Nmap scripts on your own
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Sep 29, 2018
Length: 304 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789346480
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Publication date : Sep 29, 2018
Length: 304 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789346480
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Table of Contents

9 Chapters
Introduction to Network Vulnerability Scanning Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Understanding Network Scanning Tools Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Port Scanning Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Vulnerability Scanning Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Configuration Audits Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Report Analysis and Confirmation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Understanding the Customization and Optimization of Nessus and Nmap Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Network Scanning for IoT, SCADA/ICS Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
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