scanning-infrastructure-with-nessus

# Scanning Infrastructure with Nessus ## Overview Tenable Nessus is the industry-leading vulnerability scanner used to identify security weaknesses across network infrastructure including servers, workstations, network devices, and operating systems. This skill covers configuring scan policies, running authenticated and unauthenticated scans, interpreting results, and integrating Nessus into continuous vulnerability management workflows. ## When to Use - When conducting security assessments that involve scanning infrastructure with nessus - When following incident response procedures for related security events - When performing scheduled security testing or auditing activities - When validating security controls through hands-on testing ## Prerequisites - Nessus Professional or Essentials license installed and activated - Network access to target systems (firewall rules allowing scanner IP) - Administrative credentials for authenticated scanning - Understanding of TCP/IP networking and common services - Written authorization for scanning target environments ## Core Concepts ### Nessus Architecture Nessus operates as a client-server application where the Nessus scanner engine runs as a service (nessusd) on the host system. It uses a plugin-based architecture with over 200,000 plugins updated weekly by Tenable's research team. Each plugin tests for a specific vulnerability, misconfiguration, or compliance check. ### Scan Types 1. **Host Discovery** - Identifies live ho...