From cybersecurity-skills
Guides authenticated vulnerability scanning with credentials for deep host inspection of software, patches, configs using Nessus, Qualys, OpenVAS. Covers Linux SSH, Windows WMI/WinRM, networks, databases.
npx claudepluginhub mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills --plugin cybersecurity-skillsThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
Authenticated (credentialed) vulnerability scanning uses valid system credentials to log into target hosts and perform deep inspection of installed software, patches, configurations, and security settings. Compared to unauthenticated scanning, credentialed scans detect 45-60% more vulnerabilities with significantly fewer false positives because they can directly query installed packages, regist...
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Authenticated (credentialed) vulnerability scanning uses valid system credentials to log into target hosts and perform deep inspection of installed software, patches, configurations, and security settings. Compared to unauthenticated scanning, credentialed scans detect 45-60% more vulnerabilities with significantly fewer false positives because they can directly query installed packages, registry keys, and file system contents.
Unauthenticated scanning can only assess externally visible services and banners, often leading to:
Authenticated scanning resolves these by directly querying the target OS.
# Linux: Create scan service account
sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash -c "Vulnerability Scanner Service Account" nessus_svc
sudo usermod -aG sudo nessus_svc
# Configure sudo for passwordless specific commands
echo 'nessus_svc ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/dpkg -l, /usr/bin/rpm -qa, \
/bin/cat /etc/shadow, /usr/sbin/dmidecode, /usr/bin/find' | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/nessus_svc
# Generate SSH key pair
sudo -u nessus_svc ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f /home/nessus_svc/.ssh/id_ed25519 -N ""
# Distribute public key to targets
for host in $(cat target_hosts.txt); do
ssh-copy-id -i /home/nessus_svc/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub nessus_svc@$host
done
# Windows: Create scan service account via PowerShell
New-ADUser -Name "SVC_VulnScan" `
-SamAccountName "SVC_VulnScan" `
-UserPrincipalName "SVC_VulnScan@domain.local" `
-Description "Vulnerability Scanner Service Account" `
-PasswordNeverExpires $true `
-CannotChangePassword $true `
-Enabled $true `
-AccountPassword (Read-Host -AsSecureString "Enter Password")
# Add to local Administrators group on targets via GPO or:
Add-ADGroupMember -Identity "Domain Admins" -Members "SVC_VulnScan"
# For least privilege, use a dedicated GPO for local admin rights instead
# Enable WinRM on targets
Enable-PSRemoting -Force
Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Service\AllowRemote -Value $true
winrm set winrm/config/service '@{AllowUnencrypted="false"}'
{
"credentials": {
"add": {
"Host": {
"SSH": [{
"auth_method": "public key",
"username": "nessus_svc",
"private_key": "/path/to/id_ed25519",
"elevate_privileges_with": "sudo",
"escalation_account": "root"
}],
"Windows": [{
"auth_method": "Password",
"username": "DOMAIN\\SVC_VulnScan",
"password": "stored_in_vault",
"domain": "domain.local"
}],
"SNMPv3": [{
"username": "nessus_snmpv3",
"security_level": "authPriv",
"auth_algorithm": "SHA-256",
"auth_password": "stored_in_vault",
"priv_algorithm": "AES-256",
"priv_password": "stored_in_vault"
}]
}
}
}
}
# Test SSH connectivity
ssh -i /path/to/key -o ConnectTimeout=10 nessus_svc@target_host "uname -a && sudo dpkg -l | head -5"
# Test WinRM connectivity
python3 -c "
import winrm
s = winrm.Session('target_host', auth=('DOMAIN\\\\SVC_VulnScan', 'password'), transport='ntlm')
r = s.run_cmd('systeminfo')
print(r.std_out.decode())
"
# Test SNMP v3 connectivity
snmpwalk -v3 -u nessus_snmpv3 -l authPriv -a SHA-256 -A authpass -x AES-256 -X privpass target_host sysDescr.0
Configure and launch the scan using the Nessus API:
# Create scan with credentials
curl -k -X POST https://nessus:8834/scans \
-H "X-Cookie: token=$TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"uuid": "'$TEMPLATE_UUID'",
"settings": {
"name": "Authenticated Scan - Production",
"text_targets": "192.168.1.0/24",
"launch": "ON_DEMAND"
},
"credentials": {
"add": {
"Host": {
"SSH": [{"auth_method": "public key", "username": "nessus_svc", "private_key": "/keys/id_ed25519"}],
"Windows": [{"auth_method": "Password", "username": "DOMAIN\\SVC_VulnScan", "password": "vault_ref"}]
}
}
}
}'
After scan completion, check credential verification results: