OpenVAS is the vulnerability-scanning engine in the Greenbone Vulnerability Management (GVM) stack. On Ubuntu, a reliable remote audit depends less on a single install command than on connecting the complete stack, updating its vulnerability data, defining an accurate target, choosing an appropriate alive test and port list, and attaching credentials when you need authenticated Linux checks.
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This guide covers that workflow, explains the Ubuntu deployment choices, and shows how to diagnose the two failures operators see most often: a scanner that is not actually connected to the manager and a reachable host reported as down.
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What OpenVAS is—and what it is not
Greenbone’s Community Edition is the source-code-based distribution of the Greenbone Vulnerability Management stack, also known as OpenVAS. “OpenVAS” is therefore not just a web page or one background process. A working deployment normally includes a manager, a scanner service, a web or command-line client, and continuously updated vulnerability-test data.
The manager stores targets, port lists, credentials, scan configurations, tasks and reports. It controls scanners through the Open Scanner Protocol (OSP). OpenVAS itself is not an OSP service; OSPD-OpenVAS supplies that protocol service between the scanner and manager. This separation explains why a web interface can load while scans cannot start: the interface, manager, scanner, OSP bridge or feed may each have a different failure.
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Use OpenVAS only against systems and address ranges you are authorized to test. A vulnerability scan creates traffic, may authenticate to hosts, and can expose sensitive configuration details. Written scope, a maintenance window where appropriate, an owner for every address and a plan for handling scan data should exist before you create a task.
Choose an Ubuntu deployment model
There is no single Ubuntu installation command that is correct for every release. Greenbone supports installation through Linux distribution packages, but warns that a distribution’s packages and dependencies may differ from the versions, scripts and extensions Greenbone tests. Establish the Ubuntu release and the GVM/OpenVAS version you intend to operate, then follow the matching current Greenbone Community Edition documentation.
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| Deployment route | Advantages | Trade-offs and checks |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu distribution packages | Convenient integration with Ubuntu services, updates and system users; familiar for administrators. | Package versions, dependency choices and helper scripts may diverge from Greenbone-tested releases. You own compatibility testing and upgrade planning. |
| Container deployment | Separates application dependencies and can make a known stack easier to reproduce. | Persistent volumes, feed storage, scanner-to-manager networking, host reachability and credential handling must be designed explicitly. Container updates do not automatically solve feed or database migrations. |
| Source-based installation | Maximum control over component versions and build options. | Highest maintenance burden: you must track dependencies, service definitions, upgrades, security fixes, feed processing and rollback procedures. |
| Managed or appliance scanner | Greenbone components can run on another system while Ubuntu serves as the operator workstation. This can simplify scanner placement inside the target network. | Confirm network paths, manager access, scanner registration, feed status and the support model. Your Ubuntu host does not need to contain the scanner if the deployment is remote. |
Compare options on maintenance effort, reproducibility, feed-update responsibility, isolation, upgrade path, network reachability, credential protection and available support—not merely on how quickly the first web page appears.
Prepare the scanning position
Run the scanner from an Ubuntu host that can actually reach the systems in scope. If the scanner is remote, test connectivity from the scanner’s network location, not only from your laptop or browser.
- Record the approved IP addresses, hostnames, subnets, exclusions and test window.
- Confirm routing and DNS resolution for every target name.
- Ask network and host firewalls to permit the probes and, for authenticated checks, SSH connections from the scanner.
- Decide where reports and credential material will be stored and who may read them.
- Document the Ubuntu release, GVM component versions and feed version before the first baseline scan.
Do not treat a successful login to the web interface as proof that scanning is ready. Check that the manager sees a registered scanner, the scanner’s OSP service is available, feed data has finished loading, and the relevant services report healthy status in their own logs. A service restart or reinstall is not a substitute for identifying which layer is failing.
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Create a target with the right scope
In the GVM client, open the target-management area and create a target for the remote host, hostname, IP address or authorized range. Keep targets logically small enough that ownership, exclusions and results remain understandable. A broad network range may be appropriate for approved discovery, but a service-specific audit is usually easier to validate and less disruptive.
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Select a port list
Choose a port list that matches the audit objective. A focused list is suitable when you know the application and transport ports that must be assessed. A broader list is appropriate when discovering exposed services is part of the approved scope. The list determines which services the scanner attempts to assess; it is not the same thing as an alive test.
Attach the scanner and credentials
Select the scanner that has network access to the target. If the deployment has more than one scanner, choose based on routing, firewall placement and ownership rather than name alone. Credentials are selected on the target definition so that a task using that target can apply them.
Choose an alive-test strategy
An alive test decides whether the scanner should proceed with a host. Greenbone documents four principal methods: ICMP Ping, TCP-ACK Service Ping, TCP-SYN Service Ping and ARP Ping. Their usefulness depends on protocol version, routing and filtering.
| Method | When it helps | Typical limitation |
|---|---|---|
| ICMP Ping | Simple reachability check when network policy permits echo traffic. | Host or perimeter firewalls commonly drop ICMP, producing a false “down” result. |
| TCP-ACK Service Ping | Tests whether the path handles TCP responses, often useful where ICMP is filtered. | Filtering devices can suppress or alter ACK responses; the result depends on the selected service port and network path. |
| TCP-SYN Service Ping | Uses a normal connection-start probe and can work when ICMP is blocked. | Firewalls may silently drop SYN packets, and a policy device can make a live host look unavailable. |
| ARP Ping | Effective for hosts on the same IPv4 local network segment. | ARP does not cross routers and is not a general substitute for routed IPv4 or IPv6 reachability testing. |
Greenbone documents IPv4 and IPv6 behavior for these methods, with method-specific differences. Select a method that matches the target’s address family and network location. If a router returns TCP-RST or a firewall drops one probe type, a host can appear inconsistent even while its application is reachable.
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When a reachable host is reported as down
- Verify the address from the scanner host, including DNS resolution and the route selected for IPv4 or IPv6.
- Check whether the target firewall permits the chosen ICMP or TCP probe.
- Try a different documented alive-test method appropriate to the network. For a routed host, TCP-SYN or TCP-ACK may work where ICMP does not; for a local IPv4 segment, ARP may be more reliable.
- Confirm that the service port used by the TCP probe is allowed and that an intermediate firewall is not sending misleading responses.
- Review the task’s target and alive-test settings, then run a small test against one authorized host before expanding the range.
- If policy intentionally blocks all probes, use the configuration that tells the scanner to proceed despite an unsuccessful alive test only when that behavior is approved and understood; expect additional noise and longer scans.
Do not remove a host from scope merely because one probe failed. Validate the result from the scanner’s network position and record the limitation in the report.
Configure SSH credentials for authenticated Linux audits
Unauthenticated scanning primarily observes exposed services. An authenticated scan can log in to a Linux or Unix target and run local security checks that are not visible from the network. In GVM, create SSH credentials and attach them to the target before starting the task.
Credential forms
Greenbone documents username-plus-password and username-plus-SSH-key forms. With an SSH key, protect the private key as a secret and ensure the scanner can use the required key format without interactive prompts. With a password, use a dedicated account and store it only in the credential object or secret-management process approved for your deployment.
Least privilege and elevation
Use a dedicated account with the smallest rights that still support the checks you require. Greenbone documents optional privilege elevation, but describes it as experimental; its reliability depends on the target’s sudo or other elevation policy, prompts and environment. Test elevation on a non-production host first, and do not assume that a credential marked as privileged actually completed every local check.
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- From the scanner’s network location, confirm that the target’s SSH service is reachable.
- Confirm the account is permitted to log in from the scanner address and that host-key verification policy will not block a non-interactive session.
- Check shell, command-execution, sudo and file-permission policies that could prevent local checks.
- Run a narrowly scoped task first and inspect whether the report identifies authenticated checks rather than only network observations.
- Never place private keys, passwords or session output in a report, ticket or screenshot.
A credential that exists but is not linked to the target is not available to the scan engine. This attachment step is a frequent cause of apparently unauthenticated results.
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Create and run the scan task
A scan task combines the target, scanner, port list, alive-test behavior, scan configuration and optional credentials. Choose a scan configuration that fits the approved objective: a focused application audit, a broader service assessment or another profile documented for your GVM version.
- Open the task-creation view in the GVM client.
- Select the target you configured, checking addresses, exclusions, port list and alive-test method.
- Select the registered scanner that can route to the target.
- Choose the scan configuration and confirm that the target carries the intended SSH credential, if authentication is required.
- Set scheduling, concurrency and maintenance-window options according to the target owner’s change policy.
- Save the task, review its effective settings, and start it only after the scope and authorization have been checked.
- Monitor task status and scanner logs separately. Record failures, skipped hosts, feed version and software versions with the report.
Official Greenbone material does not provide a universal completion time. Duration varies with address count, port list, scan configuration, rate limits, target latency, retries, authentication and feed content. Plan a window rather than promising a fixed number of minutes.
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Use the component boundaries in the GVM architecture to narrow the fault.
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If the task cannot select a scanner or remains queued, verify that the manager can communicate with the scanner through OSP and that OSPD-OpenVAS is running. A web client may still be available because it talks to the manager, not directly to the scanner.
Feed data
If scans start but contain few tests, stale results or feed-related errors, inspect feed synchronization and processing status. Vulnerability-test content changes over time; capture the feed state in each report and allow processing to finish before treating a scan as a complete baseline.
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Service logs and permissions
Inspect the logs for the manager, scanner and OSP bridge independently. Check service users, database access, socket permissions, persistent storage and available disk space. In container deployments, also inspect volume mounts and container-to-container network names. In package deployments, verify that Ubuntu service definitions match the installed component versions.
Network placement
A healthy scanner cannot assess a network it cannot route to. Confirm firewall rules, NAT behavior, IPv4 versus IPv6 selection and whether the scanner is positioned inside the segment that can reach the target. Fix reachability before changing scan profiles.
Review results without over-trusting a severity label
Read each finding alongside the affected host, detected service, evidence and scan date. A severity score is a triage aid, not proof that exploitation is possible in your environment. Validate important findings safely, remove duplicates and check whether a service version was identified accurately.
A practical prioritization method
- Confirm the asset owner, business role and exposure path.
- Check whether the finding is authenticated, remotely observed or inferred from a banner.
- Prioritize internet-exposed or high-impact assets, evidence of active exploitation, and issues that enable privilege escalation or credential compromise.
- Verify compensating controls and whether the vulnerable service is actually enabled.
- Assign an owner, remediation action and due date, then rescan to verify the fix.
This ordering is an operational framework, not a universal Greenbone threshold or service-level agreement. Adapt it to your organization’s risk model and document exceptions.
Build a useful report
Export a report that states the authorized scope, scanner location, scan date, target exclusions, port list, alive-test method, authentication mode without secrets, GVM/OpenVAS versions and feed version. Include limitations such as blocked ICMP, unreachable segments, failed SSH authentication or incomplete feed processing. Preserve the original evidence so a later reviewer can distinguish a fixed issue from a changed detection condition.
Operate recurring audits safely
- Keep the scanner, manager, OSP bridge and feed-update process on a documented maintenance schedule.
- Test upgrades against a copy or non-production target before changing a production scanner.
- Review target ranges and credentials regularly; remove departed hosts and accounts.
- Use separate credentials per environment where practical and rotate them according to policy.
- Limit report access because authenticated scans can reveal package versions, configuration and local-system details.
- Compare recurring reports for newly exposed services and regressions, not just the total finding count.
- Record scanner placement and firewall exceptions so a future “host down” result can be explained quickly.
The dependable Ubuntu workflow is deliberate: deploy a version-compatible GVM stack, verify every service boundary, define an exact target, select a network-aware alive test, attach tested SSH credentials when local checks matter, and validate findings with their evidence and limitations.
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