🛡️ Vulnerability Assessment Using Nessus Essentials

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📌 1. Objective

• Set up the scan target as local machine IP or localhost
• Start a full Nessus vulnerability scan
• Review vulnerabilities and severity
• Research fixes and mitigations
• Document the most critical findings
• Provide clear explanations for each screenshot

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🧩 2. What is a Vulnerability?

A vulnerability is a weakness in a system that attackers can exploit.
Examples include outdated software, weak SSL certificates, insecure services, or misconfigurations.

Severity uses CVSS scoring:

• Critical: 9.0–10
• High: 7.0–8.9
• Medium: 4.0–6.9
• Low: 0.1–3.9
• Info: Not exploitable but informational

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🧰 3. What is Nessus Essentials?

Nessus Essentials is a popular, widely used vulnerability scanning tool.
It identifies:

• Weak configurations
• Missing patches
• SSL/TLS issues
• Exposed services
• System information leakages

It also provides:

• CVSS scores
• Remediation suggestions
• Professional reports

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🌐 4. Step 1 – Set Up Scan Target

Find your local IP using:

ipconfig

Example:

IPv4 Address: 192.168.29.x

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🚀 5. Step 2 – Start a Full Vulnerability Scan

1. Open Nessus → https://localhost:8834/
2. Go to New Scan
3. Select Basic Network Scan
4. Enter:
   • Name: Task 3 – Vulnerability Scan
   • Target: Your IPv4 Address
5. Click Launch

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🖼️ Vulnerability Summary Page

This screenshot shows the overall results of the Nessus scan for the local machine.

✔ What it displays:

• Total Vulnerabilities: 39
• Severity Levels: Medium, Low, and Informational
• List of detected issues, including:
  • Netstat Portscanner
  • DCE Services Enumeration
  • MySQL Server Detection
  • SSL/TLS information
• Host Details panel, including:
  • IP Address
  • Operating System (Windows 11)
  • Start & End times
  • Authentication status (Auth: Fail)
• Pie chart showing severity distribution

✔ Why this screenshot is important:

It demonstrates:

• Nessus completed the scan successfully
• The system has multiple detectable vulnerabilities
• The user understands severity distribution and basic scan interpretation

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🖼️ SSL Self‑Signed Certificate Vulnerability

This screenshot shows Plugin ID 57582, a Medium‑severity vulnerability.

✔ What it displays:

• Name: SSL Self‑Signed Certificate

• Severity: Medium

• CVSS v3 Score: 6.5

• Description:
  The SSL certificate used by FileZilla Server is self‑signed and not trusted by recognized Certificate Authorities.
  This can allow Man‑in‑the‑Middle (MITM) attacks.

• Output section shows:

  • The certificate subject:
    CN=filezilla-server self signed certificate
  • Affected port: 21/tcp (FTP)

• Solution:
  Replace with a CA‑signed certificate or generate an internal trusted certificate.

✔ Why this screenshot is important:

It demonstrates:

• Ability to read, interpret, and document Nessus detailed findings
• Understanding of SSL/TLS issues
• Knowledge of remediation steps

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🔧 7. Fixes / Mitigation Summary

Vulnerability	Severity	Fix / Mitigation
SSL Self‑Signed Certificate	Medium	Install trusted CA certificate
Weak TLS Cipher Suites	Medium	Disable old ciphers (e.g., RC4, 3DES)
SMB Information Disclosure	Info	Restrict SMB access, disable SMBv1
MySQL Detection	Info	Disable if unused, update MySQL
Service Enumeration	Info	Restrict unnecessary services

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🎯 11. Conclusion

This task demonstrates:

• Running Nessus scans
• Reviewing vulnerabilities
• Understanding CVSS severity
• Researching remediations
• Documenting findings professionally
• Explaining screenshots clearly

Nessus is a vital tool for SOC Analysts, Vulnerability Analysts, and Cybersecurity Engineers.

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