Technical Editor Contributing Authors Chapter 1. Vulnerability Assessment Introduction What Is a Vulnerability Assessment? Automated Assessments Two Approaches Realistic Expectations Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 2. Introducing Nessus Introduction What Is It? The De Facto Standard History Basic Components Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 3. Installing Nessus Introduction Nessus Version Comparison Picking a Server Nessus 2.2.x Install Guide Nessus 3 Install Guide Configuring Nessus for UNIX Final Steps Installing a Client Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 4. Running Your First Scan Introduction Preparing for Your First Scan Starting the Nessus Client Policies Target Selection Starting the Scan Nessus Command Line Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 5. Interpreting Results Introduction The Nessus UI Basics Reading a Nessus Report Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 6.

Vulnerability Types Introduction Critical Vulnerabilities Information Leaks Denial of Service Best Practices Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 7. False Positives Introduction What Are False Positives? Why False Positives Matter Dealing with False Positives Dealing with a False Positive Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 8. Under the Hood Introduction Nessus Architecture and Design Host Detection Service Detection Information Gathering Vulnerability Fingerprinting Denial-of-Service Testing Putting It All Together Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 9. The Nessus Knowledge Base Introduction Knowledge Base Basics Information Exchange Limitations Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 10. Enterprise Scanning Introduction Planning a Deployment Configuring Scanners Data Correlation Common Problems Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 11. NASL Introduction Why NASL? Structure of a NASL Script An Introduction to the NASL Language The Nessus Knowledge Base Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter 12. The Nessus User Community Introduction The Nessus Mailing Lists The Online Plug-In Database Reporting Bugs via Bugzilla Submitting Patches and Plug-Ins Where to Get More Information and Help Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Chapter13. Compliance Monitoring with Nessus 3 Introduction Understanding Compliance The Nessus Compliance Engine Using Nessus 3 Auditing Nessus 3 Reporting Summary Solutions Fast Track Frequently Asked Questions Index.