Books have been written on using the powerful network-discovery and vulnerability-scanning tool. These tips will help you get started.

Nessus has been on the scene for more than 20 years. Available in both free and commercial versions, many cybersecurity professionals have used the vulnerability scanner as a learning tool when starting their careers, and many enterprise customers use it as part of their security infrastructure.

In fact, entire books have been written on how to use Nessus, though building and conducting useful custom scans can start by following some simple configuration steps.

Of course, it's important to keep some basic tips in mind, whether you're first starting out with Nessus or want to learn about how to make it more useful. 

What tips have helped you get the most ouf of Nessus? Share your knowledge with the Dark Reading community in the Comments section, below. 

(Image:blackboard VIA Adobe Stock)

About the Author(s)

Curtis Franklin, Principal Analyst, Omdia

Curtis Franklin Jr. is Principal Analyst at Omdia, focusing on enterprise security management. Previously, he was senior editor of Dark Reading, editor of Light Reading's Security Now, and executive editor, technology, at InformationWeek, where he was also executive producer of InformationWeek's online radio and podcast episodes

Curtis has been writing about technologies and products in computing and networking since the early 1980s. He has been on staff and contributed to technology-industry publications including BYTE, ComputerWorld, CEO, Enterprise Efficiency, ChannelWeb, Network Computing, InfoWorld, PCWorld, Dark Reading, and ITWorld.com on subjects ranging from mobile enterprise computing to enterprise security and wireless networking.

Curtis is the author of thousands of articles, the co-author of five books, and has been a frequent speaker at computer and networking industry conferences across North America and Europe. His most recent books, Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center, and Securing the Cloud: Security Strategies for the Ubiquitous Data Center, with co-author Brian Chee, are published by Taylor and Francis.

When he's not writing, Curtis is a painter, photographer, cook, and multi-instrumentalist musician. He is active in running, amateur radio (KG4GWA), the MakerFX maker space in Orlando, FL, and is a certified Florida Master Naturalist.

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