Re: Security scanning tools

[Carlton Foster <c.a.foster () larc nasa gov>]

If you're scanning Windows based machines on a Windows domain,  use 
Nessus and give it a valid domain username and password in the SMB login 
options.

Some tests in Nessus do require admin rights, but they tell you that in 
the description.  Most, however, are better with just user access.

Read this: http://www.nessus.org/doc/nessus_windows_scanning.pdf

and this: http://www.nessus.org/doc/nessus_domain_whitepaper.pdf

They should explain everything.

Personally, having ISS, MBSA, and Nessus available, I will use Nessus 
over the other two every time.  A few times people have challenged the 
validity of the Nessus results, and I have gone to the machines and 
proven the scanner was correct.  Nessus the program, and the development 
team, have earned my trust in that product.  Don't waste your money 
elsewhere...

Jack Solomon wrote:

> All
>
> Im currently testing new scanning tools to replace nessus.  I ran ISS 
> system scanner and Micro$oft Baseline Security analyst on a win2000 
> box and compared the results to the regular nessus scan.  Each product 
> reports different things...
>
> - Nessus says everything is cool
> - MS BSA reports that patch ms02-032 has not been applied
> - System scanner finds a nonexistent modem, no virus software (as if!) 
> but no patches
>
> When I logon to the machine and try to run the MS update routine 
> through IE, it reports no patches to be applied.  Am I going crazy or 
> using the tools wrong? surely they should all report the same 
> vulnerabilities?
>
> My questions to the group are:
> 1. What tool[s] should I look to buy that that correctly reports 
> security vulnerabilties with the least false positives?
> 2. Are false positives a known [feature] of all scanning tools?
>
>
> Jack
>
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