Stable release 9.0 / March 8, 2017 | Operating system License GPL | |
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Developer(s) Greenbone Networks GmbH Repository scm.wald.intevation.org/svn/openvas | ||
OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability Assessment System, originally known as GNessUs) is a software framework of several services and tools offering vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management.
Contents
All OpenVAS products are free software, and most components are licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
History
OpenVAS began under the name of GNessUs, as a fork of the previously open source Nessus scanning tool, after its developers Tenable Network Security changed it to a proprietary (closed source) license in October 2005. OpenVAS was originally proposed by pentesters at Portcullis Computer Security and then announced by Tim Brown on Slashdot.
OpenVAS is a member project of Software in the Public Interest.
Structure
There is a daily updated feed of Network Vulnerability Tests (NVTs) - over 47,000 in total (as of June 2016).
Documentation
The OpenVAS protocol structure aims to be well-documented to assist developers. The OpenVAS Compendium is a publication of the OpenVAS Project that delivers documentation on OpenVAS.