Creating a custom vulnerability scanner can significantly enhance your cybersecurity efforts. By leveraging Python and the OpenVAS APIs, you can develop a tailored solution that fits your specific needs. This guide provides an overview of how to build such a scanner step-by-step.
Understanding OpenVAS and Its APIs
OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability Assessment System) is a powerful open-source tool for vulnerability scanning. It offers a comprehensive API that allows developers to automate scans, retrieve results, and manage configurations programmatically.
Setting Up Your Environment
Before building your scanner, ensure you have the following:
- Python 3 installed on your system
- OpenVAS installed and configured
- Python libraries: requests, xml.etree.ElementTree
Connecting to OpenVAS API with Python
Use the requests library to authenticate and establish a session with OpenVAS. Here's a basic example:
Note: Replace your_username and your_password with your OpenVAS credentials.
```python
import requests
session = requests.Session()
login_data = {'login': 'your_username', 'password': 'your_password'}
response = session.post('https://your-openvas-server.com/omp', data=login_data)
if response.status_code == 200:
print("Connected to OpenVAS API")
else:
print("Failed to connect")
```
Creating and Launching a Scan
Once connected, you can create a new scan by sending a request to the API. Specify the target hosts and scan configurations.
Example:
Note: Adjust parameters according to your setup.
```python
scan_data = {
'name': 'My Custom Scan',
'targets': ['192.168.1.1'],
'config': 'Full and fast'
}
response = session.post('https://your-openvas-server.com/omp', data=scan_data)
if response.status_code == 200:
print("Scan started successfully")
else:
print("Failed to start scan")
```
Retrieving and Analyzing Results
After the scan completes, you can fetch the results using the API. Parse the XML or JSON response to analyze vulnerabilities.
Example:
Note: Implement polling or callback mechanisms to wait for scan completion.
```python
response = session.get('https://your-openvas-server.com/omp?form=get_results&id=scan_id')
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
root = ET.fromstring(response.text)
for result in root.findall('.//result'):
name = result.find('name').text
severity = result.find('severity').text
print(f"Vulnerability: {name}, Severity: {severity}")
Conclusion
Building a custom vulnerability scanner with Python and OpenVAS APIs provides flexibility and control over your security assessments. With the right setup, you can automate scans, analyze results, and improve your network's security posture effectively.